On the Scene: Fashion Rio

February 02, 2007

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I am on the airport waiting for my flight to Sao Paulo. It’s been delayed (as expected) thanks to several issues involving air traffic controllers and the airlines in Brazil.

I am leaving Rio behind where I spent the last five days covering the fall collections from local designers at Fashion Rio. I was invited to attend the event as a member of the press for the first time, and decided not to decline such a good excuse to visit Rio and learn more about the designers -- and perhaps also get a little tan in between the shows. (To see even more pictures from Fasion Rio click HERE.)

As you can imagine, fall in Rio is not cold. Today it’s 75 degrees and drizzling, which makes it difficult for designers to conceive winter presentations loaded with cashmeres, exotic skins, and furs, in the same manner European designers do. Instead, designers in Rio are forced to pair bulky sweaters with board shorts, and to tone down their ever-tropical color palette (done this season in various shades of gray).

While it’s summer down here in Brazil, the sky was overcast in Rio when I landed in the city (the sun had not come out since the first day of the year). I checked into Hotel Gloria with the rest of the national fashion blitz mostly because (a) there was a free shuttle to take me to the shows, and (b) there was a big chance I would get to share several elevator rides with all the male models staying at the hotel. At Marina da Gloria, three tents had been built to host the shows, along with lounges for press and models to drink, eat, and network.

I was given an all access pass to the event basically because I much prefer the backstage frenzy to the actual fashion shows. As soon as I arrived at the tents (in a van loaded with gossip writers giving me the scoop on Naomi's arrival in the city), I put my credential to the test and made it backstage at Reserva. The trio of the designers behind the label had sent out promising menswear collections for the past two seasons, and there was a lot of buzz around their "Brazilian surfer living in California" take on fall. The small dressing room at Reserva was packed with the hottest male casting of the event and great clothes hanging on the racks. I was invited to watch the rehearsal prior to the show, which was an added bonus to an already satisfying afternoon in Rio.

The best surprise though came with the show: Reserva managed to create a collection relevant to the weather of their native Rio and which I am sure will equally please the label's gay and straight fan base. Punctuated by a soft pink flower print, the models marched in cable knit cardigans, camel corduroy shorts, and collegiate blazers, accessorized with Vans developed exclusively for the brand (which I almost stole backstage). Think Trovata, were it designed by cariocas.

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