Araks may have initially won our hearts with her feminine but un-flouncy lingerie but we've grown increasingly enamored with her ready to wear which she debuted in 2006. For spring 2010, she's created a small but focused collection, inspired by "school boys and Rachel Feinstein." While she protested a touch when we claimed we saw Feinstein's style in the bright lips and drapey cotton dresses, she sited the style icon (and Marc Jacob's muse) Feinstein's art work as the true inspiration.
"I always design pieces that I would want to wear," she told us. And, we should add, stuff we want to wear too. Take for instance a perfectly cut blazer in burnt orange, slightly shrunken with three quarter length sleeves. "That's probably one of the most 'me' pieces," Araks explained. So much so that the piece was actually modeled after one of her vintage Brooks Brother's blazers (from the boys line, of course). Delicate prints, understated beading and delicate fabrics give the line the femininity that Araks is known for- nothing girly- but pretty enough. A few athletic touches found their way into the mix including gray sweat pants rendered in linen as well as organic cotton.
There were stripes too. Naturally, if we're going school-boy style we can't forget those and they were applied to a linen jersey tank and a drop shoulder linen jersey tee. We're of the school of thought that less is more and while Araks Spring 2010 was contained to 13 looks, we would buy and wear every single one of them. Says a lot these days...
