Buried in the back of my news feed this weekend was a story from declaring, "There's Never Been a Better Time to Celebrate the Sock!" I'd say that counts as one of the crazier headlines I've read lately. Yes, socks are good and necessary, but I believe now's the time to embrace emerging designers like , which launched its new website in March. Not the best timing, but they vow, "We're in it for the long run." I predict a long run, indeed, considering, for example, their enduringly stylish straw , above. Another new talent: LA-based , , whose elevated basics are the talk of the town (i.e., boasts a solid celeb following), due to its next-level comfort and masterfully-chic fits and fabrics. I also love 's print-happy, summer-ready dresses, designed by my NYC friends. Certainly, we can also turn our attention to stellar styles on sale from long-established designers, like 's do-it-all scalloped lapel denim blazer, this timelessly cool shirt dress, these skinny jeans, this stunning broderie anglaise dress, these wear-with-everything sandals and these denim slip-ons by . Long story short: no socks here.