Krisa designer launches Lanston, a new T-shirt collection

When designer Krisabelle Ann Tan launched her Krisa contemporary collection in 2004 it was full of knit layering pieces: ribbed tanks, French terry hoodies and cotton supima tops. 

But as the collection gained steam in the market it veered away from sportswear and into more typical contemporary fare -- dresses and structured separates.

Now the L.A.-based designer is returning to her roots -- with a new T-shirt-based collection called Lanston that launched for fall 2009. The beyond-basics collection features tanks, tees and long-sleeved knit tops along with a handful of knit accent pieces including vests, jackets and cardigans. 

The super-soft tops (which retail for under $100, with most pieces coming in at under $60) are the stuff of daily wear, the kind of tees you pull on again and again to layer under cardigans, blazers and other T-shirts. The collection reminds me of Alexander Wang's tee-driven line, T by Alexander Wang, but is less louche-looking and a tad cheaper.

"Originally I didn't set out to start a new line," said Tan. "I just wanted to add a capsule group of basics to Krisa that would easily merchandise back to the existing collection. I realized that I missed my basic tees and layering pieces. Lanston started out with just five pieces, but the fabric was so amazing. ... I knew it could stand on its own. It feels like tissue cashmere but for a fraction of the price."

The new collection is available at Revolve Clothing. 

-- Emili Vesilind

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo: Lanston tops