Derek Lam 10 Crosby (Q2905)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Derek Lam 10 Crosby is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Derek Lam 10 Crosby |
Derek Lam 10 Crosby is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
The winds of change are blowing at Derek Lam 10 Crosby.If that line sounds familiar, it’s because just over a year ago, last summer, this very writer used it to open the label’s resort 2024 review. Back then, designer Kate Wallace had just been brought onto the label to give it a revamp. That’s old news now. Wallace has left the brand, with design director Yana Popov taking the reins.For her first spring lineup as lead designer, Popov enlisted the New York artist Jill Moser to collaborate with. Moser’s gestural paintings and her idiosyncratic use of color served as Popov’s starting point here. The designer looked at Moser’s paint layering and knack for featuring bright “impossible” colors as part of her work to create her color palette. The result was a fresh and contemporary lineup that played up Lam’s original design vernacular—a sophisticated outlook with a touch of utility.
6 September 2024
Last season, 10 Crosby’s Kate Wallace introduced 10x10, a concept that places a new woman at the forefront of her collections each season. The idea, Wallace explained then, is to put “real woman” at the center of her output for the label. For fall, the woman in question is Laila Gohar, the Egyptian-born artist who uses food as her primary medium and was dubbed “the Björk of food” byThe New Yorker.“When the team and I started to conceptualize this collection, we created a narrative around our hero,” said Wallace, “and Laila embodies everything we were looking for in that woman as a business person, a creative, and an entrepreneur.” The lookbook was shot in Gohar’s home, and the artist’s own singular style helped put the clothes in context. Designers talk a lot about the ideal lives their customers live, but it’s not hard to believe that Gohar would lounge by her couch wearing a slinky dress featuring a melange of prints, or that she’d pair a classic pair of 10 Crosby jeans with a 1940s style floral jacquard jacket and black stockings and heels for a business meeting.Apropos, the story of the collection was split into three parts of a “culinary journey.” First came a business luncheon, with an eclectic business casual sensibility; then an evening time rendez-vous, a little more seductive and moodier in tone; and finally what Wallace called “the aprés,” with saturated colors and playful fabrications and silhouettes.Wallace has imbued 10 Crosby with a sense of romantic pragmatism. Even the mightiest of her commercial heavy-hitters have a little something that makes them special: Classic 10 Crosby jeans are top-stitched with white thread or cut in lurex denim; cashmere blazers and coats are made to be reversible; and linen trousers are treated with gold foil. She has also made sure to expand the limits of 10 Crosby by thinking of “wardrobing” not as a commercial brief but as an exciting daily date with oneself. A cool crackled leather trench or an equal parts kooky and sophisticated reversible mid-length white puffer jacket should make fun options for her woman to play around with as she gets dressed in the morning.
8 February 2024
With this pre-fall lookbook, Derek Lam 10 Crosby creative director Kate Wallace is introducing a new editorial concept called 10x10. Starting with this collection, each upcoming lookbook will feature a “real woman” that inspires the 10 Crosby team, who will also be featured in an interview series of the same name. Up first is Glorietta Reantaso, a movement artist.“It goes back to the idea of putting our woman at the center of everything we do,” said Wallace, who is two seasons in at the label. Wallace has a sincere understanding of the realities of the women who wear her clothes. At 10 Crosby, “commercial” isn’t a bad word; rather it’s the utmost compliment, one that translates into “desirable.” Such is the case with Wallace’s new denim fabrications: one in tencel, which was introduced last season, and another one in linen, which is new—both feel lived-in and ready for the summer. The tailoring this season is influenced by the 1930s, as evidenced by a charming shawl lapel jacket with short pleated sleeves.Wallace’s primary reference this season was a dance piece by the late choreographer Pina Bausch, titled “Agua” (water in Spanish) and created in 2001 during a residency in Brazil. Wallace translated the starting point most compellingly into a floral jacquard that was printed with more foliage on top. There’s a lightness to Wallace’s hand, one she should be sure to harness as she tackles her first cold-weather lineup in February.
5 December 2023
This was Kate Wallace’s first full collection for Derek Lam 10 Crosby. She had started her role as the label’s creative director by wrapping up its resort offering. Spring was an opportunity for Wallace to set her intentions for the brand, which, as she said during a preview, revolve around “the idea of simplification through abstraction.”That concept, said Wallace, was borrowed from a reference to artist Ellsworth Kelly’s work. Kelly was known for his hard-edge painting technique and associations with minimalism. Like the artist, Wallace looked to distill her collection to the essential, largely prioritizing monochromatic dressing and simplified line work in her construction. Kelly’s planes of color came alive in bright cashmere sweaters that reversed to different hues, and in Wallace’s mindful color blocking, but it was her considerate silhouette work that did most of the talking.Wallace built her spring assortment with the goal of elongating the silhouette. “It comes from the legacy of the classic 10 Crosby flared shape, but here concentrating on vertical lines to elongate the body,” she said. There were no horizontal lines bisecting the body in this lineup, but an effort to place darts, seams, and style lines all running vertically across each piece. Diagonal lines pointing to the ground wrapped around sleeves in button downs and across bias cut skirts, and darts placed on the abdomen in knitted and papery silk tops created soft and flattering peplums. Most compelling were a tomato red suit with a diagonal lapel and a single button, and a sage twill jacket cut to subtly cinch the waist.A touch of pizazz came from floral prints—one minimal and modern, the other busier and more commercial—applied onto sheer sequin separates. But still more charming was Wallace’s everyday wear, imbued with an awareness of what it means to live in these clothes. “Supple” is a word that recurred as we walked through the showroom and studied each texture—Wallace explored fabrics like a delightfully mushy Tencel denim and a tight but forgivingly stretchy suiting. “These clothes should hold her,” said the designer, “but they should also support her.”
