fashion rio: acquastudio

(images via ffw)

clicking on the first image of the acquastudio s/s 2011 collection, i was immediately reminded of the valentino spring 2010 couture show. the use of bright neons, interspersed with matte shades for the more conservative customer, the headgear, youthful heels, and bunched flowers gathered into the drapery of dresses all carried the flavor of that label. however, it's probably worth noting that the new creative directors of valentino have only recently moved it in that direction, perhaps taking cues from more whimsical labels such as this, catering to the highly desirable class of moneyed youth, with decades of brand loyalty spanning before them with which to ply their cash on.

a slightly eggshell-ian shade formed the foundation of the collection, with little forays into neons such as the yellow above, orange, and pink, which never felt quite so successful as their more staid counterparts, not the least because the designer went a bit batty with the silhouettes in these cases, giving us mounds of ruffles or giant trapeze-shapes, all of which may work fine in a museum, or even for cocktail hour at a gallery on the adventurous, but not so much anywhere else, if you're above the age of 7 & wish to look it.



and although the neutral numbers were at times somewhat wacky (as were the stripper-esque shoes), there were some beautiful, tamer choices available here. anyway, regardless of their commercial appeal to the masses, they were amazingly crafted wonders, even with the sometimes dubious choices of accessories or shading preventing them from looking cheap or anything but what they were; artworks. it might be a hard sell to the non-adventurous type, but acquastudio feels in step with anywhere the new valentino is going, yet doubtless at a steep discount. so think about that when ordering your next gown.