Vicente Villarin's designer, Joanne Cordero ReyesPhoto: Courtesy of Joanne Cordero Reyes

Joanne Cordero Reyes
This may be Joanne Cordero's first time at Fashion Week under her own label, Vicente Villarin, but the designer is no novice. She cut her teeth at Reem Acra and J. Mendel, making eveningwear for celebs. And this season she's showing at Bumble and bumble, home of the next big thing (Alexander Wang, Sari Gueron, and Bruce all showed there a year ago). Reyes's training with red-carpet designers is readily apparent in the clean, long lines of her gowns. But Reyes adds her own edge to the usual feminine piece. Her pencil skirt is done up in faux-alligator for a tougher, sexier look. Her take on the little white dress involves tulle and a shorter-than-short hemline. And her outerwear borders on architectural, rivaling Jil Sander. She may have learned to dress celebs, but only the truly style savvy (read: not governed by a stylist) will slip into these clothes.

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Jen KaoPhoto: Courtesy of Jen Kao

It's easy to write Jen Kao off as yet another hipster designer. She's a regular in Nylon and a newbie favorite of WWD and Style.com, and her clothes were recently in a V shoot and graced M.I.A. in Paper mag last year. And her spring 2008 presentation was accompanied by photos from Ryan McGinley. But this designer has all the makings of a young Rei Kawakubo. Her tailoring is precise, her draping technique is nothing short of beautiful, and though her palette is somewhat limited to neutrals and dark colors with a few bright colors thrown in, Kao is poised to go far.

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The prodigal son returns.Photo: Courtesy of Miguel Adrover

Some of us are old enough to remember Miguel Adrover's spring 2003 collection when he sent not-yet-ubiquitous Havaianas down the runway. We marched down to Opening Ceremony and bought a pair or four. And then Adrover disappeared a couple of seasons later, reemerging in 2007 as the creative director of Hess Natur, a German organic-clothing line for men, women, and children. The match seems perfect - a socially and environmentally conscious label melding with a designer who likes to get back to nature.

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Frank TellPhoto: Courtesy of Frank Tell

Paranoid fashionistas sometimes wonder if there's a supercool cabal made up of only the hippest designers, stylists, models, etc. We hate to break it to you, but there just might be. Designer Frank Tell is buddies with Pamela Love (jewelry designer), who is friends with Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, who is also friends with Keegan Singh (super stylist) ... it goes on. But back to Frank. The Spanish designer has gotten love from Elle, WWD, Style.com, and Lucky, plus he sells in big-name retailers. So if you haven't heard of him, you're about to. His two-tone palette and geometric shapes for fall were simple yet startling, and he works in amazing silhouettes. Click ahead for a slideshow of his work.

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