21 September 2023
The winds of change are blowing at Derek Lam 10 Crosby. Halfway through the making off of this resort collection, the label appointed a new creative director to lead its collections. The designer Kate Wallace comes to 10 Crosby after a long run at other contemporary labels in New York, most recently Club Monaco. “This is the start of a slight redirect to the brand,” she said at a preview, explaining that she and the team have been ruminating on the idea of American sportswear and working to place their woman back at the center of the design process. “We’re thinking of the way the clothes move, how the fabric moves on her body, and the way in which we are facilitating her life and not the other way around,” Wallace said.It’s true that fashion tends to get distracted by lofty concepts and esoteric inspirations, often prioritizing a “vision” over the end customer. Wallace has the right idea prioritizing the way fashion can serve a person, and designing based on the way customers really wears clothes. Denim is a key pillar of the business at 10 Crosby, so silky tops, knit separates, and tailored pieces are all designed to be dressed down with a pair of jeans or elevated by slacks or a leather apron skirt. Details like a set of petal sleeves or an asymmetrical draped collar on a blouse set a sophisticated yet relaxed tone, as did a jersey column gown draped askew.
12 June 2023
The intentional and bucolic designs of the American Arts and Crafts movement served as the starting point for Derek Lam 10 Crosby’s fall 2023 collection. “Their values of utility, simplicity, and form are very much in line with what we do,” Shawn Reddy, vice president of design, said. Touches of handicraft define the fall season: a braided waistband; a shearling vest with cutout-embroidery; moody, rich floral prints inspired by William Morris wallpapers. These give the clothes a touch of romance, though they are primarily functional.That’s by design. As Reddy says, “maintaining the respect of being a reliable source for certain things has been so important for the whole pandemic.” He’s referring to trousers and denim, which he says the Derek Lam customer comes to the brand for time and again. The jeans—in a range of styles from kick flares to calf-length skirts—have become central to the brand.Standouts include a plaid toggle cape (a surprise favorite of the Derek Lam customer), a mid-wash denim skirt suit, and a mauve pantsuit. The tailoring is sharp and has flashes of Lam’s penchant for the 1970s (see the burgundy velvet style). It may be an obvious point, but one that often gets lost in the craze of fashion week: these clothes are meant to be worn, over and over again.
11 February 2023
When one thinks of the renowned French New Wave film director Éric Rohmer, visuals of pleasant beaches, nonchalant lounging, and the distinct hues of golden hour populate the mind. Stills from his films make the perfect summer into fall mood board.Rohmer’s 1970 movie Claire’sKneeinspired this season’s early deliveries at Derek Lam 10 Crosby. It translated into relaxed summer dresses and separates in a range of wallpaper floral prints, setting the tone for easy-chic styling with a hint of nostalgia. Most evocative of this enchanting, end-of-summer vibe was the remarkably soft to the touch light-wash denim—a growing business at 10 Crosby—paired with pretty knit tees and dainty tweed jackets.The later deliveries, which lived up to their “pre-fall” denomination with earthy neutrals and soft shades of lavender and green, took their cues from Rohmer’s 1998Autumn Tale. Most special in this section were tailored separates with tonal crochet details, though the pleated dresses in printed and monochrome fabrics will appeal to original Derek Lam customers. By leaning into easy-to-style separates like an embroidered white tweed jacket, or summer go-to’s including jeans and airy dresses, the label’s vice president of design Shawn Reddy is finding success in delivering what he describes as a “pre-styled” wardrobe.The people populating Rohmer’s films were often younglings in their twenties. While this collection captures their youthful, romantic vibes, the individual pieces are grown-up enough to cross over from summer vacation-wear to the everyday lives of urban dwellers.
7 December 2022
Conjure: Henri Matisse’s polychrome, sun-kissed geometries and photographer Bruno Barbey’s soft freeze-frames of colorful daily life. Then imagine all of that bohemian saturation interpreted as ready-to-wear. You might land on something similar to Shawn Reddy’s spring Derek Lam 10 Crosby collection (Reddy is vice president of design), which draws inspiration from both artists’ time spent in Morocco (Barbey, in fact, was born there).The 10 Crosby line clocks in mostly at a sub-$1,000 price point (the bar for leather pieces, including a great braid-belted blazer in this collection). Accessible by luxury standards, there’s a clear wearable polish and cleanliness to the designs—even if, for spring, the color sometimes ran a little overly strong. A fine pomegranate print looked digestible and daytime chic on a V-neck dress (the good), where a bolder pink-petaled motif, on a shirt and boxing shorts in one case, felt a little trickier, a little less effortless to pull off.But no matter. Reddy used his references to create a streamlined, separates-loaded vision that should make the 10 Crosby client both wardrobe happy and ready for a spritz of Maghreb-centric wanderlust.
13 September 2022
The work of American photographer Tyler Mitchell was the driving force behind the Derek Lam 10 Crosby resort collection. Mitchell has photographed the likes of Beyoncé and Vice President Kamala Harris forVogue, and his monographI Can Make You Feel Goodenvisions a Black utopia. There’s a wholesomeness to his pictures, a joy and simplicity that Lam and his team sought to lend their offer this season.From the optimism and the warmth of Mitchell’s work, Lam distilled primary colors: a soft bright yellow, cerulean blue, and poppy red punctuate the lookbook. The opening look, a yellow trench worn over purple trousers and paired with red boots felt novel and directional, the zebra and floral prints less so (though these are sure to be popular for holiday dressing). Knitwear was an emphasis, in the form of cozy cable knit sweaters and cardigans and light, tightly knit rib polos and dresses. Denim is also a growing space; Lam is offering his best selling trouser cuts in the stuff, in addition to traditional five pocket styles. “Power casual” is what he calls all of this, a way of dressing that leans into a return to office and a need to dress up while keeping comfort in mind; something his customer will surely appreciate.Perhaps part of finding inspiration in Mitchell’s work also had a thing or two to do with his famous subjects? The women who like to embody the VP’s style will find a match in Lam’s double-breasted jackets, though they might just switch the heeled boots for a sensible pair of Chucks. That’s power casual.
8 June 2022
Are the effortlessly chic born or made? In the case of Charlotte Rampling, the muse for Derek Lam 10 Crosby’s fall 2022 collection, it’s likely the former. With the help of Lam’s wares, you can fall into the latter. You’ll be wearing a lot of denim, as the designer introduced a whole slew of new offerings in the fabric, from ruffled dresses to a ’70s-inspired suit.Rampling, while British, has become intricately linked with French-girl style, and Lam’s line certainly has some of those trademarks (red lips, easy shirtdresses in blue and white stripes, a smart navy peacoat). The more interesting offerings play off of the trope’s inherent nonchalance but in a fresh way. Consider the belted cape trench coat or a camel suit with a drawstring on the side. There’s even something appealingly laid-back about the bubble-hemmed finale gown, paired with chunky boots and elbow-length gloves. Lam introduced some prints this season, including one with the house monogram, and paisleys. But the textures outshine the prints, including a peach plissé off-the-shoulder dress and a lipstick-red leather midi-dress. Throw on some mixed-metal earrings and you’ve got thatje ne sais quoi.
12 February 2022
There’s no denying it: The Y2K revival is officially upon us. We’re seeing it on the top runways, in themen’s collection’s, and in contemporary lines like Derek Lam 10 Crosby (though anyone in downtown New York would attest that kids have been dressing this way for years). Halter tops, low-slung cargoes, and micro-minis all registered as surprises in Lam’s pre-fall lineup, but what will set them apart on the shop floor next summer is their emphasis on utility and function. A cropped lamé blouse and slouchy army pants loosely recalled a circa spring 2002 Balenciaga collection (beloved for its contrast of glittery tops and ripstop trousers), while a tiered cocktail dress in the same glossy material came with the comfy, adjustable ruching of 2022.Many DL10C fans will be swayed instead by the collection’s juicy palette and tropical prints, which referenced the ever-popular Ibiza. When Lam’s team designed the clothes several months ago, they pictured their customer wearing them on the actual island. If international travel remains difficult this year, 2020 and 2021 proved the power of escapist dressing wherever you are. On that note, Lam’s best idea—for holiday or at home—was the mix of full, drop-waist midi skirts and ribbed cardigans, each unzipped to the sternum and the skimming past the hips.
12 January 2022
It’s been a year and a half since Derek Lam presented a 10 Crosby collection at New York Fashion Week. In the interim, he sold the brand to a private label firm and refashioned his role from that of designer-owner to chief creative officer. Behind-the-scenes moves of this kind will make a difference in how the company is run, and probably in Lam’s day-to-day routine, but contemporary shoppers pay attention to the product, not the business pages. The product, too, is different.Like many other collections these days, this one looks more casual than its before-times predecessors. A bomber jacket and a slim puffer have replaced the faux fur chubby Lam showed last time. Outerwear, he thinks, will be newly important post-pandemic, but it will be more hardworking. The mix-and-match suiting he was doing back in early 2020 has been swapped for workwear separates, still pulled-together but lower key. Logo tees and sweats make an appearance alongside rib-knit sweaters. And there’s also a pair of printed blousy dresses that conjure the famous Helmut Newton shot of Lisa Taylor.“Classic, sexy, cool,” Lam said, describing the label’s vibes. “Item by item, it’s been an investigation; do those three elements exist?” The two dresses lean sexier than the rest of the collection, which seems like the right direction to go as the world begins to finally loosen up again.
9 September 2021
“You know I love the 1970s,” said Derek Lam at exactly the same time that a model appeared in high-waist check pants, an acid green sweater, and a faux-fur chubby, looking like a million bucks and for all the world like a latter day Charlie Girl, ready to take on all comers. It was a strong start to a confident collection that saw Lam revisiting and evolving concepts and techniques he’s perfected over the years. Tailoring was one of those, and it was employed on waist-nipped and strong-shouldered jackets. It was used to a different, more fluid effect in a double face coat that was conceived as an extended pea coat. A slouchy tuxedo with cuff details looked flawless.Lam’s best fall dresses were slim, withLittle Womensleeves that created a strong graphic statement; at the same time some of them felt a bit bohemian, a vibe also seen elsewhere and which might develop into a trend. The last few years in fashion, Lam observed, “the message was kind of aggressive. I think people are just looking for a little bit more ease and naturalness in the sensibility.” A few weeks ago the designer and his partner, Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, sold their trademark to PCC. Lam, in fine form, already seems eased into the deal, which will increase Derek Lam 10 Crosby’s retail footprint.
7 February 2020
Derek Lam fell hard for the romance of Italy this summer, and he’s sharing the love in a pre-fall collection that pays homage to climate-imperiled Venice. The hero piece is a shirtdress with a specially commissioned postcard print of the famous city printed in black on a blue ground inspired by its surrounding waters. Gondolier stripes were abstracted into blouses and stretchy smocked pack-and-go dresses, which also came in pure white.The collection’s prettiness (lantern sleeves, tucking details) was given ballast by the tailored pieces. More forward-thinking than the straightforward nautical items was a blue-and-white-checked suit with a metallic twinkle that recalled the sun flashes sparkling on water-filled Venetian canals.
3 December 2019
Derek Lam has little changed since I met him 16 years ago when he made a big splash with his runway debut ofSpring 2004.The business he owns with his partner, Jan Schlottmann, however, has recently beenrestructured. They have discontinued their collection business to focus solely on taking their contemporary line, Derek Lam 10 Crosby, “to the next level.” Designers need to anticipate and react to change, and this decision shows that Lam and company are moving nimbly with the times. “The world is going so casual,” the designer noted. “Even designer fashion is a lot about sweatshirts, logos, and contemporary clothes.”User-friendly is one way to describe 10 Crosby’s Spring collection. It’s beautifully designed, fresh-feeling, and well-priced. Heck, it even has a round trip to Hawaii built into it. Lam’s at a place where, he says, he wants to “own” his own story. This collection references the trips this Californian made to the islands as a child. “I love those places [like Hawaii] where there are a lot of crosscurrents of cultures,” said Lam. While the designer allowed himself to indulge in some personal nostalgia, he was ever mindful to keep things modern, so that the collection didn’t become “just a souvenir shop of what I remember.”In details like the crisp cut of a blazer, special trimmings, and custom prints, longtime Lam fans will recognize elements the designer had used in his collection pieces. Nothing here is “precious” (Lam used a lot of cotton); much is special (a gold lamé shorts suit). Many pieces can be adapted for day or night, and some are convertible, like the jacket of a “scuba” suit that had multiple zippers, allowing it to be worn straight or wrapped. Spring’s palette is rich and a bit broody, like the sky before a storm, the designer said. All wet was a red laminated lace skirt that tacked a bit close to a rather famous rubber-and-lace dress shown in 1994; buoyant was an ecru ensemble featuring a knotted skirt over pants. “It’s like having a cocktail in a hammock,” joked Lam, who is clearly into the swing of Spring.
11 September 2019
“I’m just going to call it our November delivery,” said Derek Lam, gesturing to the collection of striped swimsuits and sequin party frocks that constitute the eclectic world of Resort. The designer was on hand with 10 Crosby design director Shawn Reddy today to present the contemporary line’s latest output, which was designed to cover both tropical getaways and holiday gatherings.For the former category, the 10 Crosby team created striped knit and dégradé shirtdresses with “high-low” handkerchief hems, as well as a very flattering balloon-sleeve minidress embellished with tiny tassels and printed with an abstraction of a Grecian ceramic. For the latter, they expanded on the stretch-cotton suiting that has done well for the brand and added several single-sleeve sequin party frocks that felt pointedly festive. That said, Lam was keen to spotlight a simple red poplin shirtdress that wrapped asymmetrically across the body. “Other brands might just do the sequins, the lamé for parties, but we are more about the classic cotton poplin as a party dress,” he said of his 10 Crosby customer. She’ll also quite like the light cotton and viscose zebra-print separates, which neatly saddle both sides of the season.
4 June 2019
Derek Lam 10 Crosby once again delivered a lineup of very covetable clothes for young people that checked all the on-trend boxes. Design director Shawn Reddy riffed on a perennial fashion reference—the filmLove Story—hoping to recast its ’70s prep school style through “the millennial’s point of view,” he said. There were nubby wool turtlenecks with matching calf-length skirts in prototypically upper-crust colors like camel and ivory, and floral silk minidresses with asymmetric gold buttons across the front.It looked very nice, but it did make one wonder about the purpose of a contemporary label. Did it matter, for instance, that 10 Crosby had far less in common with the classic American sportswear of its main line than with the high-end Europeanisms of houses like Loewe, Chloé, and Prada? (Cute though they were, those trapper hats and buckled belts keenly recalled a certain Resort show from not too long ago.) If the clothes look good and easy to wear, such that they fly off the shelves, do they need to connect to the brand’s core at all? It can make the collection difficult to evaluate on its own merits, but certainly it promises to do well in stores. Perhaps that’s the whole point.
9 February 2019
The post-vacation state of mind grounded 10 Crosby’s Pre-Fall offering—that fuzzy afterglow that follows a summer holiday. “The idea of coming back, taking that mind-set, and incorporating it into your workwear wardrobe,” design director Shawn Reddy explained, citing vintage travel prints and flea market finds as touch points.The 10 Crosby customer still wants an easy suit. This collection delivered a slew of them, the standout being the Tang orange utility suit cinched tightly by a lime green belt. Reddy also toyed with a new type of two-piece set: a tunic dress and pant cut from the same cloth, to also be worn as separates. Aside from day suiting, accessories are a promising category for the contemporary line. Here, there were chain-link chokers with agate stones and matching earrings; similar chains with souvenir-like stone charms tied small bucket bags and looked like sure pleasers.
6 December 2018
Both Derek Lam and Shawn Reddy, 10 Crosby’s design director, understand the challenge of running a contemporary label—how to maintain an approachable price point without sacrificing quality, to blend salable pieces with actual design true to its main line. Their carefully coordinated efforts help 10 Crosby stand out from its peers, and the line continues to do exactly what it ought to.Building off the successes of Pre-Spring, Reddy continued to work within the realm of contemporary artists, rolling references from American minimalist painters like Ellsworth Kelly and sculptor Alexander Calder into the easy sport-, work-, and resortwear. Sol LeWitt’s graphic line drawings were reinterpreted as stripes on a baggy blazer turned swim cover-up, a long beachy dress, and an easy gray day suit, a category the label plans to push forward for its working millennial shoppers.Highlights included long, lean tank dresses that unbuttoned high up both sides; paired with culottes, they made nice tops. Also strong: the belted pouches from last season, done in mesh and quickly removed to become a cute drawstring clutch.[](https://www.vogue.com/newsletter/subscribe?newsletterId=248704&sourceCode=reviewlink
11 September 2018
There are certain references that characterize Resort collections so often that they have become a running joke, Italian coastal towns and Slim Aarons photographs chief among them. Yet Derek Lam 10 Crosby’s offering—inspired byThe Talented Mr. Ripleyand its own sun-soaked Italian setting—managed to defy the odds with a pretty collection of dresses and separates that felt just right for the season. Chalk it up to design director Shawn Reddy’s use of simple summery silhouettes with slight fashion-forward details.First came a skirt set the color of cranberries. Its ribbed poplin top featured a square neckline and puffed shoulders (modern Ren faire) and was decorated with an opalescent white shell on a gold chain (a matching hanging shell earring was pierced with gold hoops). It also came in a very pale lemon yellow, and this evocative use of color was applied to knits that keenly recalled scoops of mango and raspberry gelato.There were slinky stretch dresses printed with florals and cut to hug the body, as well as chunky sleeveless turtleneck sweaters, an on-trend shape that works particularly well for transitional weather (a reminder that Resort drops in November). Reddy pointed to the muted map print, sliced into a button-down statement dress with a swirling midi skirt, as his perfect Resort piece. In a clever styling trick, the team created flat little pouches, cut from perfect squares of navy gingham or white linen embellished with crocheted tassels and baubles. Simple silk and cotton drawstrings ran through them to be wrapped and layered—doubled up around the waist and chest as refreshing alternatives to the ubiquitous fanny pack.
