Photography by Diego Indraccolo, Model: Kirsten Varley, Styling: Kay Korsh

Rachel Freire missed her calling as a costume designer, but she fits right in with – or speeds ahead of – her aesthetic contemporaries, in both innovation and imagination. Freire graduated in 2006 from Central Saint Martins, where she studied Design for Performance rather than fashion design. She was “more interested in the psychological aspects of how people perceive dress”. Her latest collection for Fall/Winter 2010 particularly demonstrates her interest in testing limits and soliciting audience reaction. Freire, who labels her design aesthetic “Period drama meets Blade Runner”, excels in manufacturing futuristic beauty. Her sci-fi designs include jeweled headpieces; nude-colored, detailed bodysuits; and an oversize mirror-plated bolero that resembles a football player’s shoulder pads. Precise ruching, exaggerated ruffles, and minor elements of corsetry make Freire’s clothing veritable desserts made of silk and mirrorball pieces. Detailed but durable, the visionary’s conceptual looks are Gaga-ready, but still hint heavily at traditional influences and sophisticated techniques. Freire’s appropriate drama derives from theater, of course, and from her favorite designer, Thierry Mugler. Indeed she has a head start on filling the void that Mugler left when he stopped designing. Practically every item in this collection boasts an extravagance and depth that blur the line between clothing and accessory. Freire says she designs for “daring people, definitely…someone who wants to stand out.”
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Lookbook photography by Alex Antich

New York-based designer Gary Graham’s ready-to-wear line for Spring 2010 is accessible, modern, and flexible, and built for a similar lifestyle. The collection of knit tank dresses, leather skirts and leggings, and draped dresses are mostly simple and chic; they’re embellished basics in muted colors that encourage a mix-and-match mentality. Designing for over ten years, Graham is not terribly daring, but accomplishes the rare task of remaining relevant. Graham’s high hemlines are youthful rather than risky; the relaxed fits and possibilities for layering help the pieces maintain a cool modesty and trend-defying longevity. An undertone of minimal deconstructionism and a simplified utilitarian vibe are reminiscent of Alexander Wang’s favorite silhouettes (soft draping and textures, menswear elements in oversize pieces made of shirting, form-fitting leather, flowy silks). But among all the army green and tomboyish nuances, Graham also makes sure the collection is a little soft: the stars for Spring 2010 include feminine chiffon slip dresses and luminous silk vests. Graham’s petticoat-like dresses round out the spring wardrobe and beg to be accessorized with skinny belts and ankle boots. A good look at Graham’s textural details hint at his traditional training in textiles: varying waistlines and ruffles seem subtly Victorian-inspired. Other airy details give a vintage feel that should improve with wear.
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Photography by Steven Rose for Spring / Summer 2010

