Though fashion has seen its fair share of storied design duos, rarely have they been married couples. Kris Brock and Laura Vassar, the yin and yang behind Brock Collection, are one of the more recent exceptions, and offer proof that husband and wife can indeed work swimmingly together. (So swimmingly, in fact, that they were awarded the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2016.) It comes as no surprise, then, that their collections are charged with a steady current of romanticism: floral prints, ruffles, ruching, corsetry, transparent lace, and off-the-shoulder silhouettes that have garnered their brand a loyal clientele.

Kris and Laura, who met as students at Parsons School of Design, worked in patternmaking and styling, respectively, before joining forces to launch Brock Collection in 2013. (They married two years later.) Kris's knack for sewing and Laura's keenness for modern looks result in clothes that echo the design tropes of the past but stand resolutely in the 21st century. With fabrics sourced from French and Italian mills, their designs are produced in small quantities in Newport Beach, California, the seaside city where the couple is based. Such distance from the world's fashion capitals is, in part, what keeps the designers so uniquely trend-averse.

For Spring 2018, Kris and Laura present a more sultry line-up of daytime and occasion pieces, from tiered ruffle skirts to Chantilly-lace sheath dresses. White, red, and black dominate on prints and on solids, and the introduction of frayed-linen finishes—whether on a striped coat or a corset-inspired panel dress—adds a dash of toughness to the affair. Resort 2018, however, takes a more sedate approach (at least in terms of palette).

For Spring 2018, Kris and Laura present a more sultry line-up of daytime and occasion pieces, from tiered ruffle skirts to Chantilly-lace sheath dresses.

Kris and Laura have a rare talent of making romanticism approachable. Ease is the top note, even when their signature flourishes take an architectural turn. Season after season, whatever the zeitgeist, they've shown that the likes of ruffle skirts and bustier dresses (when cut from the finest fabrics) merit a certain place in the modern woman's closet. Elegance, one could say, is as eternal as the bond they share.