Lopilato inspired by comfortable fashion
New collection with Smash + Tess features designs offering stylish versatility
Luisana Lopilato admits that's she often the most colourfully dressed woman in the room — especially when she's in Vancouver.
“Yes, you will see me,” the Argentine actor and model says with a laugh. “I love colours. And I love crazy clothes.”
Speaking over video call from Las Vegas, Lopilato said her sense of style has been irrevocably impacted by her sometimes home — Lopilato has been married to B.C. singer Michael Bublé since 2011, and the family splits their time between her home country and his.
“I have so many rain jackets. I never thought I would have that much!” Lopilato says. “But I get to go back and forth to my country and to Canada, so I get to have both and I'm lucky. I love that.”
Jumping into frame behind his wife, Bublé echoed the environmentally linked fashion evolution.
“People do dress for the weather because, in our beautiful city that we live in, it's often raining. It's cold,” he quips of the Vancouver residents' oft-discussed uniform of rain outerwear, Blundstone boots and casual pants.
“We were actually talking about this. We were at a Canucks game and I watched all the women walking up the stairs. And I swear to God, it was like almost every woman that came up the stairs, had a pair of leggings on and leather boots ... It's very West Coast.”
Even more than Vancouver's weather, Lopilato says motherhood has impacted her shift in fashion sense.
“It's so important for me to be comfortable,” the soonto-be mother of four says. “For me, that's the first thing when I choose something to wear, especially after I became a mom. Because it's so important for me to be running after my kids and not to be worried about getting dirty.
“I remember, before having kids, when I used to fly, I used to dress so nice — white T-shirts and high heels. Now I'm like, I need a second T-shirt. I need a second pair of pants. I need different shoes. Now, I look more to be comfy.”
That sense of comfort — and a desire to have clothes that are versatile — directed Lopilato while designing her new capsule collection with the Vancouver-based brand Smash + Tess. Lopilato recalls the mid-pandemic design process with the company's team being a seamless one.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” she says of the designs, which further the brand's overarching mission of offering locally made pieces that emphasize wearability and size inclusivity.
“I worked around what they already do and what they're famous for. And I asked them to try to make different styles with different details in the clothes that I like. And we put both ideas together.
“It was a fun, fun process.” The Smash + Tess x Luisana Lopilato collection includes three versatile designs: the River Dress, a maxi-length tiered dress ($130) available in black and a yellowy-green; the Buenos Aires Romper ($135) in black; and the multicolour Palermo Duster ($135). Each design is available in sizes ranging from 3XS-4X, exclusively on smashtess.ca.
When prompted to choose a favourite piece among the designs, Lopilato pointed to the River Dress as her personal pick.
“I love that kind of dress. Like, for me, that's my dress,” she says. “I can turn that dress into something elegant or casual. You can wear high heels with it to make it more elegant, or you can wear it with running shoes to make it casual. Also, you can add a leather jacket. It depends — every woman has a different style. So, whatever makes you comfy.”