6 June 2018
Derek Lam himself was on hand to present 10 Crosby this season, a pleasant surprise that in fact made perfect sense—the designer still works closely with design director Shawn Reddy on his contemporary offshoot, and with Reddy off in Paris, he was game to step in. Lam maintains a soft spot for his more accessible line. “When I started 10 Crosby, it was really about identifying my favorite pieces in a woman’s wardrobe—or guy’s, for that matter,” he said. “It’s about taking those classic things, but twisting a little bit.”There was a foundational feel to the lineup, which drew from the “Western, bohemian” vibes that root Lam’s work. “I think it’s due to my California upbringing,” he explained. “I always return to it.” There were pretty silk cowboy shirts with half-bishop sleeves, embellished with round silver buttons. A shell-pink one paired with red patent leather pants and bordeaux shearling was a cool look. So was a black version with a belted jacket on top, which, patched from two different earth-toned checks, might have passed as a piece from the main line.On the whole, the collection did a great job of crafting the “elevated contemporary” feel Lam strives for: high-waisted pants in rose and mottled gold velvet, a lovely ankle-grazing prairie dress in soft washed jacquard, and a fab mustard-color shearling slashed with red and white stripes, which is destined to make a street style statement somewhere. It was chic, of the moment, and easy to wear. What more could you want?
15 February 2018
The expressive, abstract paintings of Agnes Martin informed Derek Lam 10 Crosby’s Pre-Fall collection. Her delicate, minimal grid work fit well with the slightly cerebral, artistic direction the diffusion label has gone since Shawn Reddy took the helm—these were chic, easy clothes made for the young gallery girl.Though the pieces themselves remained super-wearable, a few styling tricks lifted them nicely. Often, two garments of the same print were seamlessly layered on top of the other—a cropped short-sleeved striped poplin over a classic button-down, a floral silk blouse beneath a matching halter dress—to craft a neat optical illusion and textural play. The secondary reference, ikebana or Japanese floral arrangements, came through in some of those blossom prints. Hammered gold buttons and other bits of sculptural hardware became an important detail for Reddy to elevate the contemporary clothes, while a blue striped dress was cut with an of-the-moment handkerchief hem. That puts 10 Crosby in the market of pretty pieces for fashion obsessives wanting to look put-together at a friendlier price point. A nice spot to be in.
8 December 2017
As a little sister label, Derek Lam 10 Crosby has to manage the task of making easy, approachable clothes while staying true to the spirit of Derek Lam proper. Since Shawn Reddy started as 10 Crosby’s design director in January, he has made it his mission to use what he learned from working on the main line five years ago to elevate the contemporary line. “We are really bringing it back to Derek Lam, but keeping it clean and fresh,” he says. This season began withContempt, the 1963 Godard film starring a glorious Brigitte Bardot. But instead of Bardot, the collection drew from the striking interiors and exteriors of the cliffside Casa Malaparte on the Italian island of Capri, where the film’s climax unfolds. The clothes conveyed the sort of modern romance that is undeniably on-trend, and one could see the subtle influence of Reddy’s time at Proenza Schouler. Hammered gold hardware was a focus this season, worked into asymmetric earrings and belt buckles. “It gives it that little custom, elevated touch,” he said, “those irregular buckles and rings.” Successes of Pre-Spring were revisited, too: pleated knit tops layered over leather culottes with a laser-cut hem, both a bright mustard yellow. 10 Crosby has also launched swim with a simple lineup of graphic triangle bikinis and maillots. There was a nice beige slub satin blazer with a wide belt and loosely draped sleeves, as well as a cool cotton-linen striped suit and languid printed dresses to throw on and go. Two spotted ones were a mash-up of archival Lam leopard prints: abstract black rings on watermelon pink and green, a pleasant mix of past and future.
8 September 2017
If you’re young, fashion-obsessed, and looking for designer-driven clothes that aren’t prohibitively expensive, we don’t have to tell you there aren’t a lot of options out there. The gap between high-end and fast fashion is getting wider, and the “contemporary” space in the middle can be less than inspiring. ButDerek Lam’s little sister label,Derek Lam 10 Crosby, is a highlight of that in-between market. While other similarly priced brands might simply water down (or flat-out copy) a runway trend, 10 Crosby is as considered and luxurious as Lam’smain line. “We’re always elevating,” he said. “It’s key to elevate the experience, the product, and the message.” Suffice it to say he won’t be trying the hoodie trend anytime soon.Quite the opposite, in fact. The big takeaways for 10 Crosby Resort were ultra-vibrant colors—from highlighter yellow to the clearest cerulean—and two-piece dressing, like a lean, tailored suit and a crinkled-silk blouse and flares. More eye-popping were the Hawaiian floral tops tucked into pleated, color-blocked knit skirts; the effect was of one single piece, but they looked way more relaxed than a cocktail dress. “I used to always talk about New York being my center of gravity, but for 10 Crosby, I think it’s Los Angeles,” he explained. New Yorkers are getting into color, too, but L.A. has us beat with its laid-back attitude. Can you think of a better place to wear Lam’s turquoise one-shoulder floral dress than a beach in Malibu?Fans of his subtler, more minimal side will be happy to find lots of day-to-night crepe dresses, too, including a vaguely Grecian one in black and lemon, which he resurrected from Spring ’07. Ten years later, it looked as modern as ever and summed up Lam’s vision: languid, yet practical, and not lacking interest.
3 June 2017
Just a few months ago,Derek Lamopened his firstDerek Lam 10 Crosbystore on Soho’s Mercer Street. Women from all over the world flock to that neighborhood specifically to shop, so there’s no better place to test the viability of a brand. Lam’s contemporary label is a nice middle ground between the area’s posh designer boutiques and high-street chains, and he’s likely attracted a bevy of new customers because of it. The clothes are consistently easy to buy and wear; they’re of-the-moment, yet approachable, and never take trends too literally.A quick survey of the Fall lookbook revealed a little experimentation this season. There was a mash-up of references—Victorian blouses, preppy plaids, gold chains, silk foulards—mixed together for a “brave, impulsive” vibe, as VP of design Elizabeth Giardina put it. Slouchy wool trousers were cleverly styled with a peasant top, for instance, and a knit dress featured clashing stripes of rust, cherry, and sky blue. “It’s about projecting this confidence in how you dress,” Giardina said. Off-kilter style has been trending for a few seasons now, but girls are drawn to the thrown-together vibe not just because it looks great, but because they want to appear impossibly cool and unruffled. Only a truly self-assured woman would leave the house in a silk pajama set—and who doesn’t want to be that woman?
