Custo Barcelona Spring 2013: Shipwreck chic

Custo Barcelona knows how to rock a boat. For Spring/Summer 2013, the label takes an assortment of happy prints (ikat, plaid, camo, polka dots) and textures (lace, raffia, silk and the ubiquitous leather); slaps on some embellishment (netting, tassels, sequins, hand-painted faces); throws the pile into a leaky suitcase; and tosses it overboard off the coast of Reunion. Whatever washes ashore, in whichever combination, becomes the collection.

Call it shipwreck chic. And it works, because cacophony is the unifying theme, a feat harder than it sounds. Equal parts jarring, charming and perplexing, the tide of flotsam just keeps coming: the patchwork jackets, beaded asymmetrical one-shoulder dresses trimmed in lace, trousers with chiffon trains, coral and white fringe ruffled coats, and leather eyelet tops – all dazzling with their washed-out decadence.

Now and then, a neutral piece drifts by, a passing ship in this sea of crazy. You know you should probably light a flare. But deep down, do you really want to be rescued?

Photo Gallery: Custo Barcelona Spring 2013
all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine