Label to Watch: Emily Jerome

While most designers endure lengthy casting calls in the hopes of discovering the ever-elusive model/muse, neophyte Emily Jerome simply picked up the phone and enlisted the services of childhood BFF, Amanda Hearst. Hearst, together with fellow Jerome pal Jessica Joffe, models some 30 looks from Jerome's eponymous clothing line in its F/W 2011 lookbook. Jerome cannot help but note the irony that she and Hearst matured into fashionistas, given that their aesthetic as youngsters in New York City "was like K-Mart meets late 90s Reebok, meets Crystal Clear Pepsi, meets Richard Simmons." Lucky for Jerome (and her burgeoning fan base, which includes the likes of Mamie Gummer and Francesca Bodini), her aesthetic has matured since her elementary school days — and continues to mature. Since Jerome's debut at Paris Fashion Week F/W 2010, the line has evolved from an edited array of printed knits to a bona fide collection of prints on and incorporating jacquard, embroidery, beading, and leather. If Jerome's technical progress thus far is any indication of things to come, we can expect a great deal more from this ambitious newcomer.

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