The Row presented a heavenly vision with an all-white, 22 piece collection. Models walked in long tunics over sheer pants and pajama-inspired ensembles that were flighty with angelic-like wing draping. A nod to the ghostly theme was present at Christian Siriano, Doo.Ri, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Edun in transparent-sheer dresses, jackets, tops and even shoes. Elsewhere, icy blues, grays and pinks blushed in feminine collections like Marchesa, Alexandre Herchcovitch, and Victoria Beckham, where gowns swept floors and jackets and tops seemed to float in motion.

Other designers alluded to the regal side of this whimsical trend with gold-accented buttons, belts, collars and shoes. At Elie Tahari and Carlos Miele, these embellishments were affixed to solid white outfits, making for dramatic, almost godly suggestions.

Interestingly, black was used as an antagonistic extreme amid this clean motif. Designers like Band of Outsiders, Oscar de la Renta and Graeme Armour used black accent pieces that popped against the white pastoral setting of good versus evil. The effect both emphasized and flattered the otherwise immaculate-chic theme.

The floral motif manifested in delicious Skittle-colored hues that ripened both dresses and leggings at Peter Som, Cynthia Rowley and Chris Benz. With a head-to-toe take on flower power, designers like DVF flaunted the botanical trend in Marimekko-patterned dresses and, most notably, in jumpsuits and track-inspired suits reminiscent of extraordinary wallpaper design. Libertine and Karen Walker also cued into this same Marimekko theme with pieces that seemed in line with Andy Warhol-style pop art. Beautiful black and white florets added balance to the saturated mix of rainbow intensity.

When flowers were not the focal point, designers used canary-yellows as if to emphasize the sun’s role during the budding spring and summer months. At Rodarte, Vera Wang and Alice + Olivia, the lemon shade was seen in solid skirts and tops, which added refreshing elements of light and sky amid the otherwise fanatic floral ensembles.

Elsewhere, the nature trend picked up in flirty, girlishly chic prints such as butterflies, polka dots, birds and palm trees that transformed collections at Jill Stuart, Erin Featherston, Suno and ADAM. These prints evoked the feeling of innocence and youthfulness that dominated the collections overall. Rain or shine, spring/summer ’12 has all the tinsel and trimming of a festive season.

In the lead up to London Fashion Week, we’re kicking the series off with breakthrough designer Holly Fulton. Surpassing all the other shows at last season’s BFC NEWGEN, she offered skyscraper prints and appliques on sharp silhouettes that screamed neo-deco chic. A hot ticket this week at LFW, we asked Fulton for a peak into how she works, her preference for total looks and what expectant editors and buyers will see for fall.

JC Report: Tell us about the evolution of your career in fashion?

Holly Fulton: I received a degree in fashion at Edinburgh College of Art and a post-grad diploma there. I later spent five years doing various things—was abroad, worked as an antique jeweler, then worked for Queene and Belle doing their embroidery and womenswear. After getting an MA at Royal College of Art from 2005-2007, I worked at Lanvin, did freelance with Swarovski, then applied for Fashion East and got it. I showed in February 2009 when my label started.

JCR: What or who inspires your work?

HF: Pop art (especially Eduardo Paolozzi for his imagery and colors), outsider art, Keith Haring, aboriginal art, art deco—especially the jewelry for its boldness and use of line and form.

JCR: Tell us about your current collection?

HF: For autumn/winter ‘10 I used snakeskin, suede in applique, Swarovski crystal, perspex, wools, printed habotai and velvet. There’s also digital prints manipulated from various sources within my own work, hand drawn prints, hotfix crystal and some new embellishment. A glass artist called Louis Barillet was also influential—I love his color and use of line. I want to consolidate what I started last season and present a collection that’s easy to wear yet strong, with a vibe of the ’80s cinema du look movement and a certain nonchalant attitude.

JCR: What are you trying to change about how women dress and use accessories?

HF: I’m not trying to change it, just put my own style into it. I believe in carrying a complete look in collections—covering all accessories, garments etc.—and through this it provides numerous ways to translate my style. I would only hope people like what they see and wear it their own way. You can do it top to toe or just as easily take one piece and work it with your own take. It’s the best feeling when you see someone wearing your stuff that you don’t know.

JCR:What has been your best accomplishment in your young career?

HF: I hope it’s still to come. Showing on my own at fashion week in February with Newgen is what’s exciting me most just now, but winning at the Fashion Awards was quite a huge compliment and also a bit surreal—so much has happened in a year that it just provided the most unbelieveable finale.

