Portugal’s Ambassador to the UAE, Joaquin Lemos, made sure not to miss Fashion Forward‘s showcase of Portuguese couturier João Rolo. For Spring 2018 couture, the international designer looked to 18th-century palatial spaces as a starting point and their small private rooms enjoyed by women during leisure time.
The dresses included a bouquet of ostrich feather capes and shining moon-hued dresses with flared and fishtail silhouette skirts, while trousers featured trains for added drama. All the pieces were embellished with delicate embroideries and crystal beading that were intended to recall the spiraling light of swinging chandeliers. These are dresses that will have wide appeal to women in the Middle East. Rolo is a couturier, who, like Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad, looks to flatter a woman’s natural form, not distort it to accentuate an overtly gregarious creative flair.
While Rolo’s style of couture will not come as new to Middle Eastern clients, wth Portugal being the hottest destination to travel to in 2017, a visit to his atelier while touring Lisbon, will surely be a pleasurable affair.
See the full João Rolo Spring 2018 collection
Missed the show? Watch the João Rolo Spring 2018 Couture livestream.