Designing Woman

When Dallas native Sariah Carson isn’t sketching and painting in her tiny Staten Island home studio, she’s on-site in New York City’s garment district, overseeing the meticulous construction of the dresses and tops that began to turn heads only a few seasons ago. The petite 26-year-old Lake Highlands High School alumna and former dancer emerged on the fashion scene with Carson Potter, a collaboration with a fellow Parsons graduate. The enterprise, which quickly became a victim of its own success, taught Carson a few lessons that she has used to launch her new line, Sariah.

Approaching art in terms of both craftsmanship and covetability, the line is a throwback to a time before disposable dressing became de rigueur. Each piece is cut and sewn entirely by hand, and every style sees a limited production of 50 or fewer. Carson lights up when she talks about her clothing, explaining that she takes a fine art approach to all her work and wants women to view her clothes as forever garments (at $295 to $695, they are priced to keep). The designer embraces color and loves to fuse fashion with painting. The prints in the collection are her original hand-painted designs; Japanese and African influences are evident.

We love her latest effort for its feminine, flattering, Mad Men-inspired shapes and spontaneity. For Carson, who calls herself a girl’s girl, fall segues into special occasion and holiday dressing, and details like ’60s-style paillettes add a hint of glam to certain styles. Sariah is available at Barneys New York. To see the collection, go to www.sariahnyc.com.