Shirtdress devotees, rejoice! An unlikely union between Nary Manivong -- the subject of the new documentary, "Dressed," which follows the designer's journey from homelessness to New York Fashion Week and debuts tomorrow -- and stylish heiress/reality-TV star, Ally Hillfiger, has yielded NAHM, a brand devoted solely to making pitch-perfect shirtdresses. The label will make its Fashion Week debut next week.
According to a new profile in WWD, The friends met in 2008 and developed a professional relationship when Manivong approached Hilfiger to style his runway show last year. Significantly, Manivong decided to put his solo collection on hold (which has been in the works since 2005) to collaborate on the project with Hilfiger. Their brainchild, NAHM, will explore the possibilities of Ally's favorite closet staple, the shirtdress, from sweeping asymmetrical hems to unusual fabric variations, such as wool and silk splicing. For added "localista" street-cred, each piece is produced in New York City in a Garment Distric factory.
No doubt this week's release of Manivong's film, "Dressed," will amp the buzz-factor surrounding the brand -- though the movie focuses more on the trajectory of Manivong's eponymous line. Their debut collection will make its first appearance at Milk Studios next week -- thankfully, giving us some time to catch the movie first.
