ModaLisboa Capital | Lisboa Fashion Week - Day 3 & 4

If you've been following us, you know that the previous article - “ModaLisboa Capital - Day 1 & 2” ended with “To be continued…” So let's talk about the coolest weekend in Lisbon, a Saturday and a Sunday of ModaLisboa.

By the way, before reading this article, take a look at “Volume I” of the newsletter series about the most recent edition of Lisbon Fashion Week - “Life is Fashion Week”.

Day 3

Carlos Gil

Carlos Gil makes a “Match” with maximalism that creates a fusion with minimalism. How? In the modeling we have classic pieces that gain this maxi effect due to their repetition in different colors.

Color palettes from collections now come together as one - between vibrancy in reddish tones ranging from orange to fuchsia, which can be called Cherry Tomato and Boudoir Red, the softness of pastel tones is joined by denim, luminous prints, acid yellow and butter yellow (the new hit on social media).

In this “mirror of human individuality” we find details that take us back to different decades of the 20th century - the 20s, 60s, 70s or 80s. And in them we find future it bags.

IED Graduate Fashion Show

The IED brings together final year students, the “chosen ones”, from Italy and Spain. From Turin, Cagliari, Bilbao, Rome, Milan and Barcelona, ​​they landed in Lisbon: Adele Domini, Alexia Sedda, Gaizka Albizu, Leonardo Fizialett, Letizia Luchini and Rat Borrell, respectively.

ModaLisboa states about “Nostalgia for The Future”:

“This apparent contradiction translates into an aspirational longing for designs and trends that may yet emerge, and for an aesthetic that reflects a better, bolder future. Fashion, as a system in constant evolution, becomes a vehicle for the exploration of nostalgia.

Each collection is able to evoke its potential, proposing silhouettes that are simultaneously recognizable and innovative, mixing sport and elegance, madness and tradition. The garments are made with more sustainable materials and present a future in which creativity and social responsibility are intertwined.”*

Personally, I would highlight: Luchini's exquisite V-shaped silhouettes, Albizu's unisex, re-imagined corset, Domini's X-shaped “vest” and Borrell's color palette that immediately reminds me of the Catalan capital.

Not forgetting that as Eduarda Abbondanza says “all clothes are unisex, it’s a question of confidence”.*

Kolovrat

Lidja Kolovrat celebrates and guides us in reflecting on our relationship with nature, we are intrinsically part of it. Like trees and their roots.

With Kolovrat it’s never just a collection of a real fashion show, not leaving its message only in the garments, which we will eventually talk about, but allowing the fact that the mannequins completely personify the title of her F/W collection “I am the Tree” with Eduarda Novita’s facial jewelry and make-up that covers the entire body, also through this dress…

Roots are visible on the chin or forehead, while trunks can be seen on the torsos, the mannequins' toes can lead us to the growth rings of the trees... which, when darker depending on their location on the trunk, could be the "pith", the "scar" from a fire or the growth of the tree during dry weather.

When I said that I would eventually talk about the pieces presented in “I am the tree” I did not use this adverb in vain. When the concept is as strong and aligned as what is being presented, being descriptive becomes redundant.

When sharing her descriptive memory on hier social networks, Kolovrat also shared the following message that conveys to us the deepest essence of the F/W proposals:

“In fashion, as in nature, growth is a balance between grounding and transformation. We evolve, embracing movement without losing our essence. Like trees in a forest, we stand strong alone but thrive together—interwoven, adaptive, and ever-changing.”

Most importantly, open the door so that others can look, see and feel. Still, personally, I would highlight the Trompe-l’oeil painted by the designer herself that takes the naked dress to a whole new level.

Ricardo Andrez

For this season Ricardo Andrez brought a new girly vibe (it could be described as femininity, but this is a very encapsulated expression, so it doesn't fit here) to his grunge aesthetic. He left behind his famous eyelets and, I confess, I already miss it terribly.

The blurred boundaries between East and West bring new accessories and materials such as “faux fur, velvet, silk, oriental satin jacquard and organic denims to keep everything balanced in the signature style”* of Andrez’s “Far from The West”.

Although such materials allow for a wide lexicon of silhouettes, straight-line silhouettes and winking for cocoon.

Still, I need the eyelets back in Ricardo Andrez's collections, the world is already too messed up…

Luís Carvalho

“RUSH HOUR was born from this dynamism. It comes from the intense energy of corporate environments. But the time has come for women to take on leading roles. They bring fluidity, structure and functionality. They shape the concept of “office workwear” and transcend formality. They deconstruct the classic. And they evolve unisex silhouettes.

