São Paulo Fashion Week: Summer 2008 Summary
Nearly 50 collections and a full week later, São Paulo Fashion Week closed yesterday with Ellus' 2nd Floor summer/winter 2008 line. An international brand built on its denim reputation, there’s definitely a more youthful spirit in its sibling collection. The themes seen in the earlier shows saw an abundance of sequins, metallics, neons, cuts and fabrics that played with movement, and solids, especially black which continued here in the form of short satin dresses that flounced and skinny jeans in I-dare-you colors.
Alexandre Herchcovitch (left) was the most hyped and didn’t disappoint the Brazilian audience with his menswear collection, though there were many who weren’t impressed with the overall fierce heavy-metal/goth look he chose as his theme, with hems on some shirts left rough and other pants so tight they wouldn’t look good on anyone else except Iggy or Axl. Better was his Cori line. (Pictured right.) It's meant to be more classic and mainstream (read: sellable), but its soft shorts and wonderful use of leather will ultimately make a bigger impact among consumers.
Do Estilista (Below left.) was by far this writer's favorite collection. A Brazilian fashion critic remarked that the label’s designer Marcelo Sommer doesn't get the recognition he deserves in his home country, but this time might be his lucky turn. Sommer added the type of glam found in 1920s Rio de Janeiro to this season, with carefully designed cropped jackets and sequined dresses in a rainbow of colors. Skinny cargo pants were also key, in pinstripe especially, and he relied on repeat images (all nautical-related) to give roots to his theme.
Cavalera, (below far right) the eponymous label conceived by former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, also relied on the same method. Its designers pirated famous couture logos and remade them into the label’s own. They were huge and glorious on everything from thin hoodies to wide-leg pants. With the addition of clunky sneakers and fat laces, the look was distinctly ’80s Bronx, with ghetto blaster on at full volume to the Beastie Boys track that opened the show.
Eyes have been on Brazil for the next import, and despite some of the hit-and-miss collections, these are among the worthy contenders.
