27.10.08

cloud nine


I spent most of Toronto Fashion Week at the library, immersed in history research, but I did emerge briefly to take in the dreamfest that was Renata Morales.
For spring 09, the Mexican born, Montreal based designer was heavily influenced by Japan, a place that seems to be the current obsession of every designer/artist/travelling blogger I've encountered this fall... I can hardly wait to visit Tokyo this winter.
The chiffon dresses that dominated Morales' collection were painstakingly swirled, ruched and braided, often descending into skirts of origami-like pleats, putting me in mind of Sophia Kokosalaki's work. The colours ranged in soft pastels for the most part, with one or two black and red versions in between. The floatiness of the pale dresses was grounded by black leather ankle boots and theatrical floral headpieces (purchased, apparently from a dollar store and spray painted - something I must try).
Also included were long, flowing gowns and caftans in homage to pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, which featured muted, glimmering sequins and his popular "evil child" faces. The most inspiring part of the collection for me was a series of drop waisted chiffon dresses, printed in large scale with images Morales had taken on her travels. Buildings in Belgrade and Japanese sakura blossoms worked particularly well.

See the rest here.
photos: wire image

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

her collections are getting stronger and stronger each year...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for introducing me to this awesome designer

AusAnna said...

so couture i love it!

magpye said...

i love that you like to travel, so you do what you must to make it happen.
:) its inspiring

Fabricjam.com | The fashionable online auction site said...

stunning designs, love your blog!

INES said...

great pictures

SOS! said...

head peices are amazing.

Anonymous said...

Wow. It's been a while since I see a collection that is so delicately spectacular. Lucky you, you got to see it in person! Thanks for this introduction--I'm not as in touch with the rest of Canada's fashion scene as I would like to be...

la femme said...

I'm glad you like the collection - the photos were taken by a wire image photographer though :)

Anonymous said...

thanks alot
http://fashion.azyya.com

Anonymous said...

Those photographs really are amazing. There is so much inspiration all around.

Andrea said...

I haven't seen her stuff before - great designs.

andrea said...

so couture!! love your blog btw

Maide said...

Oh...i fall in love with this
stunning dresses :-)

Anonymous said...

love these pieces... !

Mumbai City said...

Wow,Great picture i more like this!

Faye said...

Wow, I actually really love the head pieces! Not that I would wear one in public lol but on the models they look very pretty!

cocktail dress said...

great collection.
thanx for sharing.

Bella said...

very couture.. lovely post and so interesting

Diana @ So Fash'on said...

the headpieces are amazing!

Party Dresses said...

love these pieces!

Designer Clothes said...

Wow the models and dresses are really beautiful.
Nice to see these