Art Blended with Heart

 

By Kathryn Wexler /©2005 The Miami Herald,

Knight Ridder Newspaper.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services International

 

Dresses designed by Carlos Miele draw double takes before the eager buyer takes one home

 

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Designer Carlos Miele doesn’t sketch dresses. He composes them. Draping fabric over a mannequin, he cuts and he pins, giving form to his imagination. His method is to begin at the end and work his way backward, from dress to pattern.

 

The result is gowns with unusual structures and depth. Simple shifts, they’re not. “My clothes are pretty much three dimensions,” Miele says, “but my challenge is not to make the woman big.”

 

“I work like a sculptor,” he says. “I build [the gown] in my mind.” Miele, a 41-year-old Brazilian native with Italian parents, collaborates with Brazilian cooperatives, integrating their handiwork into his US$1,000 dresses.

 

No rhythm, but flair

 

He may be a cerebral designer, but what Miele really wanted was to make music. “I tried to be a musician but I couldn’t. I tried the trumpet and drums but I don’t have any rhythm,” Miele says.

 

Fashion design, though, is working out pretty well for him. His Brazilian-made evening gowns have shown at New York’s Fashion Week for several years and are sold in high-end English stores like Harvey Nichols and Harrods. A buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue told him after his show last year that they wanted to ratchet up their display of his line—“the best news I had in my whole career,” Miele says.

 

Style and color

 

Miele’s collection invites whispered comparisons to that of fashion legend Roberto Cavalli. With vibrant bits of slippery color—gorgeous corals, reds and peaches—their fluid dresses kiss the torso, flare at the hip and ripple down the body. But a dress by Cavalli holds no secrets. Miele’s, meanwhile, has a complexity that can require a double take before a buyer takes it home.

Vocabulary Focus

double take (n) the instance of looking at someone or something and then looking again, usually because one notices something unusual

dimension (n) [di5menFEn] a measurement of something in a particular direction, especially its height, length, width or depth

ratchet up (v) to increase something in quantity or size

 

Specialized Terms

mannequin (n) 人体模型；模特儿 a life-size model of a person, used to show clothes in a shop

shift (n) 直筒式宽松女服 a simple dress that hangs straight from the shoulders

cerebral (adj) 知性的；理性的 demanding careful reasoning and mental effort rather than feelings

艺术与心灵的结合

许美鸾 译

 

卡洛斯·米勒设计的衣服让人忍不住多看一眼，然后热衷的顾客就会带一件回家

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设计师卡洛斯·米勒不为衣服画草图，他创作衣服。他把布披挂在人体模型上，裁剪、固定、让脑海中的想象成形。他的方式是从结尾倒着做回去，从衣服回到纸样。

结果是具有独特结构和深度的礼服。它们不是简单的直筒式宽松女服。米勒说：“我的衣服几乎是立体的，但我的挑战是不能让女人显得臃肿。”

“我像雕塑家一样工作，”他说：“我在脑种塑造（礼服）。”41岁的米勒生长在巴西当地，父母是意大利人；他和巴西工厂合作，在自己要价1000美元的衣服中加入他们的手工。

 

没有节奏感，只有时尚感

米勒虽然是一个理性的设计师，但他真正想做的是创作音乐。他说：“我试着做个音乐家，但行不通。我试过玩小喇叭和鼓，但我就是没有节奏感。”

可是时装设计倒是很适合他。他的“巴西制造”晚礼服已经在纽约时装周展示好几年了，并且在高档英国商店如哈维尼克斯和哈洛德百货出售。去年他的服装秀结束后，沙克斯第五街百货公司的采购告诉她，他们打算展示更多他的服饰系列——“这是我整个职业生涯种听过最好的消息。”米勒说。

 

风格和颜色

米勒的服装引起一些窃窃私语，将其与时尚传奇人物罗伯托·卡瓦利的作品相提并论。他们的衣裳有着漂亮的珊瑚色、红色和桃色等鲜明流动的色彩，轻触身躯，在臀部开展，再顺着身体呈波浪状而下。卡瓦利的衣服一眼看尽风华，米勒的却有一种复杂性，使顾客带回家前可能需要再看一眼。