Inspired by Suzy Bishop’s character from Wes Anderson’s most recent film, Moonrise Kingdom, Clements Ribeiro’s Spring 2013 collection is a clever reference to the unconventional 1960’s librarian chic inhabited by the character. Although the silhouettes themselves looked simplistic, an air of complexity is evident by the juxtaposition of classic patterns, such as ‘blanket plaids’ and bold stripes, and the intensely bright background colors. The silhouettes were complemented by thin, brightly colored belts and precocious ‘Claudine’ collars that added the perfect amount of embellishment and intrigue to the eclectic ensembles.
Next up were extravagant vibrant floral patterns introduced in pinks and reds against an electric blue background found on many of the skirts and dresses made of chiffon. The clever mixing of their iconic rainbow stripes and foxglove print with intensely bold colors felt new. The designers explored pattern in every which way: a tea stain-coloured chiffon dress was embroidered with multicoloured spots, scaled from Smarties to birds-eye pin pricks to Peruvian-style pom poms on trim pencil skirts. It would not be a Clements Ribiero show without a stripy knit or two thrown in for good measure.
For evening, sleek, oversized, translucent, sequined dresses and skirts provided a dramatic finale to make this collection especially relevant as sequins are reoccurring trends seen in many of the other Spring 2013 shows. This clever mixing and matching of colors demontrated the brilliance of Ignacio Ribeiro and Suzanne Clements. “Off kilter chic,” is how the duo described the collection. And that’s exactly what it was.