JCR: What is it about London that makes it such a fantastic place to work in?

HF: It’s open to anything and everyone—contrary to the myth, fashion people are actually quite friendly!

JCR: Any fashion idols?

HF: The actress Jeanne Moreau.

While animal-friendly faux fur alternatives have increasingly appeared in more collections, the real deal was all over the recent runways. Derek Lam knit fox into a black and white cardigan, Halston’s Marios Schwab embellished the sleeves of a sweater dress and Marc Jacobs used it on the lapels of a see-thru trench. Fresh off his Swiss Textiles Award win, Alexander Wang experimented with a number of different fabrics, backing a zip-away leather jacket and criss-crossing lapels with mink. Many of these looks will show up at H&M and Forever 21 too, albeit in decidedly less expensive manifestations. The heretofore fur-free designer’s unfortunate use of pelts in his show makes sense given recent supported from Saga, but thankfully some of it won’t be produced for stores.

Leather was the most common go-to fabric for fitted, asymmetrical jackets. It was also used in more novel ways, as in the case of men’s leggings at both Maria Cornejo and Rad Hourani. To wit, Joseph Altuzarra held high-slit pencil skirts together with straps of leather, lending the pieces a vaguely S&M vibe. Threeasfour, meanwhile, paired it with wool to create a collared, almost hood-like coat and Ohne Titel’s Flora Gill and Alexa Adams coupled it with silk to fashion a chic, patchwork drawstring skirt. In addition to singular pieces, expect to see leather—both real and faux—used as embellishment or in conjunction with fabrics like wool, cashmere and twill.

Velvet’s sartorial connotations ran the gamut—little girl party dress, “festive” formal wear, hippie-chic topper—but there’s little doubt we can escape it for fall. Elise Øverland showed a velvet menswear-inspired suit and tuxedo wrap dress, while Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs fashioned a lace and velvet cap-sleeved dress for their semi-eponymous label. In keeping with his naughty schoolgirl vibe, Peter Jensen’s take was admittedly cheekier (tartan bloomers), while Zac Posen’s conjured thoughts of chi-chi late ’70s holiday parties.

Cutouts continue as a reining trend. When strategically placed they imbue basic black with some much-needed sex appeal, but not-so-gym-toned flesh might be better kept under wraps in any of the season’s other trends. Max Azria’s designs for Hervé Léger have never been a go-to for the faint of heart, so it’s little surprise that his sheer-paneled cutouts came courtesy of some killer mini-dresses. Speaking of itty bitty, Halston incorporated the technique into Grecian-style party gowns, featuring artfully exposed flesh and miles of leg. Preen offered what was perhaps the most wearable take in bandeau bra topped silk and cashmere dresses that revealed the areas above and below the décolletage—and leaving just enough to the imagination.

Berlin may be the newest fashion hotspot, but it just got a whole lot cooler with the opening of Italy’s urban chic label Premiata. Because of the increasing popularity and cutting-edge reputation of the German capital, Premiata’s creative director Graziano Mazza has smartly decided to open the second Premiata boutique in the Mitte district, where new trends and creative energies are boiling.

Mazza developed the brand in 1995, transforming his four generations-old family-run company from classic shoes production into a new modern footwear line. Featuring men’s and women’s accessories and clothing collections, Premiata’s signature style is urban and sophisticated, drawing on tradition while giving garments a luxurious modern feel. Mazza achieves this through rigorous tailoring, the use of the latest production technologies as well as ancient methods in the historic company’s location, in Montegranaro, Marche.

The Berlin 80m² shop is located in a building that dates back to the early 1900s and comprises ultramodern interiors already designed for the Milan boutique. A corner is dedicated to Premiata White collection, a new project launched by the label, that is inspired by the laid-back elegance of the ’80s. With display units in metal with shiny oil-effect shelves and colored cement paste flooring, the new location is a mirror and appropriate container of the label’s fusion of tradition and avant-gard style.

—Camilla Canocchi

With shoe obsessions continuing to grow exponentially, venerated footwear instutions have stepped up to the plate with products that satisfy industry influencers as well as the consumer audience.

Footwear Plus, the footwear industry’s monthly magazine, just launched a new website with a Nylon-esque feel and decidedly downtown sensibility, a daily updated blog with op-ed about how the larger retail world trends translate into the industry and a free Trendspotting email blast.

