The dainty duds that Sandrina Fasoli and her partner Michael Marson dream up in their design studio—located in an old petrol station in Saint-Gilles—create an odd yearning for the past. Whether this nostalgia is the product of delicate pieces that reference vintage shapes or intentional embellishments, such as stained fabric or dirtied collars, the feminine frocks feel like treasures you might find buried in some long lost relative's forgotten chest. Pretty, without a doubt, but just worn enough to keep things interesting and suggest a romantic back story.

While the pair studied together at La Cambre, the famed visual arts school in Brussels, when it comes to how they define an ideal customer, their viewpoints couldn't be more different—or oddly complementary. "His women are more strong and mine are more childlike," Fasoli explains. "Michael is my darker side—I really like sensuality, but maybe I'm too square and he brings me something else. Working together, it creates something subtle, more refined." In other words, these clothes are the effortless intersection of girlie and sexy—but more Cat Power than Lolita.

Their current collection for Spring 2008 features an array of diaphanous dresses and slouchy pants in a muted, sophisticated palette, sweetened up by simple bows, prim pleats and the occasional hint of shimmer or flash of skin; the offerings for fall, which will be featured on the runways of our STYLES 2008 competition next Monday are equally coy and covetable. If you live in New York, don't miss your chance to see them live—and remind yourself why it's just so much fun being a girl!

For more information please visit www.sandrinafasoli.com.

- Caroline Stanely

Similar Topics:fashion, ready-to-wear, spring 2008, Styles 2008

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