Hipster’s Paradise: Sophomore NYC
My personal pick this week is actually a collection and the designer behind it, hailing from New York City, Chrissie Miller’s Sophomore. Miller herself, a New York native, started in 2003 creating t-shirts for friends. But after some “overnight success” as her site calls it, and some hype from uber-trendy NYLON Magazine, among others, Miller realized the potential in her baby collection and moved forward with new designs. With the help of former Proenza Schouler designer Madeleine Von Froomer, the two conjured up a contemporary sportwear line–Sophomore.
Inspired by her own surroundings on the Lower East Side, Miller couldn’t help but take note of the fact that styles from the L.E.S. in the 1970’s looked a lot like the styles she was seeing now in the modern day. Taking her cue from this, she’s created three collections now that are very 70’s and 80’s inspired, easy-to-wear and looking somewhat comfortable. It is sportswear after all. Another inspiration for Miller I’m sure was young P.Y.T. Cory Kennedy. Infamous for being a hip Hollywood photographer’s modern day muse, Kennedy burst into the limelight a few years back and was labeled the new “it” girl after appearing on the cover of NYLON. Not to just call out NYLON, Sophomore has received press bits in all the offbeat pub’s–including iD, Paper, and even a shout out from that cornerstone called the New York Times.
The designs aren’t groundbreaking, but I don’t think they were meant to be. This collection is basic, somewhat colorful, playful, and fun of course. Above are my favorite looks from the Fall 2008 look book, they seemed to be the most exciting to me. I did also like the graphic tees she included in this collection. Miller did a Spring ‘09 collection, but I’m unsure of what’s in the works for this coming fall. She is pairing with Urban Outfitters in Hollywood this week and launching a mini pop-up shop where some of her designs will be available I’m sure, hopefully at an Urban Outfitters price. I would expect to find leggings, graphic tees, and some cute dresses. Bonadrag.com carries Sophomore as well, but don’t bother looking, they only had one dress and all of their other stuff was sold out…such a tease. Definitely keep your ears and eyes peeled if you liked what you saw here, I’m sure a new collection is in the works and you’ll be able to find it at a store near you in the near future.
Image Source: sophomorenyc.com
