Don the Verb

Since opening its doors at 61 Delancey Street in 2006, Don the Verb has been the place plugged-in fashion folks go to pick up vintage pieces such as rare Dior frocks and funky '80s streetwear from London.

In the summer of 2007, the store's proprietor, Yanina Landsaat, and regular customer Hanna Astrom discovered that they had a shared design aesthetic and promptly set about launching a womenswear collection named after the brick-and-mortar operation. But a directionless private label it is not—while the clothes are vintage in spirit, they're decidedly modernist in execution.

For autumn/winter '08-'09, the duo's second outing, the collection includes a voluminous wrap coat reminiscent of '80s Rei Kawakubo, a simple blouse with asymmetrical drapes, a pair of thick, high-waisted leggings with plastic adornments and a cropped gray wool jacket with armholes that sit tight by the chest.

In case you were wondering, the store-cum-label's name literally comes from the verb form of "don," a contraction of "do" and "on." While the etymology of the moniker might not be terribly apparent, our intuitive response to the clothes was exactly what's intended—to put them on.

—Robert Cordero