spring's leading ladies 3. vena cava; With sophistication and hidden details, a young design duo champions a subtler sexiness.

Byline: Jane Herman

The word modest has peppered colloquial fashionese for the past year. So it's not surprising that astute young designers would want to put their own spin on the modesty trend. "Modesty is modern," says Sophie Buhai, the doe-eyed codesigner of Vena Cava, "and it is important that we be modern. It is also important that our clothes be personal."

"Vena Cava pieces can be really sexy and show skin," says the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, "but it never feels like you're throwing your body in someone's face."

Then take Vena Cava's signature spring detail, a bold black-and-white amalgam of diamonds, spears, and stripes silk-screened onto silk-jersey tanks and dresses. The pattern was drawn from Bauhaus textiles, Native American prints, Russian Constructivist posters, and Art Deco graphics-what Buhai's partner, Lisa Mayock, calls "a fashion Rorschach test."

"Everyone sees something different in our print," Mayock says, "and we like that. The way our customers react to the clothes is invaluable to our work. That's when the clothes become personal. That's when we know we've succeeded."

There is an enigmatic quality to Vena Cava, which sells at Yellow in Los Angeles and Steven Alan in New York. "The subtlety is what draws people in," says Buhai. "From far away, the clothes look very simple and straightforward, but as you get closer you'll find something ...