Day 1 in Belo Horizonte – 27th April

After a long flight and arriving at the hotel in the very early hours of the morning we of course retired to our beds, determined to wake up fresh, non jetlagged and ready for some culture. On our journey we were told that this is the last place tourists come to in Brazil, not encouraging! When we got up to explore we are hit instantly by the intense heat. At only 9.30 am it’s soaring over 25 degrees and we are starting to perspire, while around us the native people are wearing trousers, it is only April, and this is the equator.

Belo Horizonte is the 3rd biggest city in Brazil and is expanding fast. There are buildings being constructed everywhere you look. New sky scraping buildings that seem both residential and official all at once. On our way through Belo Horizonte we saw what I can only describe as a low quality of life, I am not well enough travelled to have seen starving orphans but here I saw slummy, graffitied, broken down homes and kids kicking around a bin on fire in the middle of a traffic island.

In contrast the opening show of the Minas Trend Preview is obviously a huge social occasion in Belo Horizonte. After being photographed and interviewed and asked our opinion of the country so far we meet Constanza Pascolatto, a hugely famous fashion-guru in Brazil. She also happens to be dressed divinely, swamped by cameras and absolutely charming.

 

 

The reception was interesting, setting the tone for the show. The Museu De Artes e Oficios has trippy, moving blue lights shining upon the exterior and inside, odd willow-patterned fish are being projected on the ceiling in an icy blue. Despite the humidity, it is obvious the theme of the night is water and ice.

 

 

After waiting around for what seemed like hours, watching bizarre canapés (including candy floss) being handed out we are led through to the show. The route is a strange eerie one. Through a tunnel, where the walls are made of recycled water bottles, past strange globes containing fountains and outside finally to what used to be a railway is now a catwalk.

 

 

The show is opened with a musical act. The singer, Maria Betahna, looks a mix between Slash and Kate Bush and is one of the oldest, most famous singers in Brazil. Whilst listening, we have a chance to look around us and notice the people leaning over their tower block balconies and out of windows to watch and cheer their celebrity.

The lights are raised and water starts to trickle down the walls. The first model struts out. All available skin is covered in sequins and her hair is covered too. The accessories around her head are stunning and instantly you can tell that the styling in this show is going to take your breath away.

 

 

The show is an ensemble of over 15 clothing designers and 11 accessories designers from the Minas Trend Preview. It is all styled and directed by Ronaldo Fraga, a hugely popular Brazilian designer.

The show takes inspiration from the sea, with icy blues, bottle greens, shimmering whites and lashings of foamy sequins. This show is aimed to be SS11 but it seems very current. Tiny sparkling mini dresses were paraded, transparent fabric embellished with glitter and covering very little! There is a definite underwear/outerwear feeling in a lot of the show with sheer fabric revealing knickers and nipples and showing that some of these collections are a little behind the times.

The iced, glittering headwear is by far my favourite element, with dripping crystals framing the beautiful faces of the models.

Another thing that makes us realise we’ve seen this all before is clogs, mid height heels and brogues. Clogs are fantastic… this season, but we must wonder whether they are a passing fad, their popularity soared only after the Chanel collection this February.

The swimwear is interesting as well, with many cut out areas and suits more tied together than sewn together. It must be mentioned at this point how healthy most of the models look, they are thin and beautiful but they also are healthy enough to wear swimwear and not look ill.

Many of the designers are following some brilliant paths with intricate textures, structures and strange layering splashed, of course, with glitz. The embellishment is stunning and so obviously well made.

My favourite pieces were the asymmetric maxi dresses, bright and colourful and divine. Ruffles and sheer fabric covered tight underskirts and oceanic swathes of fabric flowed across the catwalk in an opulent display of design skill. Another more casual favourite was the textured, petalled, racer-back dresses. These were no where near as luxurious as their floor length sisters but they were so cute and gave an everyday, ready to wear edge compared to a lot of the glamour.

 

The show is a collective of the best designers in the Minas Trend Preview and it is put together beautifully. The opening to this week long event is perfect and has excited us for the rest of the week.

Watch this space!

Words By Jemima Daisy

Designers showcased:

Apartmento 03

Barbrara Bela

Chicletes Com Guarana

Chou Chou

Cila

Condotti

Cosh

Coven

Faven

GO (Graca Ottoni)

Mabel Magalhaes

Patachou

Pataricia Motta

Printing

Squadro

Victor Dzenk

Vivaz

 

Accessories Designers:

 

Camaleoa

Celso Alfonso

Caludia Marisguia

Claudia Mourao

Debora Germani

Elisa Atheniense

Getulio Bolsas

Luiza Barcelos

Mary Design

Paula Bahia

Rogerio Lima