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Spontaneous, emotionally charged paintings with exhilarate and pensive strokes were instant inspiration for Romina this season: ‘I felt like I was in a field of colour’ in reality the designer had popped to see her artist friend Hermes for a glass of wine.

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Moving away from the monochromatic: abstract expressionism and the glorification of painting is an intense stimulus. There is a languid, sensual feeling alive in the print, adjoined with a more stark statement, through the designer’s linear composition, craft and construction. Exploring a new technique of layering the lucid lyricism of the print is in contrast to an intersecting weaving technique, displaying discipline with it’s signature structures.

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Inspired by natural phenomena and geology the prints are featured in three remarkable colour stories: The White, The Red and The Blue.

Poetic, floor length, silk gowns styled with tailored jackets with exaggerated lapels graduating into void to reveal a second trace. Matrix-like layering, inspired from the concept of cloning, that multiply from the point it originates into a different species.

So we see interesting plays with opacity and convergence, especially when two different garments morph into one.

Voluminous, silk trousers with paper-bag waists are off set when worn with Masculine, Poplin shirts. Shirting is adjustable and sometimes merging into a sporty leotard. Diaphanous, contemporary pieces placed over classic coats and trousers that subvert time, to a more modern era. Split skirts, mesh bodies and playsuits with racer-backs inject a sporty feel that is very wearable.

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Words by Sarah Sabner

View the full S/S11 collection here

Photo by Catwalking.com

For Autumn/Winter 2010-11 the collection is inspired by shadow and duality, on the surface everything is dark yet finely balanced in terms of its geometry and grace. Taking inspiration from aerial photography different textures piece together like patchwork, fused with high-gloss vinyl piping. The collection focuses on merging fine textures from Napa leather, suede, tweed and silk in a way that exudes solidarity and extravagance, imagine a Helmut Newton night woman.

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We see signature body-con shapes contrasted with a softer silhouette, so far unseen from the brand as it harnesses in on both form and fluidity. There is an armour reference that balances beautifully with a more feminine voluminous feeling, with use of fine double silk georgette fabric. High-waist trousers have a liquid flowing feel, offset when worn with stricter sexy box jackets with dashes of extraordinary fine leather. We see elegant dresses that are more decadent than sexy worn by a very direct woman. Romina adds: ‘Our lady is definitely not a yes-yes person’

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Wearable wool coats and tailored separates that subvert classic cuts can be worn both day and night. Oversized, sporty straight tees and jumpers in raglan styles in luxury fabrics. Hand-made leather chain accessories are used to create decorative flourishes for styling and supply a spark of sexual charge.

Overall this collection engages the real concerns of the busy, modern woman who buys into timeless style.

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Words by Sarah Sabner

View the full A/W10-11 collection here

Photo by Catwalking.com

For SS10 we see a collection that is inspired from engineering and industrialisation, everything is linear and robotic. There is a theme of disconnection as everything is precisely disjointed proportionately.

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Modernising the corsetry technique abstract geometric shapes from together tectonically whilst panels are pieced together with lacing, that has a very 90's sporty reference.

 

Eyelets are key detail used throughout in cold metal tones.

Shapes are inspired by modernist architecture, primarly the simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme.

 

So we see a clinical colour palette of soft black, off-white and grey. All balanced perfectly with shapes that eulogise the female form and its hourglass silhouette in a directional way.

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Signature square-sleeved jackets, sharp boleros, diving suit-style all-in-ones and printed silk jersey dresses that reversable make-up a graphic and highly wearable collection.

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Words by Sarah Sabner

View the full S/S10 collection here

Photo by Catwalking.com

For A/W09-10 Romina Karamanea has taken inspiration from artificial inteligenceand relief sculpture to create a challenging and directional collection that blurs the lines between art and industry.

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Sleek lines and simle shapes promote the unencumbered movement of the human body, whilst alien-like antennas are raised out of the garment, in a perfect geometry that ceaselessly accentuate the anatomy of the human form. Taking illumination from Fritz Lang Metropolis vision, everything is futuristic yet urban, a new founded aesthetic that is out-wordly yet resolutely romantic.

Using an intricately inventive technique with piping the aim was to make the garments like they were coming-to-life, much alike the relief sculpture that are not free-standing but have the background from which the main elements of the composition project. This evokes a sense of mutation and metamorphosis that although seems fluid is in fact highly structural. Playing around with assymetry in a systematic fashion give the pieces an intelligence that are in perfect harmony, appearing sharp and structural.

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Fabric and colour are simple, we see soft suede in red-wine, matt-black and stone, that although complexy construed are highly wearble with clear-cut focus, that is the brands difinitive design direction. There is a strong reference to theatrical costume with the use of stomachers and corsetry, waists are exaggerated with 21st century version of peplum.

Jackets are always featured, craft with the aim to be pieces that are enduring a life-time loved and worn. Use of epaulettes nod to the militaryin an under-stated way that is always considered, from conception to the finer detailing.  

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Words by Sarah Sabner

View the full A/W 09-10 collection here

Photo by Catwalking.com

For Spring/Summer ’09 Romina Karamanea has taken inspiration from the avant-garde, cubist and Bauhaus movement. She has created a collection that unifies art, craft, and technology. The brand presents Woman in her multitude of viewpoints and forms, by it’s careful balancing act between power and purity. There is a definitive clearness of shape and colour, juxtaposed with abstract tailored detail, experimenting with surfaces and random angles which are forced out of the garments, hence, creating a real sense of metamorphosis and movement.

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Silhouettes romanticise and re-invent the classic shapes of 1930’s day-wear. We see feminine high-waists and below-knee skirts with tight-geometry and straight lines; everything is tidy, functional and dominating. Angular shoulder detailing takes a forceful and shapely direction with signature origami folds and structured necks. Hand-craft bustier and boning create beautifully assembled pieces that are brought up-to-date when styled with a sporty jersey all-in-one inspired by Victorian men’s swimwear.

Jackets are key; we see wearable cropped, boxed and three quarter style coat dresses, available in the strict colour palette ice, steel and soft black.

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Structured dresses are intricately slashed to reveal an inner layer and finished with a couture snake fabric, which gives a modern technological and digital fusion. Dresses have a double edged-zip functionality which give a sporty, early nineties techno reference. Also available are softer dresses in crepe- chiffon and silk jersey, featured in light mocha, black and ice.

Tailored trousers and shorts have sharp front pleats, which have a playful zip function; that can be worn either close or away from the body depending on the mood of the day or the night. 

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Words by Sarah Sabner

View the full S/S 09 collection here

Photo by Catwalking.com

© 2016 by ROMINA KARAMANEA info@rominakaramanea.com

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