Like many a dedicated thrifter, designer Carla Knapp has occasionally succumbed to dreams of the ultimate score: a trunkful of mint-condition vintage just waiting to be mixed and matched into the modern girl’s casually classy wardrobe. A fantasy, sure, but Knapp has done her best to literalize it for the fall 2008 collection for her label, Mischen. “I was thinking, what if a girl inherited all her Parisian grandmother’s fabulous clothes,” explains Knapp of the collection’s mix of hoary coats, origami-inspired blouses and skirts, and femme-y frocks in prints riffing on antique wallpaper. Though the odd pair of trousers makes an appearance in the line, the two-year-old Mischen is a far cry from the stuff Knapp was making at her last gig, as creative director of Paper Denim & Cloth. Currently pulling together the pieces she’ll be showing for her first-ever fashion presentation in September, Knapp is clear on one thing: “No jeans. Not now, not ever.” Grandma would approve.

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