The Council of Fashion Designers of America and New York City Economic Development Corporation have tapped 12 designers (Alice Ritter, Bibhu Mohapatra, Prabal Gurung, Sophie Theallet, Rachel Dooley with Gemma Redux, Grant Krajecki of Grey Ant, Waris Ahluwalia of House of Waris, Joel Diaz with Jolibe, Alison Lewis of Lewis, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School, Yuvi Alpert and Danna Kobo of Ruby Kobo, Justin Giunta of Subversive Jewelry) as the first tenants of the CFDA Fashion Incubator.

LINK LOVE: Fashionista

We’re a bit biased on the whole Mooka Kinney split since we had one half of the divorced design duo, Rachel Antonoff, participate in Fashion Indie Week Brooklyn this year, but when we heard that Alison Lewis was set to hit Barneys we knew you’d want to know. 

I guess this would be the real life equivalent of seeing your ex move on way before you, but Lewis’ entire Spring 09 was picked up by Barneys and her duds, a mix of girly and vintage-inspired pieces, are already getting praised by the likes of Fashionista’s editors. After checking out her her collection on the Lewis site, I’m fairly sure that Lewis has a strong enough brand to compete with the normal Barneys offerings, I just hope she maintains the same following she had back in the MK days.

Announcing the new line from former Mooka Kinney designer Alison Lewis, who is launching her namesake label full of feminine, imaginative, and wearable clothing.

The Lewis look stems from the keen, fashionable eye of its designer, offering women a fresh take on the contemporary everyday-wear we all knew and loved from Lewis’s past line. Arriving right on the heels of Mooka Kinney’s success—their Flag Dress was recently worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in the Sex and the City film—Lewis delivers on the promise that followed the duo’s split to pursue other adventures. This time around, she lends a more dapper twist to the vintage charm that became her signature aesthetic. “I really wanted to pay tribute to this idea of a romantic wardrobe that isn’t defined by what is in fashion, but by flattering silhouettes that women can keep in their closets for years to come,” says Lewis. “I am still very inspired by vintage clothing but I wanted to expand my designs by adding a modern touch to the new line and using elegant fabrics, such as washed and patterned silks.”

The girls from Mooka Kinney have reportedly split. The girls (Rachel Antonoff and Alison Lewis) met fatefully when Alison rented a room in Rachel’s west village apartment, they then discovered a shared love for haunting local vintage stores and the empire-waisted, whimsical wardrobes of their childhoods.

I’m wondering what the next collection will look like since the girls were bffs and even posed in all the promo ads together. But rumor is that Alison is teaming up with a jewelry designer for her next fashion venture.