Style : Fashion : The New Breed

Fashion has long been dominated by a small group of pricey New York designers, but fall ’91 may signal a change. A new generation of designers is attracting attention. Their names aren’t as familiar as Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren or Donna Karan, but their talents have admirers hailing them as the hope of America’s fashion future. Zang Toi, Gordon Henderson and Todd Oldham are among the East Coast newcomers; Mark Eisen and Eva Chun are two who work here in Los Angeles. Other rising stars include Nicole Miller, Sylvia Heisel, Kathryn Dianos and Isani’s brother-sister team, Jun and Soyon Kim.

These young designers, most in their early 30s, have several things in common: fresh, original styling, even when it comes to tweaking the Establishment; high-quality workmanship; and prices that are one-third to one-half those of their famous predecessors. Zang Toi, influenced by his Malaysian homeland as well as Paris couture, mixes sarong skirts and French-tailored jackets. Eisen, a real estate developer-turned-fashion designer, takes a poke at Chanel when he shows jackets trimmed in fabrics that match his skirts. And glamour abounds: While New Yorker Dianos stitches exotic trim along seams, Korean-born Chun splits an evening gown to mid-thigh.

Thanks to this new breed of designers, there are interesting and more-affordable options to fill the gap between Oscar de la Renta and Liz Claiborne.

Makeup: Lucienne Zammit/ Cloutier; hair: Enzo Angileri/ Cloutier, and David Cox/ Celestine; models: Eugenie Vincent/ Click Models of Los Angeles, Dina Livingston/ Elite