Written by Maite Catti

In the last week of October the 34th edition of the São Paulo Fashion Week took place for the winter season of 2013-2014. An upcoming event which seems to follow the pace of the Brazilian economy overall and a week during which the largest city of Brazil is visited by fashion press from all over the world. Here an inside look of the most promising designers of the São Paulo Fashion Week.

Joao Pimenta

Joao Pimenta was in search of the real elegant Brazilian man and he ended up with the elegance of Brazilian rogues in the 1930’s. We saw linen suits with high waisted trousers, neutral colours such as beige, bordeaux and brown, suits with dots, short legged trousers, boleros and models with thin moustaches.

Colcci

Perhaps the most commercial brand of the whole SPFW but certainly not the least interesting. The main focus of Colcci’s collection was the uniform, blending the military and college uniform. This clash made the collection look powerful with a fun and quirky twist. Suede bomber jackets, shift dresses, pleaded skirts, cropped trousers, oversized knee shorts for women and knee socks for men, with the colour moss green being used extensively. Within most garments there was also a mixing of various materials, as leather and wool.

Osklen

This seasons’ theme for the Osklen show was ‘Into the mountains’ wherein Oskar Metsavaht the head-designer, managed to transform 60’s skiwear into contemporary daywear. The materials consisted largely of neoprene for trousers and jackets, sheepskin for gilets and tops, and further leather, wool and cotton jacquards. One interesting men’s look consisted of a woollen sweater with a pattern of a snow crystal, neoprene trousers styled with moonboots, and a women’s look with a top with mountain print, suede skirt, furry hat and ski glasses. Strong were the accessories that added the characteristic Osklen coolness to the heavy winter clothes.

Reinaldo Lourenco

The Spanish region of Andalucía formed the inspiration for Reinaldo Lourenco’s latest collection. You could see this influence in the references to both flamenco dancers and matadors. He created a perfect balance between the fierceness and strength of the matador and the femininity and elegance of the flamenco dancer. For instance, trousers and skirts with black bands accentuating the waist in the style of the matador and dresses with typical ruffles seen in flamenco attire. The use of materials was of great importance, with layers of black lace on top of white fabrics, embroideries on jackets and transparent tops, and laser cut-outs in leather dresses and skirts. All in all, he managed to capture a sense of passionate romanticism.

Photography by Julian Moura Busquets