Aw, the duchess hood. Grace Kelly wore it to accentuate her ethereal beauty in To Catch A Thief and Grace Jones donned the hood to play up her androgynous fierceness. This particular head-wrap seems to be right on point for designer Carlos Miele, who turned out a wonderfully luxe collection for his Fall 2011 collection. Not one to shy away from fur, models came out in beautiful fox capes and vests, worn with silk blouses and rich velvet pajama pants in colors of rose and deep black. A repeating pattern of asian inspired silk eclipse prints were gold stamped on fragile blouses and crimson gowns. Braided detail in bright chartreuse colors provided a nice contrast next to watercolor cerulean dresses. Belts were delicate and understated and cited as antique pieces. A simple cream jumpsuit was tied with a crimson waist belt that felt like a statement on the the power of color and contrast. Perhaps that was the main message behind the designer’s fall collection: the balance between delicate and rich heaviness, the shock of contrasting colors in earthy and electric tones.
— Jeanie Kwak
Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn