The New Guard: Designers to Watch

Breakthrough designers in 2009 had much in common. Yes, mainly Michelle Obama. But it wasn’t just the golden touch of FLOTUS that lead to headlines, blogger worship and buyer attention. From Jason Wu to L.A.’s Kimberly Ovitz, designers who were previously known by only the fashion-obsessed are now rivaling storied sartorial houses in magazine editorial credits, thanks to smart spring/summer 2010 collections that are undoubtedly providing fast fashion companies with plenty of fodder.

Some up-and-comers foundered last year: Phi, we hardly knew thee, and on a smaller label scale, it will be sad to see L.A.’s Anzevino & Florence go (the duo recently confirmed its demise). But we have great hopes for many others who can bring a little verve and sophistication to Los Angeles stylephiles, whether at a MOCA gala or Malibu mixer. Here are four of our must-follows for the year:

Ohne Titel

Flora Gill and Alexa Adams aren’t strangers to L.A. The CDFA-nominated duo behind Ohne Titel hosted a trunk show at the miraculous new Melrose Avenue boutique Zainab during L.A. Fashion Week in October (founded by Zainab Sumu, who previously sold clothing out of her Hollywood apartment by appointment only, Zainab has a local exclusive on the brand). Known for their precise tailoring, Gill and Adams perhaps got more blog attention last season for a spring 2010 collaboration of thigh-high boots, flats and other offerings with Italian luxury footwear juggernaut Cesare Paciotti. But asymmetrical jackets and impeccable graphic knits inspired by Egyptian sculptures also whetted the appetites of anyone who noticed more than the clopping of a killer pair of shoes on the runway.

Ohne Titel is often dubbed a body-con label, though Herve Leger bandage dresses it’s not. Only studied Hollywood starlets need apply for the label’s chic cuts and smart sensibility.

Mark Fast

The 28 year-old Canadian clothier is known for his knitwear and the drama that surrounds it -- and we're not just talking about the clothes. Last September, while readying his spring 2010 line of intricately cut, body-conscious styles for the London catwalk, Fast decided to intermingle "regular" sized models with the skinny minis typical of a fashion week. Show stylist (and i-D Magazine fashion editor) Erika Kurihara wasn't a fan of the size 12s and 14s and, as Tweeted by an Elle editor from inside the tents, quit just hours before the big dance. Classy (and ironic, as Fast stated in a November, 2008 interview that Kurihara was part of a dream team he hoped to one day work with). Luckily the designer stuck to his guns and vision and proved that his sultry, hand-loomed wares actually look better when hugging tits and ass instead of a stick figure. Both the fashion blogosphere and mainstream media sounded off on the model size situation and the resulting dialogue nearly overshadowed Fast's origami-esque handiwork. But with a masters degree from London's prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Design, he has the chops that transcend chatter. Though already in his fourth season, style setters are now beginning to notice Fast's work with the likes of Rihanna, Leighton Meester and Anouck Lepere each seen sporting one of the designer's signature curve-hugging, cut out creations.