Marissa Webb
Jenna Lyons was the headliner in the great saga of J. Crew’s turnaround from preppy stalwart to bastion of playful chic. But Marissa Webb was a supporting star. Formerly head womenswear designer for the brand, she left the Crew in 2011 to pursue her own eponymous line. Her NYFW debut will be on September 8. The Korean-born designer studied at FIT. From her website: “Her design aesthetic blends and juxtaposes elements of architecture and nature by mixing highly structured, tailored pieces with whimsical softness and flow.” Sounds pretty J. Crew to me. Find some of her inspirations on her Pinterest.
Louise Goldin
This British export has been designing in London since 2008 but this season decided to bring her bright knitwear to New York. (Preen did defect across the pond this season, so we had to get something in return.) She collaborated on Kanye West’s fashion line. It is rumored that Goldin fan Rihanna brought the two together. Goldin studied at Central Saint Martins and designed for Tereza Santos before going on her own. In her British Fashion Council profile she says her signature is “innovative programmed techniques where I create my own knitted fabric and textures, combined with structured, sculpted garments.”
Tanya Taylor
Designer Tanya Taylor cut her teeth (and surely lots of fabric) as a designer at Elizabeth and James before starting her own collection last year. She studied at both Central Saint Martins and Parsons and is known for a subversion of classic pieces — a floral-print bomber jacket for instance. Her line is already carried by small boutiques around the world, but she is probably hoping a presence at New York Fashion Week gets her more high-profile distribution.
Katie Holmes and Jeanne Wang
It seems silly to include Katie Holmes in a list of new faces. But as familiar as her face is, it also seems strange to exclude her from a list of NYFW first timers to watch. Katie has been in the news constantly and will surely cause a commotion at NYFW with the first Holmes & Yang presentation. She is showing on September 9, up against pal Victoria Beckham who shows the same day. Believe it or not, the idea for the line came from the fact that these two didn’t think there were enough expensive, luxurious basics on the market. Talk about a #firstworldproblem.
images: Getty
