When RozeMerie Cuevas was announced as the fashion designer for the annual Brass Ring benefit luncheon in Denver, more than a few local women scratched their heads because they’d never heard of Cuevas or her line, Jacqueline Conoir.
It’s because Cuevas flies under the fashion radar, operating her business and a boutique in Vancouver, British Columbia, far from the Canadian fashion hub of Toronto, let alone the American style capitals of New York and Los Angeles. Rather than wholesale her line and sell through a network of department stores, she has built a network of what she says are 8,000 customers worldwide who visit her store or order from her website, jcstudio.ca.
Cuevas found more fans in Denver last week during her fundraising show for the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and an appearance the following day at Blu, a boutique in Cherry Creek North that hosted Cuevas for the event.
“It was good synergy and we had a great turnout,” says Tara Weydert, owner of Blu. “She’s a very talented designer who works in high-quality fabrics. We hope to work together again in the future.”
Shoppers snapped up Cuevas’ clean-lined coats and jackets, printed dresses, drapey tunics and slinky gowns. She uses high-quality silks and wools in a sophisticated color palette. The looks are dressy without being fussy, and relaxed enough to go just about anywhere. Prices range from $180 for blouses up to $1,200 for an evening gown.
Cuevas, a designer of Croatian and French descent, studied fashion in Paris. She named her line Jacqueline Conoir, after her mother, who died when RozeMerie was just 5 years old.
Cuevas, who is celebrating 25 years in business, says she doesn’t typically sell in American stores because she had a tough time breaking into the business here. “It’s a very competitive market and I had a difficult time being taken seriously, so I just started selling directly,” she says.
Women have gotten used to shopping online and don’t mind ordering as long as they get excellent customer service and it’s not a risk for them, she says.
While she offers plenty of tailored suits and coats, Cuevas says customers today want to be able to dress more adventurously than their mothers did. “You don’t have to wear stilettos with an evening gown; you can wear boots,” she says. “I like to throw a sexy top over jeans, or a boyfriend jacket over a minidress. It looks more modern and edgy.”
She’s also a fan of being able to tweak an outfit slightly so it can be worn from day to night. The pieces you need are a great pair of jeans, a tailored jacket, a dress and blouse that can be combined in multiple ways, she says, adding, “Make it your own.”
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
