Best Fashion for the Core

Deb Henriksen's motto is "For the Core, From the Core," and few designers keep it as real as she does. The former environmental scientist gave up her good day job to pursue her fashion dreams full time -- and we're lucky she did. Her first designs were clever, well-made screen-printed T-shirts that featured, most memorably, a cat skull and crossbones. But in the last year, she's branched out into a full line of made-to-measure treasures, offered at her Equillibrium showroom/boutique. Henriksen admires Betsey Johnson, and her new dresses and skirts reflect that sensibility: Simple, clean lines meet punk-rock ruffles. That's hard core.