SHOWING HIS WILD SIDE AT MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK

When I count the shows I never want to miss at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Carlos Miele is among the top five.  His looks are polished perfection, designed  and executed with great style, like an old-school designer.  But they are never dull, always young, fresh and exciting.

Last season, his inspiration was the Gauchas of his native Brazil.  He completely turned that over for spring, taking inspiration from the jungle.  But not just any jungle, it appears it’s a jungle of his own creation, sexy, sulty and very beautiful. He called it an “hallucination jungle”, and so it is.

In Carlos’s jungle, giraffes come in blue, and mix easily with bright golden yellow tigers.  And that was just the first look down the runway. Following was a short, black dress with lots of shine and fringe, perhaps a brief throwback to the Gauchas.

The blue giraffe and golden tigers emerged in a flowing cover-up and sexy strapless gown.  Fabrics and textures mixed effortlessly:  satin and silk, chiffon and leather.  Ruffles were regular features, most exquisitely on a powder blue gown with big, big rows of ruffles at the bottom.

And it wasn’t only animal prints.  Satins and chiffon mixed beautifully in soft, light pastel blues, beiges and bright greens, which seem to be appearing often this season.  Fringe dots so many of the looks, long, crazy and yet never out there.

Carlos Miele seems to revel in designing for a woman’s body.  This season he’s created a jungle I actually want to visit.

Photography: Anton Brookes