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Oct 26, 2015
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Rosy, airy and shiny -- three takeaways from Sao Paulo Fashion Week

By
AFP
Published
Oct 26, 2015

Where Sao Paulo Fashion Week goes, much of Latin America follows, and this year the message from the catwalks is to look rosy and airy -- while throwing in a metallic glint.

Coven Winter 2016 RTW / SPFW - FFW


Although a younger sister to the New York, Paris, London and Milan versions, Sao Paulo Fashion Week is the biggest on the continent and part of a growing southern hemisphere fashion scene.

That Brazil's supermodel Gisele Bundchen chose the Sao Paulo catwalk for her retirement in April didn't hurt its credibility either.

SPFW, which closed Friday, featured winter 2016 collections from more than 30 designers, including local favorites such as Ronaldo Fraga, Reinaldo Lourenco, Fernanda Yamamoto, Joao Pimenta and Vitorino Campos.

And as the fashionistas pack their bags, here are three takeaways:

- Rose-tinted -

Fraga, Campos and Animale seem to be wearing the same glasses: rose-tinted.

Pink in different shades found its way into coats and trousers, with Animale combining a pale version with hot yellow.

Vitorino Campos Winter 2016 RTW / SPFW FFW - FFW
"I saw a lot of pink, but you have to be careful. It's a difficult color and you have to take care in how you use it so that it doesn't become childish," Brazilian fashi


"I saw a lot of pink, but you have to be careful. It's a difficult color and you have to take care in how you use it so that it doesn't become childish," Brazilian fashion guru Gloria Kalil told AFP.

White was also widely used, adding to the light touch.

- Winter, what winter? -

Brazilian winters are a relative concept, so this collection was never going to come fur-lined.

Instead the well-dressed Latin American is looking for airy, easily adaptable clothing to cope with those slight dips in the thermometer.

Fernanda Yamamoto Winter 2016 RTW / SPFW


"We can use these lighter and more delicate clothes with lace and perforations," Kalil said.

That suits Yamamoto, who goes several times a year to Paraiba in remote northeastern Brazil to visit women making traditional lace, then adding contemporary twists.

"The lace creates a different texture, it's part of the tendency toward using feathers and rope in an artisanal style," Brazilian style consultant Camila Toledo said.

The southern winter will also see plenty of ankles on show, with designers favoring wide flared trousers rising several centimeters higher than standard.

- Metal -

There's a harder edge coming too.

Flower and animal prints have gone with the summer. Stripes and geometric shapes are in, especially in black and white, with collections from Lourenco and the Iodice label being typical examples.

Lolita Winter 2016 RTW / SPFW - FFW


The metallic look also caught the eye this year. The always-popular silver was less in evidence, with copper on the rise, shining against a general backdrop of grey and skin-tones.

Boots by Gloria Coelho had a coppery sheen, while the Lolitta collection made widespread use of combined silver and copper.

"Metals are beautiful and still used a lot," Kalil said.

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