Dan's Papers - December 21, 2007

2007 was a big year for the Hamptons fashion elite - Ralph Lauren took over East Hampton's Main Street, Bridgehampton Polo was bigger and glitzier than ever, and it seemed like all of Hollywood and New York City turned up to relish the sunshine and make this little stretch of beach hipper and more popular than it's been since its Warholian heyday. But beneath this big-name commercial extravaganza, a new crop of young visionaries was quietly taking its place at the forefront of the Hamptons' fashion scene. Although some of these names, like LOLA, are already cult favorites of the Hamptons elite, others have just arrived, making their debut this year at stores in East Hampton and Southampton, hosting fashion events where imagination and innovation recruited even more fashionistas to don the young designers' duds.

The designers who started this new wave of creativity are the boys of LOLA, the young upstart fashion house that has plastered New York City with stickers emblazoned with their logo and whose designers and friends have infiltrated the art scene with their fashion, music, photography and collective cool. Emmett Shine, a native of Southampton, and his partners, James Cruickshank and Alex Young, are the core of LOLA, lending its classic sportswear the artsy edge LOLA fans crave. "While I was growing up in the Hamptons," Emmett explained, "my mom painted at Fairfield Porter's old studio. I have been drawing, painting and photographing since I can remember. Designing clothing is an extension of those earlier days and I continue to paint, photograph, and draw - it is all related." This artistic sensibility coupled with Shine's inspirations, which draw on such varied sources as the energy of downtown Manhattan, the easy freedom of the Hamptons and "masters of modern life-styling" such as Valentino and Hermés, made LOLA's designs an instant hit. It also brought the boutique that introduced the label to the Hamptons, Blue & Cream, and accolades from consumers and critics alike for their foresight in bringing fresh designs to the Hamptons tired repertoire of Lilly and Ralph. Of course, an integral part of the LOLA appeal is its eclecticism, even in the LOLA team's interpretation of what defines fashion and design. On their website, www.lolanewyork.com, there are more photo galleries than items of clothing for sale, highlighting the designers' inspirations and lifestyle as much as the finished product, perhaps taking cues from other Hamptons lifestyle promoters like Ralph Lauren, whose suggestion of luxe living is as seductive and marketable as his clothes.

Of course, LOLA isn't the only Hamptons label that is getting national recognition. Brette Sandler, a Hamptons summer resident and Parsons-educated designer, has become one of the most coveted names in swimwear. Sandler's suits are sold at Calypso and Intermix boutiques (as well as www.shopbop.com) in the Hamptons and in New York City and have been photographed on the likes of Long Island local Lindsay Lohan and other young celebrities on beaches across the globe. "The Hamptons are all about high style and beachy glamour, just like my suits," explained Sandler. "I'm always inspired by art and fashion and the Hamptons have become a place where art and design flourish." Clearly, the Hamptons have embraced her designs as well, and like Shoshanna Lonstein before her, Sandler is taking the beaches by storm, making classic pinup-style suits with a modern edge that Hamptonites can wear to feel sexy and confident in any setting.

While Brette Sandler and LOLA are already on their way to achieving international success, other Hamptons designers have just broken out onto the scene and are poised to take over in 2008. The boys of Sir Drake, Southampton's Paul and Topper, might not be at the helm of a fashion revolution like some of their contemporaries on the Blue & Cream shelves, but they are certainly putting a cheeky twist on the classic polo, replacing the tried-and-true gators and polo players with skull-and-crossbones, pigs and other little beasties that appeal to Hamptonites of every age. Jake Patterson, the younger sibling of international surfer and art curator Tripoli Patterson, and contemporary artist Matisse Patterson, also debuted his line of embellished t-shirts and accessories, Edgewood Goodies, at Blue & Cream this year. Edgewood designs are big, bold and bright and stand out over a pair of white jeans in the summertime or under a cashmere cardigan during a chilly winter walk on the beach. Although Jake might be one of the youngest designers in the bunch, his flair for the unexpected has made him an integral part of the Blue & Cream designer lineup. From simple logo tees to biomorphic-patterns on neon backgrounds, Edgewood Goodies shirts are starting to make their mark.

Farther east, Montauk's own Paul J. Monte launched his line of men's and women's streetwear, Don Fashions, with a fashion show that was younger and cooler than anything Gurneys Inn had seen in years. Bleach-blonde models pranced down the catwalk clad in impossibly short skirts, tight hoodies and blazers, giving local high schoolers a new label to add to their closets this year. "The Hamptons is a place rich with culture, original ideas, and unconventional beliefs," said Monte, which inspired him to release this small, exclusive couture collection only available on the Don Fashions website, www.donfashions.com.

Although the Hamptons was once a place where New York City fashion houses had their summer outposts, it is clear that the tables have begun to turn. Hamptons fashion designers are making their mark on the national and global fashion markets, bringing the easy, comfortable silhouettes and cutting-edge artistic design of their hometowns to the fashion-hungry masses. "I think we are in an exciting time right now, where the floodgates have been swung wide open for younger people to express themselves," explained LOLA's Emmett Shine. "This is going on in New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, London, Paris, Japan, Australia - it is happening across the globe. The Hamptons are a community steeped in the arts, culture and creativity, so it's only natural that we, the current generation of the East End, are very much at the forefront of this international movement." And with Edgewood Goodies shirts on surfers in Bali, LOLA happenings in Tokyo and Brette Sandler suits on beaches everywhere, it seems that the young designers of the Hamptons have arrived. Using this prime location and all its connections to the worldwide arts community to raise their collective voice, their success has proven that the young designers of the Hamptons are not just here for the summer - they are here to stay.