fashion rio: agatha

Final de tarde na Lagoinha #praiadalagoinha #florianopolis #brazil #beach #sunset (Taken with Instagram at Praia da Lagoinha)

Brazil to Peru: Interoceanic Highway (via Peru’s new highway to the future - CSMonitor.com)

#florianopolis #praiadalagoinha #beach #brazil (Taken with Instagram at Praia da Lagoinha)

(images via ffw)

it always leaves me a little sad when bringing about the close of a particularly awesome fashion week, as rio de janeiro’s fashion rio has been, and it somehow seems a little suited that we’re seeing it end with the debut show of brazilian label agatha, whose s/s 2012 collection, it is said, is part of a repositioning to come out a higher-end more ‘fashion’-y brand. 

titled ‘da capo’, the range, according to ffw was inspired by (trans.) “a marking that indicates a need to return to the beginning”.  however, the jornal do brasil took it in a slightly different direction, stating that the (trans.) “summer collection of designer Ceiça Gioielli was inspired by natural elements like sand, plaster, clay, feathers and leaves, printed on digital prints and scored in the color chart.”  drawing from both and looking at the clothes themselves, i think we can say it was sourced from earthy influences and leave it there. 

quite a lot of materials were employed for the collection, often giving the pieces an almost collage-like appearance of mixed textures, with the jdb pointing out that it (trans.) “means flexibility and fluidity, and hardness and stiffness.”  python skin, macrame, silk georgette, leather, organza, nylon, satin silk, and gazar were used, with techniques of quilting, embroidery, fringing, and crochet used to give detail, while embellishments such as sequins and feathers were added. 

the colour palette stayed mostly natural—white, off-white, and shades of sand were the most commonly seen, but flashes of silver and green broke through as well (the python bathing suit debora muller wore, above, being a particular highlight).  volume and layers were key trends of the day, with the overlapping textures, as mentioned previously, another important motif. 

dresses were the key runway item, though there were several pairs of boyshorts, some voluminous trousers, and a couple of jackets.  and although lengths usually fell above the knee, emphasizing a sort of jungle sexuality (incidental rather than particularly pushed, except in a couple of cases, as with the cropped top-and-shorts combo second on the catwalk and rather a dud), there were a few maxi-lengths as well. 

in truth, on the whole, i found it an impressive display, from the concentrated techniques of the clothing, to the care and love obviously injected into many of the pieces.  if there has been a lot of ‘urban tribalism’ going around this season, with a sort of reverence for the seventies bohemian-love, then agatha certainly got that right.  the knee-high crocheted gladiator sandals and strung-together looking jewelry helped to pull the aesthetic together without pushing it into costume territory. 

on the other hand, however, there were a few missteps.  for example, in the cases of the shredded…denim?…it felt the designers were taking a moment to idly address a trend rather than following the direct path of their theme.  this problem cropped up a couple of times in other specific instances.  but on the whole, especially for a ‘newer’ label, the work was remarkably complete, and as even the particularly skilled have their moments of weak fancy, one can’t fault them too strongly.  it remains to be seen where they might go, but one hopes they might stay on the path of urban/natural eclecticism for at least a little while to come, given the reach of their ideas. 

(watch the full runway show video here)