third time's a charm; First there was Trovata, then Trovata minus one.(clothing company)(Brief article)

Byline: Jane Herman

Not too long ago, designers Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos left their beloved Southern California and their just-as-loved maiden label, Trovata, for New York City. Their objective: to launch another collection of men's and women's clothing that, says Shipley, "stands for what we stand for." This, they agreed, should begin with the name, Shipley & Halmos-"because it's pretty personal"-and trickle all the way down to where and how everything's made because that, Halmos says, "reflects our integrity as people. It's really about the people."

If this sounds like a far cry from the big, fictitious world that the two designers built around Trovata, wait until you see the clothes. Sweet silk dresses, pin-striped button-downs, pure cashmere T-shirts, and one defining ocean-hued trench are dramatically clean, straightforward, and unfussy. Spring, they explain, is based on what might already ...