Meanwhile, ANCI (Associazione Nazionale Calzaturifci Italiani), otherwise known as the The National Association of Italian Footwear Manufacturers, follows up its groundbreaking Made in Italy social media campaign with a spot-on trend report for spring/summer ‘10 straight from Milan. Originally intended for the shoe industry, the report offers key inspirations for global fashionistas this fall from trend stories such as Vertical Garden to Urban Chic Marina.

Despite publisher Jay Spaleta’s recent replacement by Men’s Vogue publisher Marc Berger, Footwear News pioneers forward this fall with the first ever Stepping Out in Italian Shoes event during Fashion Week in September. The event is set to be like an Academy Awards for shoes, celebrating the best in Italian design and manufacturing.

These changes, varied as they may be, could be the ticket to opening the industry to consumers rather than just insiders.

—Meghan Cleary

The 1988 film Working Girl, starring Melanie Griffith, is a true pop culture relic of the ’80s that was dated even as it reached its initial popularity. Though the movie has almost been lost with the passing of time, it remains an important depiction of women entering—for the first time, really—high powered positions in the capitalist hierarchy. The resulting stereotype of powerful working women is even more significant, however, in its falsified exaggeration.

For years, fashion and style have slowly made their way into executive offices on Wall Street, but 2009 has been a watershed year for the fashionable businesswoman. The changing infrastructure of capitalism has allowed it to happen: we’ve been let down by the men in pinstripes with slicked back hair, and by their female counterparts in pencil skirts and blazers. With companies all over the world changing their game to make up for past losses, the look of business has changed as well. Enter the power professionista, a new kind of businesswoman woman whose standout professional savvy is reflected in her equally style-savvy wardrobe.

“I have loved fashion since I was a little girl,” says Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, co-founder and chief merchandising officer of the Gilt Groupe. Wilson’s company is an elite, invitation only, online store that sells luxury brands for up to 75% off via 36 hour sales. The idea itself is original, but not so much as its glamorous founders and CEO: Wilson, Alexis Maybank and Susan Lyne—all of whom have Harvard MBA’s and unrivaled style. “I love to travel and to observe trends, and have been doing this all my life,” Wilson adds.

In 2009, such words are delightfully unsurprising, but just five years ago, it wouldn’t have been the case. And yet, this rise in chic businesswomen is not just in the fashion industry that this is happening. With her cropped haircut, slender figure and seemingly endless array of sleek cocktail dresses, President Obama’s Social Secretary Desirée Rogers would look at home in the front row of any runway show on Earth. But this fellow Harvard MBA’s stylish second nature goes hand in hand with her transformation of a position that was previously seen as a glorified flower arranger. “We have the best brand on Earth,” Rogers told the Wall Street Journal Magazine in April: “The Obama brand.”

This new wave of Chanel-wearing Harvard business grads goes much deeper than the Oprah effect of the ’80s—of which Griffiths’ opportunist snatching character was a part. No, this new wave of stylish MBAs is using their power to change the game, and looking as if they’re all straight from a Vogue fashion shoot while doing it. Rogers approaches her job as a business, making the White House into the “people’s house,” as it was during bygone administrations. Gilt Groupe, meanwhile, gives highly educated, successful business women—”Women who do not have much disposable time but, even during these challenging times, have significant disposable income,” explains Wilson—a convenient way to shop for merchandise that tops any luxury department store’s.

Google’s Vice President of Search Product and User Experience, Marissa Mayer, has also changed the way we approach the internet. The New York Times even profiled her in an article debunking the geeky Silicon Valley stereotype. The blonde beauty’s consistent poise and simple chic have shown that the computer world is not just a boy’s club. As with her comrades in style, Mayer doesn’t adhere to the traditional look or configuration of capitalist commerce.

For the first time in business, we’re seeing real changes—in its structure, yes, but also to its look. Times are still hard, of course, but dressing for success—and the sake of pure style—is as good a starting place for improvement as any.

—Michael Miller

After getting a degree at American College for the Applied Arts and a stint working at a local shoe store, Evelyn Ungari launched LA footwear outpost Diavolina in 1998. The then 22-year-old quickly became a key style influencer for the West Coast with her keen eye for must-have footwear and emerging designers. This week, Diavolina expands into a new location on 3rd street, adjacent to Madison, where this footwear fetishism transcends to a whole new level. JCR caught up with Ungari, who tells us about transforming the LA style aesthetic, hot new labels and how to make shoes both casual and dressy.

