Fashionlines.com - The E-Magazine for the Elegant Edge

By Rogerio Mesquita, São Paulo Editor

The 21st edition of São Paulo Fashion Week featured the new collections for Summer 2007. Africa was the main inspiration for most designers, especially the arid landscapes of sugarcane and tea plantations in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique. This season we could see tribal prints, safari jackets, draped silk tops, loose trousers, narrow pants, knotted trapeze dresses and mini-caftans, all inspired by the African continent. Therefore making it obvious that the color palette for next summer below the equator will be very diverse, ranging from the most subtle to black.

African inspiration comes alive in the prints as strong colors. Subtle colors are also present in both women and menswear. Handcrafting such as embroidery and lace are also in for the summer and can be seen either on details or full pieces. The designers featured mostly short lengths. Skirts and dresses are everywhere, some tight fit and some loose and comfortable. Long length dresses are still present, but in less quantity than last summer. Sandles and high platform shoes will be the "must wear" for the warm days.

Most of the bikini designers showed discrete cut pieces, retro style, covering the body, but of course the small bikinis were also present, a hit among Brazilian women. Beachwear came in all colors, from the most colorful to black, brown and white. Menswear follows the rule of tight fit pieces, but some designers were betting on comfort and showed looser fit collections, especially for beachwear. Low cuts still rule the catwalk but now the pockets are larger. The novelties are the shorter shorts and lighter jeans. Multicolored prints and larger shirts resembling tunics are also a tendency.