The new artistic director of the Lacoste brand, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, offers us a collection inspired by contemporary art and the world of dance for his eponymous brand.
Imbued with the black-and-white photos of Pina Bausch and Angelin Preljocaj choreographies pinned to his mood board, the designer offers silhouettes that mix sportswear with much more chic classic models.
Composed of highly graphic, pared-down pieces, her Spring-Summer 2011 collection, called Polymorphous, pays tribute to the body in motion, playing with materials, colors and cuts.
Largely made up of short dresses, this collection also features leggings and tutu skirts, multiplying subtle plays on transparency. Beginning with long, multi-pocketed hooded skin jackets worn over bodysuits and destructured leggings, the collection gradually takes a turn away from a rather casual style. The woman according to Felipe Oliveira Baptista has fun blurring the lines, metamorphosing classics and daring trompe l’oeil effects and unprecedented mixes of materials. She dares to apply eyeliner only under the eyes, and to modernize the falsely wise chignon with a wide, forehead-sweeping wick.
Silhouettes are more graphic, with wrap-arounds, sheer tank tops, skirts and dresses with geometric lapels and collars. Trompe l’oeil effects abound, reinforced by second-skin effect pieces and architectural cut-outs. Shoulders are often bare, as is the back, when not covered in transparency. Completely destructured leggings add an offbeat tone to an original, resolutely contemporary collection.
We love this little white tuxedo jacket with black satin lapels worn over a lavender blouse and turquoise blue sheer skirt, the perfect embodiment of the trompe l’oeil spirit of this collection, which the designer calls ” cross dressing “.
As for the tones on offer, it’s a festival of black, white and cream softened by pastel touches of water green, sky blue and soft pink.
Contemporary elegance is what Felipe Oliveira Baptista offers us for Spring-Summer 2011 with a fresh collection, claiming ” an ultra-elaborate casual aesthetic “. In so doing, he imposes a new approach to couture without sacrificing elegance, while retaining a sense of technique and, above all, modernity. Some call it audacity, others call it the affirmation of a style.
Marie-Odile Radom
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