JC Report: Has the LA consumer matured over the last few years or become more sophisticated?

Evelyn Ungari: LA has changed so much as far as fashion since I opened my first boutique. Back then, in 1998, LA was known for being really casual and beachy. Going out meant throwing on a pair of jeans and flip flops. When I started bringing in unique sexy stilettos, LA girls just couldnt get enough! It gave girls a reason to dress up and show off their amazing shoes.

JCR: What footwear brands are you most excited about coming into the new store and how will we see them displayed?

EU: For the new store I have picked up amazing new lines such as Charlotte Olympia, Alexander Wang and Camilla Skovgaard, to name a few. These are all young, up-and-coming designers who are not afraid to take a chance on sexy shoes with a bit of an edge. They will be displayed on a back lit up wall and on tables all around the store, so that girls feel like they’re in their living rooms surrounded by shoes that look like pieces of art.

JCR: What are the biggest footwear trends you are seeing in LA right now and how does the celebrity connection of Hollywood impact those trends?

EU: Right now, in LA girls are wearing high heels with just about anything—from sweats to shorts to skirts to dresses to boyfriend jeans, and finally dressing up. Celebrities are such an influence on LA girls. Celebrities like Kate Moss’ effortless style show girls here that it’s okay to throw on a high heel with just about anything and not look too overdone. Or like Nicole Richie in her Pierre Hardy gladiator heels (which she purchased from me). She’s been photographed in them at black tie events, and then throwing them on in jeans to go to the market.

JCR: How have you been dealing with the current economic situation?

EU: My budgets have been cut more then 30%. I have to be extra careful with my buying, but I’m finding that the edgier styles are selling better than the more “commercial” styles. I think girls would rather spend less on clothes—a killer pair of jeans with an off the shoulder tee—and then throw on an amazing pair of heels to dress up the look.

I can’t wait to open in the new location and hopefully bring LA girls back to life. I definitely feel that LA, and California in general, really felt the failing economy first. And being on the shop floor, I feel a bit of sadness and worry about job security that I never felt before. Hopefully I can bring a smile to girls’ faces when they see all the amazing styles that I have to offer in all different price points.

JCR: What are your favorite pair of shoes and why?

EU: My favorite pair of shoes that I own to date are Christian Louboutin black pumps that I have had cleaned and repaired too many times to count. I wear them with everything—shorts, jeans, skirts, dresses, you name it. They make me feel like a million bucks, and make me feel like I have legs for days. One of my favorite quotes from Louboutin is “aint no heel high enough!” and I totally agree with him.

This interview was conducted by Meghan Cleary.

The rock glam strokes from Balmain whipped buyers and editors into a frenzy yesterday in Paris, but it was the austere precision of Bruno Pieters’ a/w ‘09 collection that had us transfixed. Pieters is a master technician and each of his pieces read like a miniature edifice, scaled and weighted without any margin for error.

Simple, multi-seam pencil skirts served as the base for several looks, with restrained drama playing out in origami pleats that jutted off fitted jackets and bow-like folds from the neckline of mini dresses. In Pieters’ architectural oeuvre, the squared-off shoulders were decidedly different from the blown up parodied versions seen across numerous other collections—the mini-capelets were particular standouts. And then there was the focus on the heavy, stiff looking woolly fabrics, tweeds and a tight grouping of bronzy metallics. With so much chasing of the trends these days, it’s encouraging to see a designer staying the course and elevating his constructionist aesthetic signature to new heights.

—Jason Campbell

As London Fashion Week drew to a close the search began for concrete trends, season buzz words and other thematic strands to draw the week’s events together. And yet, as always, London defied classification. The diversity of the catwalks has always been what sets the city apart, as presenters took cues from a wide-ranging set of references, from Mary Katrantzou’s perfume bottle-inspired dresses to top designers’ tactful twists and subtle surprises.

Peter Pilotto, fast becoming a schedule must-see, went back to the very beginning with a collection inspired by the Big Bang theory and a fascination with natural phenomena. This inspiration translated into a taut energy with hard and sharp cuts hitting just above the knee, and a colorway of greens and navy embellished by metallic beading.

Emilio de la Morena dismissed any notion of a new austerity with a show that embraced color and luxury. Gravity-defying wedges by Charlotte Olympia and Maria Francesca Pepe’s full-on jewelry perfectly complemented the Spanish designer’s colorful body-con stretch creations, while panels of silk, gazar and wool displayed his skill for intricate construction along with a series of sculptural jackets inspired by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida.