10 February 2016
IfDerek Lam 10 CrosbyVP of designLiz Giardinais endorsing fringe, pom-poms, and eyelet this spring, maybe minimalism really is on its way out. The contemporary label tends to be a bit more eclectic than the tonyDerek Lammain line, but the surplus of texture and trim in this new collection still felt like a bit of a departure. Giardina started with Andalusia—bull-fighting clothes, Moorish architecture, saturated color—and made it palatable for her city-dwelling customer. The Spanish reference was literal in the case of an embellished matador jacket, less so in the clingy ribbed knits with ruffled edges, but all of it was right-now wearable and in keeping with fashion’s artsy, far-flung mood.Clever twists on classic pieces are the center of the 10 Crosby brand. See: the ankle-length LBD with tiered ruffles, the crisp shirtdress with hidden suspenders, or the patchworked floral slip with dense eyelet trim. A simple knit dress in vibrant stripes and a ropey texture also managed to be special, yet wearable. That’s the sort of piece that will draw women to the rack—even those who wouldn’t normally reach for a leather lace-up jumpsuit, only to slip it on and instantly realize its endless styling potential. Of course, shoppers who are still hesitant to embrace thepicadorlook should take note of the new accessories: raffia wedges, a patchwork hobo, or a fringed bucket bag would add just a hint of flair to any outfit.
8 September 2015
Is there such a thing as too much denim? When it looks as good as the bell-bottoms and jackets in Derek Lam 10 Crosby's new Resort collection, the answer is arguably no. Between a Japanese Boro-inspired wrap jacket, cropped raw denim flares, and jeans-inspired knit pants shot through with Lurex, denimheads won't know what to grab first. A young Jessica Lange served as this season's muse. In addition to Lange's laid-back style, VP of design Elizabeth Giardina had a particular Lange quote in mind when the team started designing: "I never think of the future. I never imagine what comes next." As such, the overall vibe was effortless, uninhibited, and artfully thrown together. Alongside the jeans were smart pieces to wear with them, like ribbed knits with corset lacing up the sides, frayed tweed jackets, and peasant blouses with grommet details.
10 June 2015
Velvet, bouclé, shearling, double-face wool, and brocade mingled in harmony in the new Derek Lam 10 Crosby collection. That isn't to say the label abandoned its minimal signatures; on familiar shapes, the mash-up of textures and prints simply lent a sense of newness. A navy silk georgette floral had a graphic, Pop appeal, while an earthy lamé brocade was a little more louche. There was an artsy, effortless vibe to the clothes that didn't feel busy, even worn head to toe. Those easy-to-wear prints spoke to the subtle shift happening in fashion right now; rather than a full-on reaction to minimalism, it's more of a luxe upgrade. There was also a dash of '70s flavor—see the crushed-velvet boots, crisp denim blazer, and scarf-printed separates. For the 10 Crosby girl who is used to more casual pieces, there were great cable knits, sculptural jackets inspired by military liners, buffalo-check capes, and a mohair-bonded sweatshirt. One of the best looks was comprised of a fuzzy olive knit top, a pinstriped skirt/pant hybrid, and a fringed bandanna that riffed on a Derek Lam main line scarf from a few seasons back. In a variety of prints, the scarf was the collection's standout accessory.
10 February 2015
Last week, Derek Lam 10 Crosby opened its first store in Soho. It's a big moment for the brand. For Pre-Fall, vice president of design Liz Giardina revisited Lam's signatures—easy silhouettes, masculine vs. feminine contrast, rich colors, and prints—and gave them a cool, boho-chic spin. Her starting point was Lygia Carvalho Pape, a Brazilian artist who specialized in woodcut prints in the '50s and '60s. Stamped on rice paper, the wood's natural grain lent an earthy vibe to the artwork. Giardina developed an original print on cream canvas denim with blown-up, blocky shapes and a bark pattern. The woodcut concept also influenced the way the garments were constructed: Sleek silhouettes and sculptural fabrics (like bonded crepe and raw denim) held their shapes on or off the body, and coats had giant square pockets that appeared to be tacked on with tiny silver studs. Many of the clothes were pieced together with those studs in lieu of zippers or buttons, like a double-slit dress that could be let out up to the hipbones. A gold bar holding up that leggy dress was actually a removable necklace—a first for the brand. Accessories were a big focus: Giardina expanded the shoe range and introduced a bucket bag. The real highlights of the collection, though, were the fabrics. They're key to setting the brand apart in a crowded contemporary space. There was lots of leather, like a pair of supersoft navy trousers; glossy haircalf in rich shades of Mediterranean blue, "redwood" (a brownish burgundy), and dove gray; and ditsy-print silk georgette, which lent some nice contrast (plus a hint of '70s flair) to all the structure.
5 December 2014
True to Derek Lam's signature aesthetic, each of his lower-priced Derek Lam 10 Crosby collections is a balancing act between simplicity and maximalism, structure and ease, masculine and feminine, technical and natural, and the list goes on. Inspired by contemporary collage artists Fred Free and Sigrid Sandström—who often work with common materials such as corrugated cardboard, manila envelopes, and aged newsprint—10 C's new Spring lineup assumed a "cut 'n' paste" theme.Giving classic military references a clever twist, vice president of design Liz Giardina whipped up cropped patch-pocket jackets, vest dresses, and wrap skirts boasting leather luggage details from a sturdy cotton canvas. The jackets were paired with fluttery midi skirts and espadrilles to modern effect. Equally cool was a two-in-one dress that combined a compact knit bodice with habotai pleating. Treating hardware as built-in jewelry, that standout look came adorned with a slim gold band that highlighted the waist.Elsewhere, Giardina focused on a predominantly neutral color palette, pairing bonded crepe jackets (in soft hues evoking Free's and Sandström's use of masking tape or gesso) with tonal tank tops and fluid matching trousers. Other winning moments included high-waisted jacquard flares, crisp pinstripe shirting, and a belted trench cut from washed linen silk in a beautiful shade of agave blue.
