Liga Banga Riga Fashion Week S/S 2012

The fifteenth edition of the recently concluded Riga Fashion Week was attended by established designers as well as emerging talents, that had the opportunity to show their collection. Among others, Līga Banga, a Latvian designer that graduated from the Latvian Art Academy, presented a collection called “Protēze”. This is a rather unusual name since, in Latvian, it means “prothesis”, but looking at the gowns they seem to visually or functionally replace the missing imaginary ideal part.

Protagonists of the collection are not only gros grain details that define 3-D graphisms on flesh-colored or sandy dresses, but also strings-belts that create the structure of the dress itself, made by blue and grey impalpable fabric drapes in tie-dye.

Splashes of colors on the models’ bodies, extravagant make-up and colorful hairstyles create a sort of balance with the austerity of the palette of the dresses. Accessories also contribute to achieve this balance, they seem the ones that come from a painter’s atelier: wooden plateau sandals and masculine-like bags-briefcases featuring brushstrokes in super bright colors. These unique shoes are the work of art of a Finnish artist, Evija Ķirsons and his paintings on canvas.

Banga’s woman seems to be halfway between the romantic and sensual woman of the draping and the rock and daring woman of the strings.