A few days ago, visionary designer Eliza Starbuck joined me at an East Village Urban Outfitters in Manhattan to show me the many ways to wear her multifunctional debut line, Bright Young Things. Urban Outfitters is currently featuring four pieces of Eliza’s line. They are: 1. Halter top that can be worn in multiple ways (see above) and also worn as a skirt; maroon and black; $89. 2. Floor-length cream wrap skirt that turns into a halter dress; $175. 3. Black pant (above) that can be worn forward or backwards and at adjustable waist heights; $188. 4. Khaki shirt-dress that can be worn as a light jacket; $240.

The pieces are basic, but very flattering, interactive, and engaging. I tried the Convertible Pant (above) a few different ways—there are buttons at the waist that let you take them in and out—and agreed with Eliza, if you’ve got hips, they look great worn on the smallest part of the waist. But you can also wear them droopy like a harem pant. She likes to wear the Coat Dress open as a light jacket (below left), but I like it cinched at the waist—there’s an adjustable chord—collar folded down, and worn as a mini-dress. There are also buttons on the cuffs to let you adjust the sleeves. I let her talk me into trying on a medium, but I’d buy it in a small because I like short skirts!

The fabrics Eliza uses have an incredible hand-feel—they’re made out of a sustainable micro-Tencel blend—and are a far higher-quality that most of what you’ll find at Urban. The quality and extra functionalities give the pieces unbeatable longevity. Support this designer, and you’ll find yourself ending up with far less junk in your closet that you never wear. Eliza said this of her inspiration behind the line:

“I think it’s really important for consumers to get a lot out of every product I develop because we all have too much stuff already and we end up not using most of the things that we buy. And it’s really important to me that all the things that I produce are useful in the hopes that people buy less stuff in the long run.”

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