3 September 2014
Since launching in 2011, Derek Lam 10 Crosby has become a diffusion-line success story, complete with a stand-alone flagship coming to New York's Soho in October. The new Resort collection had an emboldened sense of confidence, which was underscored by sharp, nipped-in silhouettes that retained the brand's signature ease. "We really wanted to refocus on bringing things back to the body," said vice president of design, Liz Giardina. The new lineup opened with a knife-edged pencil skirt cut from a turmeric-hued stretch cotton. It offered reinforcement in all the right places, and also boasted exposed darting and decorative cover stitching—details typically masked on the inside of garments—that showcased its quality construction. Paired with an electric-coral sweater, which came layered over a gauzy shirt and was cinched at the natural waist with a piece of drawcord, the tailored skirt look was a definite standout.The 10 C modus operandi is taking something classic and then giving it a clever twist. Speaking of clever, another highlight here was a series of surprisingly flattering, elongated bra tops that wrapped around the ribcage. A pinstriped cotton iteration, in particular, felt fresh styled with a cropped jacket that came updated in a bonded sweatshirt jersey. "It's less about the crop and more about the overall proportion, and instructing our customers how to wear that in an accessible way," said Giardina. On the more relaxed side of the sensuality coin was a loosely clinging black wrap dress that looked modern teamed with sporty sneakers. All in all, lots of positive developments at 10 Crosby.
5 June 2014
The unique starting point for the new 10 Crosby Derek Lam Fall collection was "lava pottery," which came out of West Germany in the mid-twentieth century. While that doesn't sound like the sexiest inspiration, it yielded several terrific coats cut from an ombré brushed mohair wool that closely mirrored the collectible ceramics. In addition to anchoring the lineup, the textured toppers also got design director Elizabeth Giardina thinking about what modern artists might wear while working (she referenced Louise Bourgeois and Diane Arbus). The idea gave rise to pairs of utilitarian leather "studio pants" with a tapered, slightly baggy fit, and their matching boxy smock tops.Elsewhere, Giardina focused on developing texture with custom fabrications including bonded neoprene, which was hand-spray-painted to speckled effect, and needle-punched cotton voile. The silhouette here was generally relaxed. "Volume is really important, but it was also about maintaining the integrity of the waist," said Giardina, pointing out pleated A-line skirts that hit just below mid-calf. Fur—both real and faux—played a significant role too, with indigo-hued fox vests and a mint-colored coat that appeared to be shearling but was in fact 100 percent mohair. While Derek Lam recently moved into a larger office space farther uptown—leaving behind 10 Crosby's namesake address—the line coolly maintains its decidedly downtown sensibility.
6 February 2014
It doesn't get more current than the opening look of the latest 10 Crosby Derek Lam lineup: a suede wrap skirt edged in fringe, which was paired with a crisp, draped poplin blouse and a sharp, menswear-ish coat. The outfit ticked off several trends that have been in the air for Pre-Fall, but it came together in a natural way that felt true to the diffusion brand's evolving message. At a preview of the new collection, 10 C's design director, Elizabeth Giardina, said she referenced minimalist Palm Springs architecture for the clean silhouettes, and then introduced texture in the form of tassels found on a tapestry-like pencil skirt and a shaggy pullover. Giardina went on to explain that fabric development is a continued focus each season. "In the contemporary market, you don't see a lot of textile experimentation, and I think that is one thing that sets us apart," she said. Some of the tactile highlights here included a soft mohair that resembled real fur, which was combined with scratchy linen or bonded crepe (on a cool sweatshirt and topper, respectively), as well as nubby sweaters woven with thin strips of pliable leather. Updated basics such as polished, pin-striped denim separates and patchwork intarsia-knit track pants rounded out the refined, everyday mix.
8 December 2013
Derek Lam has always designed for down-to-earth women with worldly tastes. His new 10 Crosby collection tapped into his contemporary customer's natural side with organic fabrics and a predominantly neutral color palette, which was influenced by a series of black-and-white photographs capturing Zanzibar's sandy beaches. A strapless wrapped top and relaxed wide-leg trousers were cut from hemp linen, while a loose raw-cotton trench, which appeared almost sun-bleached, was punctuated with black leather trimming. Refined sweatshirt dressing was a key concept for Resort, and 10 C design director Elizabeth Giardina continued to elevate the sporty staple this season with a bolero sweatshirt paired with white leather overalls (a standout look), as well as beautiful woven pullovers that crisscrossed over the torso. Other highlights here included graphic guipure-lace dresses and pencil skirts (reminiscent of several pieces from Lam's Spring ’13 mainline collection) and a two-in-one tailored jacket with a built-in button-up shirt. Why hasn't anyone thought of that before?
4 September 2013
"A clever remix" was how design director Elizabeth Giardina described the new 10 Crosby Derek Lam collection, which centered on the ideas of elevated sweatshirt dressing and rounded silhouettes. The opening outfit aptly illustrated the casually elegant mood. Instead of doing the sporty pullover and relaxed trousers in standard terry or neoprene, which we've seen ad nauseam the past few seasons, they were cut from a sturdy double crepe that gave them an effortless sophistication—particularly when shown in head-to-toe white. "We wanted to treat wovens like they were jersey," said Giardina. Elsewhere, they treated jersey like it was a woven, adding fancy French seams to slub T-shirts.Giardina took the edge off tailored blazers with soft, dropped shoulders, and updated comfortable track pants in supple blush-pink leather. Polka dots were used as a motif throughout and neatly tied in with the curved shapes. They came sliced and diced on a pair of silk pants and flocked on sheer blouses. Laid-back evening looks like a tuxedo jumpsuit with a fluttering semicircular shirttail completed the collection.
3 June 2013
At 10 Crosby Derek Lam, the bold colors and punchy prints that have been mainstays the past several seasons were dialed down in favor of a new emphasis on texture and textiles. Design director Elizabeth Giardina said she and Lam hoped to cultivate the 10 C customer's natural yet smart approach to style with a tactile lineup full of hushed nude tones and rich neutrals. A classically tailored overcoat cut from glossy faux pony hair set a strong tone for outerwear, while a full selection of weekend knits ranged from clingy, delicate cardigans to chunky peplum sweaters. Giardina chose somewhat scratchy fabrics (they weren't half as bad as that sounds), like the nubby wool of a cummerbund-detail jacket or a long-sleeve party sheath made from allover holographic sequins with a scored, imperfect effect. Accessories are an expanding category, and the pointy, zippered patent flats and to-the-knee python boots energized a collection that was, all things considered, the contemporary line's most sophisticated to date.
