Dallin Chase designer Jason Cauchi dares to be extraordinary, but misses by just a mark in our book. The young talent’s brilliant dress-only collection includes fabrics like cotton chambray and sporty mesh jersey, but it lacks the use of such green materials as organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and sasawashi.

At his young age (he’s only 28), Jason belongs to the generation of thinkers and creators who are well versed in and accustomed to the language of eco. Why then, we ask, has he ignored these tenets and opted for the ordinary? True, he’s made quite the splash in all the glossies, but he’s plunked so far in the virtual green world. At press time, we were still unable to determine whether Jason has any future plans to extend his line beyond dresses and into eco. We want to love Dallin Chase, but for now, we’ll have to give the line a weak C-.