Samuel Cirnansck

SAO PAULO--Samuel Cirnansck has earned a reputation for his theatrical, over the top runway shows. Last season the designer sent his models down the runway tied up and gagged, so I was pretty excited to see what he had cooked up this time. And while it wasn't nearly as risque as last season, it was still a visual treat. Cirnansck dusted the runway with fake snow, and set up a huge wrought-iron gate at the front of the runway. The effect was something like a snowy fairy-tale, starring an icy swan princess, and it was a refreshing change of pace from Sao Paulo's somewhat bare-boned runway shows. Also refreshing: Cirnansck used a handful of black models--more than any other designer we've seen yet. Kudos.

• By Hayley Phelan
  Jan 23, 2012

I just got back from Sao Paulo fashion week. I saw a lot of great clothes come down the runway. I also saw a lot of wacky out there clothes come down the runway. Sometimes the crazier the clothes and the styling, the more fun they are to watch. So here are the top 10 most out there looks from Sao Paulo fashion week. **All photos: © Agência Fotosite/Zé Takahashi via FFW.com.br

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Jun 20, 2011

SAO PAULO--Envelope-pushing Brazilian designer Samuel Cirnansck closed the first day of Sao Paulo fashion week yesterday with a show to remember. He picked up where Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton left off (in a manner of speaking), incorporating bondage and fetish into his spring collection. Where Marc handcuffed his girls to Louis Vuitton bags, Cirnansck put horse bit gags in his models' mouths (he handcuffed them and bound them with rope, too) and they looked more uncomfortable than models usually look (which is pretty uncomfortable). A newbie to the world of Brazilian design, I learned this is apparently par for the course for Cirnansck. His line sheet informed me that "once again" the designer had "entered the world of fetish to make his collection." The effect of his models walking in beautifully draped full-skirted Baroque wedding dresses done in ivory silk and lace and embroidery while bound and gagged was certainly impacting. His models turned in profile at the end of the runway, arching their backs to emphasize their bindings. A statement on the restricting effects of marriage on women? Maybe. A stunt for shock value? Absolutely. And it worked--I won't soon forget his show. Take a look at Samuel Cirnansck's bound brides.

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Jun 14, 2011