Amid these impressive outings, the week’s schedule also accommodated a new menswear showcase on the last day. Tim Soar, a master of understated design presented his take on “bittersweet nostalgia” with rubber jackets, aran knits and beautiful quilted pieces (a collaborative effort with Chris Raeburn). B-store was right on target again with a rebel youth collection that included perfectly cut high-waisted trousers for the boys and Prince of Wales check dresses for the girls. Carolyn Massey, a Topman favorite, trawled the National Army Museum archives to create a modern, military look encapsulated by a stunning PVC trench coat.

But what about the big names? Brit designer of the year Luella went punk via Sloane via disheveled rocker chic with a little bit of everything else thrown in for luck. It was, as usual, quirky yet wearable. Accessory stalwart Mulberry once again benefited from shoe designer Jonathan Kelsey’s immense talent in an impressive line of footwear. Meanwhile, Vivienne Westwood’s Red collection was a journey back to school days, giving the classic Brit uniform her characteristic makeover. Paul Smith kept matters relatively sober with a particularly English effort, including familiar and elegant country knits and tweed jackets. And, of course, Christopher Kane’s muted slouch vs. slick collection did nothing to deter his reputation as Britain’s rapidly rising design star.

Among the usual roster of standout individualists, Louise Goldin waxed futuristic, Giles Deacon played up his street-savvy roots, Erdem was characteristically decorative, Roksanda Ilincic channeled ’70s era YSL and Danielle Scutt made a statement with bold silhouettes.

London has demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and individuality. If one over arching message is to be found, it is one of unwavering creativity.

—Lena Dystant

While Rio’s winter collections lacked spark, São Paulo Fashion Week’s designers showed more interesting ways to deal with the economic crisis and create growth opportunity in the international arena. The major strategy is the reinforcement of each brand’s identity, associating it with social, ecological and philosophical issues closer to style and price preoccupations.

Osklen has worked on this for ages and, now, safely stands as a trendsetter in today’s rising trend of conscientious consumption. For winter, Oskar Metsavaht pushed harder for the use of ecological materials, emphasizing the brand’s sophisticated sportswear essence through comfortable fleece ensembles with seamless details, pleats, coated surfaces and the use of zippers to add new textures. Osklen’s oversized comfortwear was echoed by newcomer Reserva, a menswear brand from Rio with a cheerful approach to winter via utilitarian pants paired with handmade knit tops in bright threads of red, sky blue, orange and coffee. Reserva’s northern polar lights print also stood out in the otherwise sober sea of gray and black. Marcelo Sommer’s “Do Estilista” collection also delivered great print mixes inspired by Delft, a kind of Dutch ceramics.

Oestudio, a design collective stealing the spotlight for its “statement fashion,” delivered a collection inspired by social blindness. The brand explored the idea of creating clothes for blind consumers, resulting in experimentation with knotted textures, noisy embellishments and mirrored silhouettes. For the creative crew, the collection’s aesthetic touches on a philosophical concept in which the clothes function as “a possibility for each one to find their own blindness.”

Humanism was yet another statement evoked on the São Paulo runway. Ronaldo Fraga made the headlines for using seniors and children as models, posing a democratic view on beauty and fashion. Although his clown-like shapes and sac dresses looked slightly odd and misplaced on the older models, Fraga’s show touched the heart before trend radars kicked in.

Besides statement collections, brands at SPFW have the advantage of looking seasonless, an important characteristic for the recessionista audience. In his feminine collection, Alexandre Herchcovitch embedded some of his classics styles with luxurious details inspired by ’30s cabaret. For men, the designer added interesting technological materials in timeless navy-inspired suits. Clo Orozco’s “Huis Clos” line reinforced the classic seasonless shapes, investing in sexier and luxurious LBDs. Maria Bonita’s hybrid pieces also felt timeless, with deserving attention going to the trompe l’oeil overalls on clown uniforms and the elongated one-button jackets that functioned as dresses. Amapô also tried this hybrid approach, offering an all-in-one remix of sartorial menswear cuts attached to jersey tops and worn with carrot shape pants (a major trend), or skinny jeans covered with metal pins.

