Packed out in the BFC showspace, Jean-Pierre Braganza’s SS/13 show, Phoenetheus, was high in demand, as hundreds of fashionistas eagerly awaited for bright lights, music to start and the new collection to come out.

This latest collection has a slightly different approach to the usual Braganza style due to collaboration with Ukranian ethno-modern artist Zinaida Lihacheva. After meeting at Braganza’s 2011 show, they discovered a shared passion for dark symbolism and beautiful clothes.

The prints created have been based on Lihacheva’s own paintings, using bold swirls and swashes of colour. Beginning with a monochrome theme, sharply structured dresses and feminine deconstructured tuxes flew down the catwalk. Adding a glamorous touch, cocktail dresses were adorned with beads to create a shard-like finish.

Shapes were classically Braganza, using sharp angles for tailoring and relating to architect’s sketches. The jewellery featured also kept in with this theme and was designed based on copper pipe joints and rope, for a raw approach to the designs. Plaits were a key trend once again, with a particular focus on fishtail braids.

Also making up the palette were rich reds and deep blues that can be found in Lihacheva’s “touch” painting, along with striking turquoises and subtle sand tones used on many items. Other key attributes were block panel details, graphic prints and geometric shapes.

Monochrome pieces, leather gillets and dramatic prints all stood out in the Phoenetheus collection. Using Braganza’s famous cuts and tailoring with Lihacheva’s stunning paintings, this was a truly original and admirable collection of fashion meets art.