They are neither a law firm nor a corporation that manufactures heavy machinery, but tthe lissome twosome of nNicole Lombardi and Mary Louise Platt, known collectively as Spalding Rockwell, is simply one of the most grittily glamouorous duos to emmerge from New York City scuzz-rock-scene. Following a breif flirtation with electroclash, and a short lived dalliance with the pop music slip n slide under the tutlage of Jennifer Lopez's one-time manager, Benny Medina, Lombardi and Platt, a couple of former private school girls with a penchant for wearing short skirts, have broken out on their own with their debut, Kate (Defend), a genre-mashing electro-rock album, spiked with doses of punk-rock bravura and hip-hop bravado. Then, of course, there is the name. "It was the first thing that didn't sound stupid," says Lombardi. Adds Platt, "It sounds like a rich man's name. So, it's a nod to our past that's sort of ironic when you consider our present." Text: Steven Mooallem, Above (from left): Mary Louise Platt's suit by Dolce & Gabbana. Shoes by Bottega Veneta. Nicole Lombardi's sequined top by GF Ferre. Cosmetics by Pretty Pretty. Hair products by Kerastase. Styling: Karen Levitt. Hari: Albert Vasquez/Bumble and Bumble. Makeup: William Murphy; Pretty Pretty. Thanks to Deitch Projects. Photo by David Yellen