Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review

Felipe Oliveira Baptista

PARIS, March 2, 2011

By Meenal Mistry

Felipe Oliveira Baptista's references for Fall were as far-flung as Nancy Cunard and Cormac McCarthy's The Road. "It's very eclectic," said Baptista backstage. "It's kind of a patchwork of different things." His intention may have been haphazard, but in execution the designer's darkly and luxuriously cocooned, eccentric muse was not an entirely implausible creature. Take the first look—the long belted black coat with its buttoned-up neck and storm flaps wouldn't be out of place in a postapocalyptic landscape (not that McCarthy ever envisioned his characters in anything that chic, of course), while the dropped waist and the straight-cut, flapper-esque swing to the hem gave it a hint of the twenties, Cunard's heyday. "I was playing with weights and wools," Baptista further explained. "I wanted to make things that were rigid, very loose and deconstructed."

Scarf-wrapped heads and fur hats notwithstanding, the overall sensibility seemed to owe a bit to the minimalism so prevalent last Fall—cue the wide, mannish trousers and smart coats. Baptista in fact scored high on his outerwear here. Most of the fashion flock got to know him with his Spring collection, following the announcement that he would be taking Christophe Lemaire's creative director post at Lacoste. It's comforting to know, then, that he can address cold-weather needs by tailoring an excellent coat, like the ones with cutaway silhouettes. One great idea was a fur-lined hood that when thrown back created a sort of beautiful and dramatic ruff. Curiously, given that he had explored some interesting ideas in his dresses for Spring, today's little black mini versions with panels of sequins were this collection's weakest point. A better evening option: the chiffon sweatshirt with tiny rippling petals, which was paired with skinny blue velvet pants.

One caveat: There didn't seem to be much of a continuous vein in Baptista's work from last season to this. You get the sense that he's trying things on for size. Perhaps working on his debut for Lacoste, set for September 10, 2011, will help bring his own work into sharper focus.

See all from Felipe Oliveira Baptista › Timeline

A.F. Vandevorst	Acne	ADAM
A Détacher	Akris	Alberta Ferretti
Albino	Alexander McQueen	Alexander Wang
Alexandre Herchcovitch	Alexis Mabille	Alice + Olivia
Altuzarra	Andrew Gn	Anna Sui
Ann Demeulemeester	Anne Valérie Hash	Ann-Sofie Back Atelje
Anthony Vaccarello	Antonio Berardi	Antonio Marras
Aquascutum	Aquilano.Rimondi	Araks
Azzaro

Badgley Mischka	Balenciaga	Bally
Balmain	Banana Republic	Band of Outsiders
Barbara Bui	Barbara Tfank	Basso & Brooke
BCBG Max Azria	Behnaz Sarafpour	Bensoni
Betsey Johnson	Betty Jackson	Bibhu Mohapatra
Bill Blass	Blumarine	Bodkin
Bottega Veneta	Brioni	Burberry Prorsum

Cacharel	Calvin Klein Collection	Carlos Miele
Carolina Herrera	Carven	Celine
Central Saint Martins	Chado Ralph Rucci	Chadwick Bell
Chalayan	Chanel	Charles Anastase
Charlotte Ronson	Chloé	Chris Benz
Christian Cota	Christian Dior	Christian Siriano
Christophe Lemaire	Christopher Kane	Christopher Raeburn
Clements Ribeiro	Collette Dinnigan	Comme des Garçons
Commuun	Costello Tagliapietra	Costume National
Creatures of the Wind	Cushnie et Ochs	Custo Barcelona
Cynthia Rowley	Cynthia Steffe

D&G	Damir Doma	Danielle Scutt
Daryl K	David Koma	Dax Gabler
Dennis Basso	Derek Lam	Diane von Furstenberg
Diesel Black Gold	DKNY	Dolce & Gabbana
Donna Karan	Doo.Ri	Douglas Hannant
Dries Van Noten	Dsquared²	Duro Olowu

Edun	Elie Saab	Elie Tahari
Elise Øverland	Emanuel Ungaro	Emilio de la Morena
Emilio Pucci	Emporio Armani	Erdem
Erin Fetherston	Etro