Leitmotiv FW 2012

Fabio Sasso and Juan Caro, the Italo-Colombian design duo behind Leitmotiv, brought an incredibly surrealistic Fall/Winter 2012 collection to the Riga runway last week thanks to a cooperation with Design42Day. The juxtaposition of their impeccably tailored classic cuts with futuristic and often ironic prints evokes Audrey Hepburn meets Jeremy Scott, and with a twist of Christopher Kane’s photorealism thrown in for good measure.

Although the cycle of fashion-trend influences can be spotted in this collection, the sheer visual punch of the complementarily clashing colors and patterns is an experience unique to Leitmottiv. There is something of the alien and galactic that clings to each piece like stardust, and that is part of the appeal. Ensembles such as a jaw-dropping black tweed jacket with quilted sleeves decked out in photo-patterned circle prints seem to have been delivered, express, from the future. Other pieces, however, like a demure square-necked dress with long sleeves and hem, have Star Wars-esque spaceship prints that might be more suited for a ten-year-old boy’s bedsheets than in an international fashionista’s closet.

The collection skewed more towards women’s pieces, and the few men’s looks, such as a camo-printed sweater, were not as strong creatively. Although the collection was unified in its futuristic motif, the patterns ranged from flowers to spaceships to cats to nebula, and felt like a combination of many seasons’ worth of ideas. Overall, the collection shows boldness and an incredibly unique vision, and many of the pieces seem destined to be photographed on the chic pavement during fashion week. See for yourself whether or not these looks will inspire you to be a little more adventurous in mixing patterns and prints.