Getting Fresh

Go girly or go for bloke? Why not both? A new set of designers play dress-up in a variety of stylish ways.

ELAINE KIM

It’s take two for Elaine Kim. The former designer for Product is reentering the market after an eight-year absence with a smart, streamlined collection. “I wanted to go beyond cute,” says the Los Angeles-based Kim. Her lineup ranges from sculpted knits to trim long blazers and foil-denim pants. They’re the sort of looks of which gallery-girl closets are made — edgy yet clean, easy but not undone.

SARIAH CARSON
Backstory: As a senior at Parsons The New School for Design in 2005, Sariah Carson grabbed the equivalent of the coed brass ring: Her thesis collection, done in collaboration with fellow student Jaylin Potter, was nabbed by Barneys New York. Editorial buzz followed and the line, Carson Potter, seemed primed to follow in the footsteps of another Parsons duo picked up by Barneys in 2002: Proenza Schouler. But three seasons later, Carson and Potter split, with Carson opting to go solo. Her new collection abandons the casual sportswear attitude of her old label and skews a bit more tony instead. “Now I’m doing more dry-clean [things],” quips Carson, whose intern CV includes stints at Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Neiman Marcus.
Collection: While Carson recognizes a certain vintage influence in her debut fall offerings, she’s careful to stay clear of the term “retro.” “It’s about a real wardrobe,” the Texan says. “[Something] modern that has those classic elements of clothes from the past.” She delivers polished dresses, coats and blouses with an arty kick in calligraphy prints she’s done herself. In fact, it’s a talent she picked up while traveling through South Korea and Japan last year on her honeymoon. Her husband and business partner happens to be the nephew of a famous Korean calligrapher, from whom she took lessons while there.
Stats: Barneys New York has picked up the line, which wholesales from $150 for skirts to $550 for outerwear.

MAYER
Who: Jenny Galluzzo
Backstory: “I never thought about fashion as a career,” says Galluzzo, a former journalist who had worked for PlumTV in the Hamptons and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “I [wanted] to go to Iraq and do all these stories and travel the world.” But it was her grandmother — or rather, her grandmother’s love of vintage clothes — that inspired her to switch gears last year and try her hand at designing. “My grandmother’s closet is like a vintage store,” says Galluzo. “She would give me bags full of dresses. I thought, ‘One day I’m going to take them and have them remade.’” Which is exactly what she did for her spring debut, a six-piece capsule collection of dresses and tops.
Collection: The line is named, appropriately, after her grandmother, Florette Mayer. “She’s the launching point,” Galluzzo says. “She’s independent and fearless, and loved traveling to exotic places. The clothing I design is for urban bohemians who want to live, or pretend to live, that fantasy.” Add to this Galluzzo’s inspirational icons like Jane Birkin and Diane von Furstenburg, and you get the Seventies jet-set vibe that’s at the heart of the collection, as seen in billowy print dresses and caftans. Galluzzo also designs a line of boho-chic leather, silk and chain belts, and eventually hopes to expand to swimwear, hats and sandals.
Stats: Wholesale prices for Mayer range from $85 for belts to $385 for dresses.

CHLOE & REESE
Who: Annmarie Scotto
Backstory: “I’ve never actually taken a patternmaking class,” says Scotto. “I don’t have any fashion background whatsoever.” Her trade, then? Public relations. Scott spent 10 years working in p.r., holding positions at L’Oréal as well as the cable television channels AMC and WE. In fact, she caught the sartorial bug while working at the latter. “I was responsible for helping launch ‘Full Frontal Fashion,’” she says. “And I just fell in love with fashion.” She began designing pieces for herself — “I had somebody who was sewing for me” — and as the compliments piled up, she thought, why not start a line? Scotto even made her own strapless frock to wear to the Emmys, when she worked on the awards ceremony last year.
Collection: “Feminine and classic, but flirty and fun,” is how Scotto describes her line. It’s Fifties-flecked, too, with an emphasis on the bustier fit-and-flare dress. “It gives you a little puff at the waist that is just so lush to me,” she explains. “I love the silhouette of a really fitted bodice. You just feel so pretty.” It’s a no-brainer, then, that she names Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn as her influences. And as for the moniker Chloe & Reese, they’re simply two names Scotto has always liked.