PARIS, Jan 25, 2005/ FW/ --- Felipe Oliveira opened the unofficial calendar with the presentation of his Fiesta Morose collection, which was nothing less than exercise in technique and the shear unbridled pleasures of simple cuts.

He began the show with a mini dress in black wool crepe. It was simple and elegant and surprisingly refined. Then his deflated balloon-bottomed skirts gave us a hint of the designer’s take on volume. For him, volume does exist but must not be too exaggerated for today’s couture client. This assertion is more apparent when having a look at his black dress ensemble with a layered style of volume.

Now, this collection can be summed up quite easily. Black is the dominant color. Volume, simplicity and a little geometry rule in perfect harmony here.

I particularly liked the white dress cute well above the knees is very appealing too. It holds to the body thanks to its meter-long spaghetti-thin strap whose ends join together around the neck just before falling deep into the back. The pencil-thin pants ensemble is remarkable in itself with its semi-geometric top.

Of this small couture collection, I have to say that Baptista saved the best for last: a semi-geometrical dress in black with low volume. It is truly amazing in the sense that its complex simplicity makes one wonder, “how did he do that?”