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Carla
Annie DiLalla, Canadian winner of the Smirnoff Fashion Awards 2001, wowed
show watchers with her Carla label’s options for fall 2002. Classic
with a modern touch, DiLalla’s couture collection borrowed inspiration
from 20s flapper girls, ballerina and gothic styles. This unique
mix of inspiration made DiLallas collection a highly awaited one.
Simplicity was apparent, using a classic beigeblack
colour scheme and silk as her main fabric. DiLalla’s flapper dresses are
soft, flowing and swingy, with plunging V-necks and clean-cut boat necks
that fall into looser lines. Simple waistlines were accessorized with
a straight band or a single gift-bow inspired accent. Her ballerina-goth
dresses, which had a bit of shock appeal with their leather details, are
long and feminine with fitted bodices, tulle petticoats, square shoulders
and full-length sleeves. These pieces in particular had a lot of definition
and presented a bit of edge to her mostly soft collection. Brought together
by clean tailoring, DiLalla's form-fitting and shape-emphasizing dresses
are beautiful and elegant with a style all their own.
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Ana
Kuzmanic
A Dadaist’s delight. The collection by Ana Kuzmanic, educated
in Belgrade and Chicago, was inspired by Dada artist Hans Arp and stirred
a lot of media attention at the New Labels showing.
The collection had abstract creations balanced out by
more conventionally tailored pieces. Elements of asymmetry, jagged silhouettes
and geometric detailing combined with her themes of purity, simplicity
and precision. Her big, bold shapes are sharp and contrasting in a collection
of long, pleated crêpe pants, silk jersey skirts with fan-folded
accents, loose-fitting red matte jersey dresses and lots of silk organza
and wool. This textured mix provides both day and evening options, all
uniquely elegant and a bit daring at the same time. The colours used were
very naturalvibrant reds, mossy greens and stone greys were Kuzmanic's
palette. The woman who wears Ana Kuzmanic is bold, independent and avant-garde
and is sure to be attracted to the different personalities this collection
holds.
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