Tom Scott wants you to have a casual and comfortable spring. His ready-to-wear collection is full of cottons and drapery that probably just look better as they get worn in. The Ralph Lauren alum has been making strides ever since winning an Ecco Domani award in 2007. While lately he’s catapulting his brand into the future (in September the first Tom Scott store opened in the Lower East Side, and he’s launching a collection of archived designs this year), Scott looked to the past to inspire his Spring 2010 collection. Influenced by “some of the old-fashioned things you can find in your grandmother’s house”, the knitwear designer translated curtains, bed linens, even hair nets, into clothing. The details of striped bedsheets and ruffled textiles appear in sweatshirts; the visage of sheer drapes emerges in delicate tops and holey sweaters. The pieces even bear names like “Twisted Curtain Top” and “Valance Sleeve Cardigan”. In this collection Scott refreshes old-fashioned elements without leaning on a retro sensibility. He relies on the accessibility of comfort; the touchable fabrics in muted colors and slouchy-not-sloppy designs help establish a mood and lifestyle for the brand without departing from reality. Even the presentation for the collection was inviting. At the Chelsea Hotel Scott orchestrated a tableau of models playing house and lounging in a living dollhouse. Scott has declined to follow trends and has just given us clothes to truly live in.
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Irish designer Bernice Kelly launched Macha jewelry (named after her hometown in Northern Ireland) in 2007. Pretty without being too precious, the London-based line offers incredible rings and humble necklaces in simple materials like silver, gold plate, and gemstones. To craft her accessories (many of them unisex), Kelly antiques and textures the pieces for a worn-in look. It’s an aesthetic that sometimes renders pieces a little imperfect; a few designs are even fashioned by starting with an accidental shape or a carving mistake. But Kelly calls her vintage-inspired jewelry “classics of the future”.  And some of these handmade pieces are even a little whimsical: crab-claw cufflinks, molar-shaped pendants, sterling silver rings shaped like string knots. Kelly’s own photography reveals the intricacies of the pieces. One ring boasts a huge nugget of a gemstone – or does it? Upon closer look, the stone is actually a ridged chunk of metal, set like a diamond. Past collections have drawn on diverse, historical contexts, more industrious than elegant, from the American roadtrip to Victorian mining. And as a label, Macha is truly about the work, quality over an image or a pretense. The modern brand regularly posts its newest, modestly hewn pieces on its Facebook page. Lately, Kelly has been advertising her chunky-stoned rings for Valentine’s Day.
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In his three decades of designing, Paul Smith has teamed up with everyone from Oakley and Burton to Triumph Motorcycles. Now the British designer has released a collaborative partnership with Apple. The Paul Smith for Apple “luggage and accessory “ capsule collection includes leather iPhone and iPod cases; Mini Cooper Macbook sleeves and shoulder bags; and knit iPod socks with Smith’s signature multistripe pattern. The bags, cases, and sleeves are available in different sizes to accommodate different kinds of Macbooks and iPods, and sturdy materials and stitching keep your valuable electronics safe. Impressively, the menswear icon has found another way to keep his designs relevant for a new generation. Smith stays true to form with this small line, utilizing classic shapes and simple leathers, and injecting his own personality with bright colors. 
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One glance would make you think Los Angeles-based designer Austin Sherbanenko specializes in outfitting metal bands or partying with Andrew W.K. His clothing does indeed carry a strong goth-rock influence; but that flavor, mixed with good old-fashioned skilled design, makes for a mature collection that’s more haute than Hot Topic. Sherbanenko’s brainchild since 2007, Odyn Vovk officially launched with its Spring/Summer 2009 collection. Now with his Spring/Summer 2010 collection, Confined Translation, Sherbanenko is a designer with a solid aesthetic; he knows his audience because he is his audience. This season in particular tells the story “of past events: distant, near, and natural.” Symbolism in the collection includes “dirt-ridden streets, industrial landscapes, and sounds of music.” Odyn Vovk, Ukrianian for “One Wolf”, suggests strength, independence, and resourcefulness. Odyn Vovk’s site states that in “Celtic tradition, Wolf represents learning, loyalty, intuition, and the shadow … cunning, wisdom, searching, dreams, magic, transformation, death, rebirth, and protection.” Sherbanenko chooses black to dominate his collections because the solid color allows design intricacies to shine through. Structure is key, whether it’s the subtle drapery of loose, asymmetrical hoodies or the stronger contour and weight of a leather-sleeved jacket.  The familiar and looser shapes ground the pieces, while classic shapes with minor twists – a zip-up jacket with a collar that could cover half your face, or a dress-length zippered vest – add elements of character, creativity, and construction.
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Minimal Dress, perhaps the most aptly-named collection I’ve ever seen, is the creation of conceptual Dutch designer Digna Kosse. Her final project at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Minimal Dress is a commentary on the grouping of clothing collections into seasons that renders fashion obsolete after just a few months. It’s also a two-fold meditation on materialism, with a focus on the actual “material” aspect. A little artistic, a little satirical, the pieces are mere sketches of dresses, a few strands of yarn or string knotted together to draw lines across and down the body. Of course, the average shopper probably wouldn’t wear the pieces as the look book shots depict. For practicality’s sake, the “dresses” might be more apt for an accessory or even a wall decoration. While the dresses are barely there, the presentation seems to avoid sexual provocation. Lisa Klappe’s photos feature the Minimal Dress pieces of women of average build, not vamping it up, just letting the dresses hang on them. 
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Zurich-based Freitag has just added two new messenger bag styles to its collection of industrial accessories: the F76 Leo bag (for 13” laptops) and the F77 Ben bag (for 13” and 15” laptops). Each unisex style is available in eighty different colorways, and the bags’ versatile design allows the user to carry it as a tote, a shoulder bag, or a crossbody messenger bag. Like the label’s other styles, the boldy-colored Leo and Ben are handmade from used seatbelts and truck tarpaulins. They continue Markus and Daniel Freitag’s legacy of durable, water-resistant messenger bags. Freitag’s longtime dedication to repurposing materials will appeal to the eco-conscious customer, while the new bags’ efficient shape and size will please computer-users from bloggers to businessmen. Great bags for bicyclists and commuters, using the Leo or the Ben is a reliable and trendy way to take your work home with you.
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Photography by Kristin Vicari

Ever intrigued with the female body and diverse sources of beauty, London-based Hermione de Paula aptly named her Spring/Summer 2010 collection Las Venus: An Unconscious Elegance. It’s a departure from her darker debut collection (S/S 2009), for which she drew inspiration from Elizabeth Berkley’s character in Showgirls, but it’s an equally masterful and equally fun collection. For Spring 2010, de Paula outfitted her models with dense floral designs in staid palettes. Still body-conscious, but more ethereal, this collection balances the delicacy that spring demands with the playfulness of de Paula’s own laser-cut crowns and high hemlines. From intricate, trompe-l’oeil-printed leggings, dresses, and bodysuits, to simply-draped silk jersey fabrics and delicate cuts, these pieces are both wearable and artistic. De Paula’s modern Venus is beautiful but impish. Drawing on the symbolism of the Anatomical Venus and tabloid-fodder starlets, de Paula calls the aesthetic “a celebrity autopsy of sorts.” The new collection will be stocked exclusively in London at Browns Focus, and in Rome at Le Fate Ignoranti.  The 2006 Central Saint Martins grad has also worked with Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Christian Dior Couture, and Diane Von Furstenberg.
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Limi Feu’s Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 collection solidifies the label’s position as an icon for the everywoman: cerebral design of definition and refinement rather than flair and innovation. Limi Yamamoto (yes, daughter of Yohji) launched her line in Tokyo in 2000, and debuted in Paris with the Spring 2008 collections. Her last Paris runway show revealed forty-one characteristic looks, less punky than some past seasons. This season is a bit cleaner: the almost-Dickensian looks avoid provocation and instead teem with class. Yamamoto steers the monochromatic palette away from severity by incorporating the relaxed fits of blousy pants, asymmetrical hems, and slightly oversized – but never sloppy — white collared shirts, vests, and outerwear.  Yamamoto interprets women-doing-menswear in a way that’s more elegant-sophisticate than sterile power suit. The easy layers and drapery of knitwear in some looks suggest the energy and activity of a woman — even when oversized, pieces retain functionality. Other looks effuse 1920s American elegance. A few looks even boasted bolts of color, like furry fuchsia and yellow tights, or a harlequin print, while still looking polished. Yamamoto says she crafts her savvy tailoring with Japanese women in mind, and her runway models are typically from Tokyo. She summarizes her distinction from her father’s designs simply: “He is a man, and I am a woman.” 
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