Sao Paulo Autumn/Winter 2010

VIBRANT, ECLECTIC & CHIC!

Three words which can be used to describe many of the Collections from the triumphant Sao Paulo Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter Collections.

Amapo’s pieces consisted of clashing checks and stripes, juxtaposed with ellaborate beading on trousers, and statement tee’s worn under checked jackets or shirt-coats.  All teamed with mid-heeled ankle boots with woollen stockings or long leather ‘waders’. Frivolous, yet comfortable.

Pieces from Colcci had a ‘Wild West’ theme including leather studded trousers and shorts, cowboy hats and poncho’s in a colour palette ranging from delicious gold’s, rusts and nudes to a more sedate ‘Clint Eastwood-esque’ grey.  Knitwear was particularly prevalent throughout the collection.

Forum’s graphic collection, with arms and legs adorned with stockings and accessorised with ankle boots created a look which was angular, contemporary and chic.

Maria Garcia’s loose dresses, jumpsuits and embellished jackets (some hooded), in silver and gold metallics were mesmerizing, whilst Carlota Joakina took inspiration from flowers, showing an extremely soft collection of pale pink organza’s with pleats and trapeze skirts, or completely sheer dresses which were adorned with flower ‘stems’, as were stockings.  Elegant satin dresses shimmied down the runway, including a pretty bandeaux dress in dark green resembling a flower stem.  Most pieces were worn with ankle boots to look both feminine, yet edgy.

Neon’s collection did exactly what it said on the label.  It was bright and colourful and once again had a touch of the ‘Wild West’.  Cowboy hats were accessorised with brightly coloured boots and make-up.  It was a truly eye-catching collection.

Lino Villaventura had an Asian flavour to his mostly black collection.  Silk jackets and coats, layered over separates in many textures – all cut with precision.  Heart-shaped tiara’s lay delicately on the heads of models, both male and female, sparkling in the spotlights with Swarovzki crystals. Other more flamboyant head-pieces appeared throughout the collection with a mostly assymetrical cut, sometimes providing a little colour injection to the proceedings with their boldness. The collection was chic in every sense.

But it was Alexandre Herchcovitch who seemed to ‘sweep the board’.  His dark menswear collection of grey’s and black’s , with faces painted with skeleton skulls and endless teeth contrasted completely with both his own womenswear collection, and the impact which he made on Rosa Cha’s pieces.

Rosa Cha’s collection was an instant hit and had an intriguingly ambiguous quality, which comprised of beautiful lingerie seemingly ‘morphing’ into swimwear, which was modelled elegantly by Chanel Iman, amongst many other top models.

However, it was his own opulent collection ‘Royal Gypsy’ which comprised of bandana’s exquisitely adorned with stones and chains transcending into necklaces, and heavily embellished tops and dresses with sequins which was the most ‘haunting’.  Models looked wistful and make-up was pale with tiny touches of pink to the eyes and lips, only adding to the delicacy of his beautiful story.

Alexandre’s ethos apparently is that we should wear what we feel inspires us from the world around us and our perception of the environment.  He was recently quoted as saying;  “It is a cliche to state that clothes are a way of expression, a presumable code of communication.  Whenever anyone is wearing one of my designs, this person is transmitting information about the way he or she sees the world to other people, rather than the lengths, colours and figures in the clothes”.

Our perception of the World, as opposed to the way others perceive us?  Now there’s a thought…!

Words – Amanda Waters

Photography – Joao Unzer

Forum
Jefferson Kulig
Lino Villaventura
Maria Garcia
Neon
Reserva