Romina Karamanea

In a bold step away from the black, black and more black of her previous collection, Romina Karamanea’s inspiration for Spring / Summer is the vibrant aesthetic of Abstract Expressionist art. A range of clean, white architectural shapes are softened by blocks of plain and printed stony grey; the prints derived from natural geological formations. A simple white shirt dress flutters with a loose, grey chiffon overlay while crisp white shorts are paired with a cropped sheer grey blouse that ties around a bare midriff with a silvery ribbon.

Take a quick glance at fashion designer Romina Karamanea’s Fall / Winter 2010/11 collection and you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s something of a gloomy affair. The collection is, after all, made up entirely of black pieces. But as a master of clever pattern-cutting (quite literally – having gained her MA in it from Central Saint Martin’s) there is of course more to Karamanea’s raven-hued designs than first meets the eye.