Our complete raison d’etre today is to get you to go play at Smashing Darling so that you can explore indie fashion without fear. Sure, there are some things you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot cashmere scarf, but really, can’t you say that about any store?

Smashing Darling says “We’re like the megamall of indie fashion . . . but without the food courts. Or the evil.” Now, while we’ll defend malls forever (we grew up in them, after all), but we must admit to getting bored with the everything-looks-the-same syndrome. Drop us in a mall anywhere in the country, and dare us to tell you where we are - we can’t do it.

You will not be bored on Smashing Darling. It’s a million little fashion boutiques run by a million little designers (with the security and convenience of a site-wide shopping cart/checkout process). We’re focusing on fashion today, but we could just as easily go trolling for earrings or (our sweet spot) handbags.

Deirdre Mongan is the designer of Punkin NYC, a line she started to create “simple, classy, comfortable and sexy dresses.” We are tempted to tell Deirdre to go ahead and solve world peace while she’s at it, because that’s quite a menu  to accomplish in a single dress. She’s making good progress, however, with her Noelle dress, a short little coatdress with princess seams and vintage buttons ($350, above left), or the Charlotte, a plum wool dress with shirring at the bust and a flattering line ($185, above right).

We want to keep an eye on Gina Michele; the silhouettes of her dresses and the drape of her fabrics catch our imagination. She wants fashion to be fun and wearable (again, world peace) and she designs using only organic, sustainable fabrics. We’re grooving on her La Vita E Bella dress with its layered skirt and empire waist ($96, above left), as well as her Tender is the Night dress, with its pretty drape and 1920s-reminiscent pleated skirt ($86, above right).  It’s easy to see why the New York Times and Lucky magazine are paying attention.

Laura Dawson’s designs are all over the map, and yet we’re intrigued. She might push the envelope of your closet with a pair of cropped cotton twill pegged pants ($90, above left); the next thing you know it’s a knee-length deco-inspired dress, glittering with platinum sequins and  flirting through its see-through hem ($250, above right).

        
We want to go to San Diego and sit in a little beachfront café with Stacie May, watching the joggers and seagulls and feeling oh-so-California. In this vision we are wearing her Allison May dress, a flouncy, layered number in olive silk that has us taking off our sandals and running in the breakers ($198, above left). Or maybe we’re in jeans and her sheer ballet top, a dreamy confection of flowers and ribbon ($102, above right).

Look at this adorable fuschia bustier dress ($125, above left), and just imagine where you’d wear it. Andrew Osafo designs Kwabena, a line dedicated to the premise that anyone can wear African prints and look marvelous. He certainly wins the debate with his sunny skirt ($65, above right), funky baby top ($75) and bamboo brigade dress ($185, right).

(Note to Andrew: The clothes are great. Get a Web site!)