If we had to pick out our perfect capsule wardrobe, chances are, many of the pieces would come from upstart label Shipley & Halmos. Though Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos’ eponymous clothing line officially debuted in 2008, the company was born from a friendship that started almost a decade earlier. After meeting during college, Shipley and Halmos (the designers) founded California-based lifestyle brand Trovata. But the two soon got the itch to start something new and decided to relocate to New York to launch Shipley & Halmos (the label). A year later, they were nominated for the GQ/CFDA Best New Designer Award and also commissioned to design an exclusive women’s collection for Japanese retailer, Uniqlo, that sold out in days. Now they’re busy in the studio, working on their new men’s and women’s looks for fall/winter 2010, to be unveiled next month.

The Shipley & Halmos wardrobe is forward-thinking and current, while maintaining an effortless look and feel. It’s for the guy or girl who wants to look polished, but stand out just enough to make an impression, without going over the top. By focusing on silhouette, line, weight, print, and an interplay of fabrics, Shipley & Halmos’ designs fuse modernity and progression with classic tradition and form. As the designers say themselves, they “endeavor to create a new timelessness.” With that in mind, we asked Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos to take part in our exclusive online series of “Things That Never Go Out of Style.” Here is their top ten list:

1. Charles and Ray Eames
2. New York City
3. Ferraris
4. Beaches (actual sand and ocean, not the gripping Bette Midler film)
5. In-N-Out cheeseburgers
6. The Beatles
7. Parisian women
8. Seinfeld
9. “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens
10. Lists of things that never go out of style

Shipley & Halmos is available in fine boutiques and stores across the world, including Barneys New York, Odin, Ron Herman and Dover Street Market. Find out more about the label at www.shipley-halmos.com.

- TC