Kitted and Knitted

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So…. I was supposed to be in Sao Paolo right now attending their fashion week but due to personal reasons which I won't bore on about here, in the end I couldn't make it.  That said, I'll still be going taking a gander at what's going on, to obviously torture myself with what I'm missing because I masochistic like that and also because some things coming through from Fashion Rio (which someone tells me is not half as exciting as Sao Paolo's fashion week…good authority or not?) last week is already brimming with promise.

Lucas Nascimento, though Brazilian is actually based in London and may even end up showing here in London next season, despite the fact he's only just shown his first collection in Rio.  That said, Nascimento has been cutting his teeth (or yarns…) designing knitwear for Basso & Brooke and Brazilian labels like Ellus and Amapo (see his brilliant freelance archive on his blog) and so he has experience aplenty and it seems like with his own label, he's focused on a very specific 'strand' of knitwear.  

I really thought that with the slew of knitwear designers we've been getting these past few years, that boundaries within knitwear had been pushed in most directions but Nascimento proves me wrong with his particular take on moulded shapes and multi-texture knitwear. His debut solo collection is simultaneously restrictive and freeing.  These fluid knitted straight jackets are created by a mix of manual and machine knitting, as well as experimentations with different yarns that create an oversized rib in lurex.  Mohair adds another textural contrast and before you ask, it's definitely a big FAT yes to the crinkly metallic lurex shorts.  In any other medium, the elongated sleeves that restrict the arms would look too much like fabric imprisonment but somehow, in the ribbed knit, I'm convinced that daily movement wouldn't be hampered too much… unless you like dramatic arm waving or have a penchant for traversing the streets doing pirouettes.  Klaus Jurgen Schmidt's specially sculpted footwear for the show are similarly unique and totally apt accompaniments.

Even if London doesn't claim Nascimento as their own during fashion week, my eyes will definitely head towards Brazil next season.  Even if the body doesn't make it.  

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31 comments

  2. those shoes are interesting — I wonder how they work, it look like your foot would slip allover the place 🙂

  5. Holy moly I see the future, zips on socks, this was a very exciting post!

  15. Aw, SUCH a shame you couldn’t make it to Sao Paulo! Woo hoo for Brazilian fashion/designers! Lucas sure is talented!
    xx

  18. Gosh – incredible knitty textures. One gets the impression you burn the candle at both ends and then in the middle a bit too. Please don’t wear yourself out too much. The work you do is fantastico and I’m sure your best is yet to come. This is fine to say, since I am even older than you are (making me positively ancient in blogging years).

  19. Sorry you couldn’t make it.Looks really exciting. Love the colours and textures of the bodysuits, although not sure if I could wear one, would probably drive me mad. Having been seeing socks every where lately, the zipped socks look great.

  21. Isn’t it not socks with shoes but sock-things as part of the shoe, as the material looks quite robust, hence the zips as a fastener for the shoe, and why your feet wouldn’t slip all over the place?

  23. Like the details in this – the wooden clogs, the pink socks, the jewels on the skirt. My favourite bits are the shoes towards the top with the cream suede.

  27. hope you’re feeling ok right now! isn’t it funny how something can slowly start popping up in places and soon enough you really crave it, like now it’s mohair. i need some mohair in my life! also socks with clogs look great, but i think i’ll be wearing wooden sandals instead. office had a great pair of velvet chunky sandals in the sale that i bought for £30 the day before they went down to £15 argh! and double argh they’re in england nooo!

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