New York - November 11, 2009

Quite the Cover-Up

Take Off Your Clothes Clothing

On the nakedness continuum, you fall somewhere between never nude and natural nudist.

But with Take Off Your Clothes, a line of tees and dresses handmade in Red Hook by Ben Reingold, you’ll happily oblige.

In this peep show, nothing is quite what it seems (which is what you’d expect from a fellow who interned with cheeky conceptual designers Rebecca Turbow and Mary Ping). A cowl-neck top can flip into a hooded minidress; a draped dress with pockets is actually two T-shirts sewn together; and a pair of sweats gets reincarnated as an avant-garde shrug.

The shredded striped tees and peek-a-boo-back tunic strike somewhere between fleshbot and aspiring gallerist. And foxy leggings with neoprene zipper pockets will get hearts pumping — although they don’t debut till later this season.

We’re just spreading the nudes.

Available at Eva New York, 355a Bowery (212-925-3890 or evanewyork.net); online at takeoff-yourclothes.com.

Photo: Meg Wachter / Courtesy of Take Off Your Clothes

  Avant-Garde, Local Designers