Ports 1961

Ports 1961 designer Tia Cibani appears to have taken inspiration from Hollywood for the FW 2010 collection. The hats resemble Darth Vader's helmet and the wool coats in the collection must have been stolen from Sherlock Holmes' closet. Although the hats are purely for dramatic purposes they were too distracting. For the shoes, Ms. Cibani collaborated with Julia Lundsten who is a winner of the Manolo Blahnik Award two years in a row. Ms. Lundsten derives inspiration from natural architectural elements and is known for using sustainable exotic hardwoods. The collaboration paid off with the creation of natural beauties such as boots in luxurious leathers and ankle-strap sandals with geometric black and white heels. The platforms are made of exotic hardwoods but best of all- the shoes look comfortable!

The silk pieces — dresses, pants and skirts — in mulberry, tobacco and rosemary colors were some of the best looks of the collection. We predict Ms. Cibani's pairing of silk trousers with tall boots will become a popular trend come Fall. The show notes describe Cibani's process of taking inspiration from the past (Victorian sewing techniques and pattern making) and using it on modern high-tech fabrics (textiles with aluminum, fused neoprene, heat sensitive laminates and bionic fabrics). In the end Cibani reflects on the past and embraces the future, and the best is yet to come.