View the full collection in our Photo Gallery.
story by Lo Gray
photos by Pete Cameron Dominkovits
When some like it hot, some fall in love with Carlos Miele. The Brazilian designer’s “Immersive Landscape” collection was on fire, sending the runway temperatures to dangerous levels. With a cue of the music, the audience was instantly transported to hotter and chicer climates, where, say, wearing white swimsuits never abides by post-Labor Day standards, and cocktails are always served with a side of leg.
Opening looks cascaded down the runway in a flow of tropical color, trains of sheer chiffon following in their wake. Swimsuits, cover-ups, and silk chiffon caftans slinked the path to a Brazilian beat, creating a visual climate; ocean waves crested into a strapless silk gown while the Sao Paulo sun melted into a one-shouldered dress. The designer’s Brazilian cultural ties were beautifully apparent.
For events requiring a less swim and more formal look, consider one of the silk gowns in a myriad of tropical hues and prints. Interspersed between undulations of chiffon were a vivid tangerine pantsuit and a color-blocked draped white skirt with turquoise top, cinched at the waist with a gold belt.
All was an exercise in Miele staying close to his signature design roots. His affinity for moulage and fuxico techniques was evident in several beautifully rendered pieces; a plunging neckline gown exhibited both trades in a bevy of oceanic hues. A noteworthy vision in electric blue featured fold-over pleating and a braid snaking up the front and coiling around the shoulder.
Models sported slicked back hair, suggesting their runway commitments had interrupted an afternoon in an infinity pool, emerging only to return to a getaway for which their ensembles had best prepared them.
Warning: all of the looks were in heavy flirtation. View with caution.
