Ronaldo Fraga's summer 2008 at SPFW

18 Jun '07

2 min read

It is impossible to write about Ronaldo Fraga's catwak show at SPFW summer 2008, closing the fifth day of Calendário Oficial da Moda Brasileira with Fernanda Takai singing onstage in a posthumous tribute to Bossa Nova's muse Nara Leão, without mentioning the song that inspired the set full of paper boats hanging from the ceiling, with lights that made the audience feel they were under the sea.

It is also impossible to keep our eyes dry while we read a direct straight letter written by this designer (and distributed before the show), that reveals his tribute to the singer: “Actually, this collection is a pretext to read more about you, to listen to all your records, to recognize how much we miss you.”

If it is or if it is not a nostalgic excuse, let us examine the fashion information, which was incredibly well-executed in photographic prints of slums, cassette tapes, stylized vinyl records (at some point, these records become fabric patches and compose an entire look), notebook spines, and, of course, a giant picture of Nara Leão on the back of the last dress (it had cloud prints on the front). It is the ultimate use of poetry in fashion, one that gives a lump in the throats of the audience.

All of this was lulled by Fernada Takai's sweet voice, in the center of the stage, wearing a wide dress with shiny silver prints. The singer and the models had on their feet platform shoes mimicking cars, complete with wheels and lights. Silhouettes were all generous, in encapsulated volumes, puffy volumes, trapeze volumes. There were also some boys on the catwalk, all of them very well dressed in blazers + Bermudas or plaid/striped trousers, with simple textures – as a purple grape 100% vizoo.

However, just like the designer himself acknowledges in his open letter, fashion, in this case, was used as a media trampoline for us to remember Nara Leão's eternal presence. We cannot forget Ronaldo Fraga's volumes, prints and shoes – because all of them will be on the streets when summer comes. Nevertheless, we cannot forget his central message either: it is impossible to live without Nara Leão. We will, go further: it is impossible to live without Ronaldo Fraga.

Sao Paulo Fashion Week

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