fashion rio: claudia simões

(images via ffw)

claudia simões' spring 2011 collection reminds me of younger incarnation of the marni girl, during those years it was still appropriate for her to wear short-shorts and sheer midriff-baring items that, no matter what the sex & the city girls and madonna try to convince us, really need to be hung up by the time we reach our thirtieth birthdays (sorry, but it's true). however, before cursing me & considering sending the designer rabies by mail, there are still a lot of options for any age level, whatever the general feel of the show. my general rule of thumb is that no one wants to see your butt cleavage if you've had children & remembering that, we can move on....

the designer began in 1977, by selling clothes from her own house, opening a factory called owl a year later, and her first store, hyper hyper (i get a vivienne westwood-sense here) in the early eighties. in 1990, she changed the name to the present eponymous one, and has several stores selling her work. she describes her customer with those same dull adjectives "style, cool" that basically everyone does & conveys none of the spunk seen in her work...apparently getting crafty with one's descriptions of shoppers is a dicey proposition.



the spring collection has a bit of a global thrift-store feeling, with a sort of ethnic/bohemian feeling pervading without anything too strongly tying it to a particular movement. rather, it has a relaxing looseness, as though the models in the show accumulated their outfits through flea markets, items brought back from trips to foreign lands, and the occasional luxury label piece they received as a gift; in other words, what we're all of us hoping to see in those promising-sounding "street style" photo essays & never do.



and as with real street style, there were looks that were outstanding, others that didn't work for some indeterminate reason, and a few that were just "oh, honey, no!" overall, though, it was largely the former, with her sublime ability to make a cohesive collection from what frequently did appear scrounged pieces. that, though, was their charm, and for those among us who shy away from appearing too "done", or prefer the idea of mixing in designer items with our own eclectic wardrobes without ever having to fear the ominous, "what if i spend £1500 & have nothing to wear it with?"


in the end, the hats remained a bit gimmicky, the shoes had a 'girl wearing her father's slippers' dwarfing effect, and the sheers were just too intimidating for the likes of me. however, the collared shirts & the long knit cover-ups were winners, as were a number of the little jackets. it's unfortunate that most of the stores are in rio, but we might still triumph in the end by realizing how much of this we can recreate from our own thriftshop racks.


see the full video here, featuring additional phenomenal looks & close-ups

fashion rio: alessa

(images via ffw)

the alessa s/s 2011 collection was inspired by alchemy, witches, and, ahem, "gypsys" or "roma" (sorry, the former isn't really pc; however, the latter isn't a widespread enough term, one can expect everyone to know what that means). there was also a certain seventies quality to the show, referencing that period when mysticism was so trendy.

it wasn't an overwhelmingly outstanding show, as far as these things go, although there were a number of pretty kaftans & lovely prints on the long, flowing numbers. the shoes were probably the highlight for me; the ability to make them look both glamourous & sort of functional was a real footwear feat.

this seems to be, though, one of those collections with a built-in clientele. there are certainly masses of this type of girl who attire themselves in these general get-ups with a severity that borders on putting on an army uniform. besides, maxi dresses have been in for warmer weather. it's good we have something cute on offer.

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.

fashion rio: lenny

(images via ffw)

i've elaborated profusely in various blog formats the tediums of swimwear, enough that ought suffice to explain i don't enthuse over the medium, save for exceptional cases. and while i'm not about to make the case that the lenny s/s 2011 collection is exactly deserving of that adjective, i will say there were several pieces here that were very nice indeed.

in particular, the piece at the top of this review, resembling gilded toilet roll having wound its way around the model's torso like an experimental prom-goer's outfit stood out, as well as the two looks below this paragraph, with a slouchy sexiness very comforting in their dirty gym-bag hues.

the designer's bio informs us (in such splendid verbiage, one doubts paraphrasing would do it justice), "Lenny Niemeyer first arrived on the scene in Rio in 1980. With her tanned skin and golden blond hair, Lenny was ready to take on this new city." although there wasn't enough on the market capable of withstanding the scorching heat the bombshell emitted, she decided to make one herself, eventually launching her signature brand in 1993.


thanks to lenny's craftiness, we have her to thank not only for the glamor-encrusted swimsuits which ooze brazilian animal magnetism, but, apparently for introducing us to scores of top models, as she informs us, "Lenny started the careers o [sic] many models and, over the years, her catwalks have been adorned by the likes of Giselle Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Letícia Birkheuer, Isabelli [sic] Fontana, Michelle Alves, Ana Claudia Michels and Devon Aoki."


*ow...give yourself a moment and a pinch to reflect on your luck & we'll move on...


bitchy commentary aside, although there were a plethora of basic bikinis, she did offer some fresh options on the maillot (or one-piece), all of which are shown somewhere in this review, as well as the couple of other specifics i've called out. with so little material & in a time where a two-piece rules, it's nice to see a designer offering innovative choices on a more conservative front, still permitting them to look sufficiently smoldering.

in the end, if your primary motivation is design, this isn't necessarily one of the best labels seen this week; however, aspiring catwalkers may want to skip the next rounds of auditions for top model & chill outside her atelier asking for a gig. don't say i never gave you anything.

fashion rio: nica kessler

(images via ffw)

the s/s 2011 collection is not the first nica kessler has presented at fashion rio, but she is still a relatively new, young designer with perhaps some refinements needed to secure her vision. this show was largely seventies-referential, with colors and patterns in bright tones and filled with glamorous loungewear or items appropriate for club-going.

the designer, originally from brazil, moved to london several years ago to attend central saint martins, studying also in barcelona before eventually making her way back to begin her own brand, after having received both the appropriate education and life seasoning, of course. she describes her customer as a working woman, with tendencies toward the romantic, youthful, hip, and looking for something to convey these characteristics without over-indulgence in drama & loud ruffles.



much as i do like the collection, quite frankly, i'm not having an easy time of identifying the working woman here, unless we're talking as a cocktail waitress at some beachside club. even without the shoes & accessories, the clothes are flirty, sexy, and notice-me enough that they seem much better suited to days off, when you're kicking your feet up on some table & pretending cracking a menu to read the salad-dressing list yourself rather than hear it recited is about the most complicated concept in your life at the moment.



however, for your leisure time, we'd most of us be hard-pressed to find something better. the outfits remain sexy without dripping pheromones, and look not only divine in hot weather, but for hot weather. the shoes were particularly outstanding, as were the arm-full of bangles (see below) on the models' wrists. additionally, her use of the seventies theme, now so hot, wasnt' quite as literal as some of the others, dipping in from time to time when appropriate, but feeling more an homage than a bunch of kids playing dress-up. in other words, these clothes would look perfectly at home next to the rest of your wardrobe, never giving off too much of that vibe if you don't wish it.


for a young designer, she does indeed boast a lot of promise. her show came off quite slick, with complete looks which appeared both fresh and in-theme, giving us all the variance on casual looks we could want. i'd like to see her build on professional looks, with perhaps a few more formal evening pieces thrown in as well, as undoubtedly even the club girls have to don a suit at some point.