Style

São Paulo Fashion Week Comes to a Close

by Terri Potratz | January 23, 2009 at 09:42 am

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The Fall 2009 collections by 37 design houses were presented in São Paulo this week, calling attention to Brazil's 50 million dollar fashion industry and the vibrant "Brazilianness" inherent in their native designs. While the more established fashion weeks have seen gloomy blacks and greys strutting down the runway toward a recession-led winter, in São Paulo the palette was noticeably brighter and emblematic of the richness of Latin American culture.

Many hewed to the blacks and grays favored by European and US stylists so admired by Brazil's moneyed elite -- colors and which are likely to serve as a statement on the world economy for some time to come.

But, true to theme, they also revealed creations full of color, capturing the optimistic spirit of a country that has raised its global profile amid economic progress.

In a way, the balance between dark and light, hue and shadow, spoke to Brazil's ambitions to leverage its emerging market clout, resourcefulness and imagination to take its fashion international.

Highlights from the week included appearances by Agyness Deyn, who modeled for Ellus, and local Gisele Bundchen who walked for Colcci, as well as the runway presentations of popular Brazilian designers such as Alexandre Herchcovitch (who will also be showing at New York's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week), Osklen and Maria Bonita.