Claudia Jatahy’s collection reached a steady rock in re-branding her sexy style into a more cerebral sensuality composed of body hugging, meticulously dismantled knits, airy bubbled dresses with intricate circular cuts and padded jackets that reminded us of a futuristic Star Wars style.
Rita Comparato and Dudu Bertholini’s Neon earned applause for its captivating, ’50s-inspired catwalk, where models wore cocktail dresses while posing as vintage couture mannequins. The duo also presented artsy prints on musical instruments and jewellery. Although it felt a bit alienated from this season’s intellectual, ethical and practical styles, Neon’s show reminded us that a bit of joyfulness and dreamy styles are also great weapons during these uncertain times.

—Flávia Mendonça

Most Brazilian fashion magazines are pricey, making the web an excellent alternative medium for a wider fashion curious audience. A walk around Fashion Rio and São Paulo Fashion Week illustrate the growing influence of the genre, with ever-increasing numbers of lounge rooms hosted by websites that want to nest its reporting team, receive interview guests and host sponsor parties. As the Digital Age races on throughout the world, we take a look at the revolutionary impact on Brazil.

With eight years under her belt, journalist Erika Palomino is a veteran of the medium, boasting more than one million hits on her website during the fashion weeks. Along with Gloria Kalil, they were the pioneer fashion reporters who migrated from paper to pixels early on. For Palomino, 2009 promises still greater progress. “We want to transform the website into a portal, embracing blogs and friend websites. We also want to amplify the new technologies spectrum, specially the video reports and in-motion fashion editorials, that, for me, are the greatest trends right now,” she says. Another journalist that has been monitoring and participating of the web phenomenon in Brazil is Lula Rodrigues, whose website offers the most complete archive on menswear—a passion that also evolved into a menswear almanac to be launched this year. Similarly multimedia-minded Lilian Pacce is responsible for disseminating fashion on cable TV, and recently joined the web and a lounge room in Fashion Rio.

Though not yet famous on the Rio-São Paulo circuit, Catarina is a promising independent fashion platform based in Florianópolis. The first organization to transmit the Paris and London fashion shows on an open national TV channel, Catarina now has a website, TV program and magazine, all while trying to incorporate the national blogosphere into their media. “We need to use the new media in our favor in order to communicate to an even wider audience,” says founder Patricia Lima. True to this sentiment, Catarina recently published an editorial of street style pics of people around the world sent in by the social networking site LookBook, and, during next SPFW, worldwide bloggers will post their opinions on the collections by watching Catarina’s videos. Next Up? “Heading towards mobile media and social networking,” says Lima.

In the Brazilian blogsphere, top blogs such as Fora de Moda, Camila Yahn, Oficina de Estilo, About Fashion and Hypercool gather strong content and promote deep discussion on Brazilian fashion. Cris Gabrielli and Fê Resende’s Oficina de Estilo, for instance, has an average of 50,000 unique viewers every month and is known for great styling tips as well as a monthly “Encontrinho,” an event where they meet offline with other bloggers and readers. Alexandra Farrah’s Filme Fashion is also a famous blog that’s embraced web technologies from Twitter to web videos, podcasting and flickr. This tight connection and inner-dialog gets the attention of advertisers, which can, at times, be a double-edged sword. “I don’t want to loose my independent view,” admits Fora de Moda’s Ricardo Oliveros, who created a special space for ads so as not to interfere with his posts.

Though web advertising gets a timid slice from brand budgets these days, companies such as Rexona, Diesel and Brastemp are increasing their investments in the sector. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau Brazil, the web got 3.5% of the whole advertisement budget this year. Camila Yahn’s blog was sponsored by Rexona last year, while home appliance brand Brastemp invested in a web TV show during Casas de Criadores, a new generation fashion show. The brand hired Palomino, Rodrigues and Maria Prata (fashion editor of Vogue Brazil and a blogger on her own PrataPorter) to create short web videos for Casa dos Criadores TV.

Indeed, web videos are in the plans and pages of most brazilian fashion blogs and websites. Recently debuting a lounge room in Fashion Rio, Gema TV is one of the most talked about destination sites. Created by stylist José Camarano, Gema is a creative collective that covers Brazilian and international fashion events in a light, ironic and funny way.

Radar55 is following the steps of the US’s Daily Candy. Created by Vogue journalist Juliana Mota, Radar55 offers daily newsletters with local tips for Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. With an audience of 40,000 e-mails, Radar55 is starting to explore new areas and, recently, launched an e-commerce store. “We were caught by surprise and, since our start, every month the sales increased around 20%,” reveals Mota.

Such growth reflects a positive moment in Brazil’s fashion focused media and although the economic crisis still feels like the most talked about trend, the web boom signals a promising road ahead.

—Flavia Mendonça