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• November 5, 2007
• Profiles

In the Cut

Danish-born Stine Goya gives easy dressing a sharp focus. By Meredith Fisher

Models can be a designers' best inspiration, injecting life into a look, both on and off the runway. For Lagerfeld, it was Ines de la Fressange, for Galliano, it's Lady Harlech. But sometimes, the designer and model are one and the same, the cause and the effect. Such is the case with former model Stine Goya and her eponymous new collection of stark womenswear.

After modeling for such luminaries as Lagerfeld and styling for Harper's Bazaar, the Danish Stine enrolled in Central St. Martins. Her graduation collection was shown in Copenhagen alongside fellow Central Saint Martins alum and Scandinavian talent Henrik Vibskov. But it wasn't until completing a "sabbatical" year as fashion director for the Danish magazine Cover, that Goya's collection took flight. For her, that meant taking the touchstones of Scandinavian design—prints, purism, proportion—and pushed them. "I selected colors and classic cuts are paired them with challenging proportions," says Goya. "The results are clean and pure, but at the same time I experiment with the silhouette."

The results are both dramatic—a graphic patterned dress with a short, layered skirt and a fitted bodice—and subtle—the slightly rounded neckline and shortened sleeves of a typical cardigan. Even a button-down shirt has the Stine Goya seal, as a traditional collar is replaced in the shape of a rectangle. The fall/winter collection, inspired by New York's jazz artists of the 1930s and 1940s, walks the line between luxe and leisure, offering unexpected pairings like a gold waistcoat with jeans. "There is an underplayed femininity at the root of my designs," says Goya. Nowhere is that balance more evident than in a printed jumpsuit, ("my graphic prints are inspired from 1970s tile-topped tables,") which is overtly playful, but shown at its best with a conservatively cut denim blazer.

With such a wide range of forces at play, it's no wonder the designer describes her own style as "quirky…I like to mix!" and admires other designers like Nicolas Ghesquière ("because of his amazing pattern-cutting") and Christian Wijnants ("because of his beautiful details and knitwear"). Her spring/summer '08 collection is a continuation of colors with bright tangerine jumpsuits and pale turquoise jackets, while monochromatic prints compliment the dazzling display of hues. "It was inspired by the fragmented universes of director Michel Gondry [Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]." Sure, Goya's designs may have the stamp of Scandinavia, but they're more than ready for an international passport.

Stine Goya is available at No.6, 6 Centre Market Place (between Grand and Broome streets), New York, 212-226-5759. For more information, go to www.stinegoya.com.

Danish-born Stine Goya gives easy dressing a sharp focus.