Felipe Oliveira Baptista: For The Individualist
By: Mari Davis
Photos by FW

PARIS, Jul 7, 2005/ FW/ --- As the first Portuguese to be a guest on the Haute Couture calendar, there was a lot of buzz on Felipe Oliveira Baptista before the start of the shows. And when it was announced that he would be showing at the Embassy of Portugal, a lot of people felt that it was truly fitting.

Unfortunately, the buzz ended there as the Portuguese designer failed to capture the imagination of both couture clients and the fashion press in his officially sanctioned debut collection.

Baptista who had been showing off calendar during the Paris couture week in past seasosn was slowly building a cult following for his designs. And for his haute couture Fall 2005 collection, that is what he opted for.

Choosing a simple color palette of black and white, Baptista mixed Grecian looks with contemporary silhouettes, a sure sign that his target market was the younger and/or future couture clients.

Kimono inspired dresses, draped voluminously and halter gowns with flared skirts, off the shoulder dresses rolled at the hem and trench coat pantsuits showed off Baptista’s creativity and vision.

Call it street couture if you want, because there is also a touch of hip-hop in the collection. And the coup de grace, a pageboy pantsuit set in United Parcel Post brown, a re-interpretation of UPS’s uniform that was adorned by a beaded UPS logo at the bag proclaimed the sponsor of the show.

The collection is interesting enough to the attendees, but one element was missing and it was the most important – haute couture.

With a high percentage of the garments machine made, the legends that made haute couture, i.e., exquisite hand embroidery and beading, and the designer’s hands-on work were sorely omitted.

Sure, Felipe Oliveira Baptista has talent and he definitely has a following, yet one cannot help but ask the question, “Does the collection look too much prêt-a-porter for you?”

Felipe Oliveira Baptista

Felipe Oliveira Baptista

Felipe Oliveira Baptista

Felipe Oliveira Baptista