5 February 2013
Derek Lam has crowned IMG's new face Amanda Murphy his 10C girl for pre-fall. Murphy, who practices radiology and rides horses, flew in from Chicago for the lookbook shoot. As for the clothes, the designer took a simple approach, meshing the ease of summer with the polish of fall. There were relaxed, oversized shapes like karate-style palazzo pants and origami-meets-animal-print boyfriend sweaters. A "slicing and dicing" theme ran throughout the range on color-blocked blouses, bootcut trousers, and lace-up booties, a first for Lam's contemporary line. The label's de rigueur wide-leg pajama pants reappeared, this time in a floral pattern worn with a tunic and an oxblood leather jacket. But those weren't the only pj's on hand. He also included a silk drawstring set with tapered legs.
4 December 2012
When it comes to the lookbook for his 10 Crosby line, Derek Lam likes to keep things fresh. Instead of a model like Hanne Gaby Odiele or Sara Blomqvist, who starred in previous seasons, he cast beauty blogger Emily Weiss. The Into the Gloss founder also happened to style the lookbook. As for the collection itself, it tread on familiar ground—the Wild West—but did so in way that retained the label's edgy, downtown sensibility. Lam hasn't gone all rodeo on us.If leather pants were laced up behind the ankles, blouses got the cowboy treatment with Ultrasuede embroidery, and a cool blue jumpsuit's faded lizard print looked like it came straight off the frontier, other pieces—like a color-blocked royal blue and black button-up cardigan and a pair of leather short shorts—were more subtly western. Breaking from the plot, Lam also brought back his signature pajama separates again, this time in a 10C monogram pattern. The looks were accessorized with 10 Crosby bags—a first for the secondary line—that were inspired by folios and envelope clutches. All in all, Lam delivered a collection that girls will be itching to wear come spring—this editor included.
4 September 2012
What is Derek Lam to do when his model-muse Hanne Gaby Odiele is injured and unable to star in his latest 10 Crosby lookbook? Hire her equally spunky friend Sara Blomqvist. With a new girl came a new vision for his year-old diffusion line. Last season, Lam imagined Hanne Gaby partying home-alone-style. For Resort, he sent Sara out on the town—specifically, to the corner bodega and back; note the plastic bags with the 10C logo—in fifties-meets-eighties clothes inspired by Molly Ringwald's character inPretty in Pink. There were plaid blouses and schoolgirl skirts; half-denim, half-leather T-shirt dresses; and jeanlike tuxedo trousers shredded to perfection. Lam also brought back his signature pajama pant. He dressed it up with a bright floral print and a matching dress worn as a tunic, to reflect the Ringwald inspiration. It's a vision that we can really get behind. As for Blomqvist, we can certainly get used to her, too.
3 June 2012
What would Hanne Gaby Odiele do if she were Macaulay Culkin inHome Alone? Derek Lam envisioned his favorite model cavorting around her apartment as if it were a snow day for his latest 10 Crosby lookbook. FIttingly, the new Fall collection is full of cozy Shetland peplum sweaters, long T-shirt dresses in an amplified buffalo plaid print, and vintage-looking fox fur pieces ideal for quickly tossing over a dress before darting out the door to catch a cab. (There's also a faux fur patchworked sweater that looks so authentic even pelt purists will be jazzed about it.)Lam is a smart businessman, particularly when it comes to his more reasonably priced line, and he's paid attention to what his savvy customer is and isn't buying. For one, she's still crazy about silk pajama sets, which were updated this time around in a playful yet sophisticated kittens print. He also carried over the tomcat motif to fluid palazzo pants with polka dots that turned out to be balls of yarn when viewed up close. Cute. Another recurring crowd pleaser is the tuxedo-stripe trouser, shown here in Prince of Wales check with a seventies flare leg. Lam might've hadHome Alonein mind, but his customers will want to show off these casual-cool clothes in public.
6 February 2012
"Hanne Gaby Odiele has this sunny, exuberant personality and a relaxed and cool sense of style," Derek Lam said. "Over the years, she has become sort of a muse for me." She has retained that role for the designer's new 10 Crosby line. After starring in and helping style the first lookbook, Odiele made an encore appearance for Spring. And while 10 Crosby is only in its second season, a few things have already become clear about Lam's latest project: He means business (the company expects 10 Crosby to soon eclipse the main collection, in both sales and scope), and he isn't cutting any corners. The design team puts a premium on the quality of its materials, using only the crispest of poplins, painted linens that hold their shape, and waxed cotton that looks like leather.There was a bold playfulness to the bright, diamond-print separates here, as well as the Saint James-esque striped pants. One of the coolest looks in the lineup was the graphic, color-blocked tunic worn over a pencil skirt. Lam calls it "the new suit." It should transition easily from day to night—ideal for his customer, who presumably has a calendar jam-packed with both work and social functions.
7 September 2011
When word got out about a month ago that Derek Lam was releasing a diffusion line, the fashion set put it in the win column. Named 10 Crosby after the address of his company's headquarters in New York, Lam's new collection is inspired by the cool, downtown girls he sees around the neighborhood—girls like top model-with-a-personality Hanne Gaby Odiele, who helped style the lookbook that she stars in. Tailored raffia trenches, denim tweed suiting separates, and cropped DB jackets in canvas have the same DNA as the designer's namesake line. Ditto goes for a signature one-shouldered goddess dress in olive matte jersey that'll set you back around $495.These clothes aren't cheap in the fast-fashion sense (knits start at $165 and the pricier items max out at $795), but they're in no way watered down and will hang next to Lam's runway looks when they arrive in stores in November. Women looking to get in on this season's major pajama trend, for example, will find smart silk color-blocked separates that won't cost an entire paycheck—more like cutting back on a few $20 cocktails at the Crosby Bar.
15 June 2011