Barcelona Fashion Week A/W 2012 : The Highlights

The ninth edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion Week began on the evening of January 25, 2012 in the Spanish capital of Barcelona with the Catalan brand TCN presenting its corsetry and Fifties’ style lingerie.

The government of Catalonia aims to turn Catalonia and the city of Barcelona into a "Benchmark for creativity and design in the fashion industry through 080 Barcelona Fashion". But were they successful, did the apparel of Barcelona live up to it's architecture?

The four-day event showcased Fall/Winter collections of well-known brands and designers such as Pierre Cardin and Mango. New designs by Miriam Ponsa, Justicia Ruano, Juan Pedro López and Brian&Beast were also showcased at the event. Desigual displayed its usual dark arts of outlandishly garish designs for the first time at the 080 event, whilst on another level, conservative French designer Pierre Cardin was the guest of honour, attending the event in person for the first time.

Catalonian fashion brings to mind vibrant colors, bold prints and frills. If you’ve ever walked through Gaudi’s Park Guell or popped into many of the boutiques, for that matter, then you know the people of this lively corner of Spain aren’t afraid to show some flash, or flesh. But, don't sell the local style short; there were plenty of unexpected runway moments at Barcelona Fashion Week, aka 080 Barcelona. After thirty fashion shows, one lunch and three parties, these are some of the highlights of this increasingly popular bi-annual fashion event;

Manuel Bolano

Manuel Bolano’s heroine for this Autumn / Winter show case appeared to possess the attributes of being strong on the outside, and weak on the inside. The designer, who was influenced by factors such as instability, mental institutions, and the military presented a collection of mainly jackets and dresses composed of raffia, chiffon, velvet, cashmere (and the occasional photographic print) showcasing his fine tailoring within this collection. Add to that, heavily made up models sporting fake bruises, and bloodied noses reinforcing his step to the dark side with a sound understanding of graphics, prints and proportions for this season.

Manuel Bolano: Copyright Barcelona Fashion Week A/W 2012

Josep Abril

Barcelona loves a touch of the Gothic, a style which was highly evident in Abril's collection which was well received on Wednesday. Sharp tailoring and stylish clothes in navy and teal were the order of the day , (along with a slight Arabesque feel), which saw the male designs showcased in desert coloured prints and turbans. Overall this was a very wearable collection, and the transition from runway to street looked to be a very possible option.

Josep Abril : Copyright Barcelona Fashion Week A/W 2012

Der Metropol

Another designer paying homage to Barcelona's rich gothic history, with a less conservative collection. Mario Francisco brought the look bang up to date by showing insect clad print puffer jacket amongst his collection. Fabrics were sheen and shiny. This was definitely a collection to be noticed in. To add an element of safety and 'wearability' within the collection, options like primary coloured shorts and zip front sports jackets meant we could look stylish and athletic at the same time.That's if we wished to.

Der Metropol : Copyright Barcelona Fashion Week A/W 2012

Toni Francesc

Here, the tone of the show was back to somber, elegant and wearable (with one or two exceptions). Think the dramatic tailoring of the 1980's recognised in pieces such as one shoulder print tops and silk trousers. Silk shirt-dresses and double breasted jackets were also a design staple, and a clear winner within this collection. However, pieces like the sheer grey jumpsuit stood out in stark contrast to the understated elegance.