Edge is an important element of fashion design. But if there's too much edge, garments comes off as immature. Not enough edge, and what's the point?

Cody Ross, 30, designer and founder of Priestess NYC, takes avant garde as a departure point to craft wearable and stylish separates. During a recent visit to Ross' West Village work studio, he showed off s/s '08, his third season of dresses, tops and bottoms for women, aged 16 to 36.

He obviously enjoys kitsch and punk. But, Ross has the restraint of taste to not push those influences too far.



Ross describes the line as, "fun and wearable, especially for urban girls who really want to differentiate themselves a little more without going to the extreme." Ross has an advantage over his contemporaries: an understanding of the business model. He left the high powered world of finance to start his collection. Ross had been working out of China, then the UK, as a trader, when an interest for fashion led him to pattern making classes at Central Saint Martins.

Not long after, Priestess NYC was conceived to represent the type of woman who is bold and confidant, but unpretentious and whimsical. He points to Marc Jacobs, Gareth Pugh and Jeremy Scott as designers who inspired his aesthetic.

Already, Priestess NYC has popped up on MTV and in magazines like Bust, Teen Vogue and Nylon. He also collaborates with model, turned actress, turned designer, Greta Cavazzoni. Even so, Ross is concerned with dressing real women, focusing on, what he calls, a "price-to-quality ratio." He likes to use funky lining materials, metallics and just a little bit of fashion 'tude.

Priestess NYC is available at more than 50 boutiques, worldwide, including Sucre (NYC), TG-170 (NYC) and Ad Hoc (Shanghai).