Derek Lam Talks His New Diffusion Line, 10 Crosby

Derek Lam has earned a huge following in the fashion industry and beyond for his sophisticated, all-American sportswear and his precise, clean-cut silhouettes. While his eponymous collection is — and will always be — a classic, the designer decided to step out of his comfort zone for the Resort 2012 season and launched a diffusion line, named 10 Crosby, which just hit the floor at Barneys New York.

10 Crosby is named after the address of Lam's Soho studio, where he finds much of his inspiration for the new label. "My office is facing the street, and on my cigarette breaks when I'm blowing smoke out of the window, there are so many great moments when I see a girl walking down the street and she's super stylish and very inspiring," he explained. "Crosby Street is so unique — it's one of my favorite in New York City."

Lam says that this line has a younger spirit than his eponymous label, and he strove to incorporate more sensible fabrics, slouchier shapes, prints, and vivid colors that he felt he could never use in his main collections. The price points are also much more accessible than we're used to seeing from Lam, ranging from $195 for a knit sweater or a pair of shorts, to $695 for a tailored trench. The designer says that he designed these easy pieces to "skim the body in a subtle, sensual way," and if the silky pajama pants and sexy, diaphanous dresses are any indication, we'd say that he was wildly successful.

When it comes to the 10 Crosby customer, Lam laughed that she would be "me, as a female" — the new line was born simply because it excites him and speaks to him. Although launching a label is a sizable challenge, the design team's philosophy while creating the first collection was quite simple: "let's have fun." This energy certainly comes through in the clothes, which might explain why we want every single piece.

10 Crosby is available now at Barneys New York and at www.dereklam.com.