Since launching his namesake collection with Saks Fifth Avenue in the spring of 2007, Nima Taherzadeh has become known for elegantly detailed cocktail dresses and separates.

When we visited the designer in his showroom shortly after Nima's runway debut during New York Fashion Week, Taherzadeh was preparing for a trunk show tour across the U.S. He told us the spring 2010 collection was very much inspired by the underwater photographs of Howard Schatz—hence the acid-hued prints on a belted mini dress and high-waisted skirt, the fluid zipper detailing on cropped jackets, and a single row of soft ruffles on a satin trench coat. See the complete spring collection below.