Adriana Degreas' Poetic Homage To Rio De Janiero

Claro Rio got off to a rocking start yesterday with sexy showings from Carlos Miele, Blue Man and Salinas. But it was Adriana Degreas' collection—which paid homage to the city of Rio de Janeiro—that made a stunning impression on all those at the high summer event.

Degreas already had the cards stacked in her favor by setting the runway in one of Copacabana Palace Hotel's epic corridors. An erected stage anchored one end of the runway where Bebel Gilberto crooned romantically, while one top model after another (Daiane Conterato, Raica Oliveira, Marcelle Bittar) stalked the catwalk to show off Degreas' "carioca glamour" collection. Cariocas claim that "God created the world in seven days, of which two were needed just for Rio de Janiero," a message Degreas repeated in her show program and took to celebrating in her all-things-Rio collection.

The mosaic motif on the city's sidewalks turned up in black-and-white swimsuits, while vintage Carmen Mairinque Veiga prints decorated beach cover ups and sepia toned prints of Copacabana Palace Hotel harkened back to a time when bossa nova filled the air and Rio's glamour scene was in full swing. Model Isabeli Fontana closed the show with her arms outstretched to show off a Corcavado print—a fitting closure for an inspired tribute.

—Jason Campbell