She is a CEO, a creative, a strategist, and the muse of her life. She has the softness and strength needed to navigate the corporate world.”*

Who said that an electric royal blue strapless top and acid green dress with a slit and a vertiginous teardrop neckline isn't officecore? Luís Carvalho proves that it is.

At a time when many men walk around with ties blowing in the wind, there are women who are subverting the way suits are worn.

Day 4

Nuno Baltazar

Tears, that was the gap between the mannequins' skin and the outside, tears of conflict, while some models had written on their raised hands on their bare chests an affirmation of pride in the face of their invaded country - “proudly from Ukraine”.

Maximalist textures and tears, the designer’s own concerns, gaps between the body and the piece and reverse sides that become right sides…

Embellished balaclavas that create yet another layer of distraction from the character’s emotion they cover up in this “Intermission.”

And, precisely, the number of introspection and luck, also linked to the Greek goddess of war and peace - Athena. is the number of the look that I fell in love with - look 7.

Barbára Atanásio

Bárbara Atanásio presented a menswear collection for all humans.

Before writing my thoughts about the collection, I try to find out what the designer's concept is (I usually do this by consulting modalisboa.pt), what the intentions of their message are. Being aware that Fashion critic (do not interpret the word with the negative connotation that does not correspond to it)/Fashion writing is not a mere transcription of descriptive memories or press releases, I deliberately want to leave you with a quote from “Profecia do Presente” (Prophecy of the present) - the core of the young designer's collection:

"Witnessing the globalization of stupidity, the world lives on the edge of its own reflection. We live angry, depressed and medicated. And we live happy, euphoric and medicated. We adorn ourselves with the tools of our own hallucination, drowning in the noise of the vast digital sea. There is nothing new anymore.” *

Arndes

In “Borrowed Clothes,” Ardnes explores a premeditated serendipity and continues with a well-constructed pattern that appeals to the senses. The pattern itself is an integral and conscious part of designer Ana Rita de Sousa’s concept:

“Each piece is a construction made of invisible bridges, where the molds are connected by threads of intention, creating shapes that only exist at that point of convergence.”*

In a cohesive and concise collection, we appreciate the awakening of plaids and we want to use mismatched belt buckles and straps as a second skin. At the same time, fabrics are double agents: material of the piece worn and accessory of the subject dressed.

Valentim Quaresma

Valentim Quaresma is known for embracing artisanal work, establishing a unique relationship with each piece of jewelry he creates. This F/W the relationship between accessories and the actual garment was more expressive, as the latter were clearly more present.

There was also no shortage of upcycling of checked, frayed or differently shaped flannel, giving the collection touches of the three primary colours and knitting in structures that embrace (us).

For me, this season, the beautiful influence of the aesthetics and style of Quaresma's mentor, Ana Salazar, was more evident.

DuarteHajime

With Duarte, currently DuarteHajime, we always have a moment of cultural learning. This time, although not as a debut, the focus was on Japanese culture, or more precisely, on the samurai.

Like what was presented to us on March 9t, Kaeru, an expression that can be interpreted as returning home. Storytelling is a valuable and permanent feature of the brand that enhances the fashion show experience. But here it all started before the show even began with the QR codes on the catwalk screens that directed us to the introduction of everything.

The brand's DNA has been reinvented and remixed into codes and symbols that range from prints to vibrant knits, including the replacement of seams with cords in the union of different components of a piece. Leaving me on the verge of obsession with lightly padded and heavily stitched armor.

Dino Alves

Dino Alves has always been “Fora de série”( “out of this world”*), but this time this was the title of his collection. It's about inspiring those who don't conform and who transform challenges into learning... And, for the enfant terrible of Portuguese fashion, as it was described by some media in the 2000s, this concept was inspired by artistic movements such as Brutalism and Expressionism at a party.

This was an electrifying show, in which you dance and your entire body acts to ensure that your gaze does not stray from the model and her look.

Dino brings us quilting and transparent tulle in delicious layers, he brings us layered pieces like immaculate shirts over high collars that are unquestionable objects of desire, as responsible consumers, of course.

I shared with you thoughts and perspectives on the shows I attended and their respective collections, with the exception of Luís Onofre's presentation. Despite having watched the parade

Still, at The Fashion Standup we are still far from having said everything about ModaLisboa Capital. “Volume IV” of this series will not be published for now…

What's coming next week? That's still a secret!

See you then!

With love,

Vera Lucia

*free translations