NEW YORK, February 6, 2008 – New York is well populated with young designers these days, which makes it interesting to watch and see who will ascend from newest-latest to the next tier up. With his Fall collection, shown to an enviable crowd in the Grand Ballroom at the Plaza, Reyes proved that he is indeed on the rise.

He began his career in the atelier of Oscar de la Renta, and he carries the experience with him: His work is skewed toward an uptown, luxe-loving clientele. But he is also eager to experiment and find his own voice. You could see it in the capes and coats, especially those belted over matching dresses, which required more than a passing glance to decipher where one began and the other ended. The effect was mostly more intriguing than messy, but that wasn't the case for another element used throughout: a clunky, squared-off racer back on dresses in jewel-toned satins or granite-print chiffon. Reyes slalomed between soigné and sporty, woman and girl, but was best when he struck a balance. Uptown glamour served straight up in a fuchsia moiré evening trench was undeniably pretty and rich, but it was the youthful polish of a hunter silk anorak that held the eye.

– Meenal Mistry