Gustavo Lins, born in Brazil, found his brand Atelier Gustavolins in 2004. Graduating from Architecture school back in Brazil, there's a certain flair that can be seen in his designs. After working for prestigious fashion houses from the likes of Kenzo, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier, his brand has developed over the years into a permanent member of the official haute couture calendar. The blazer I am featuring in this post is from the haute couture collection 021 Spring/Summer 2014 collection where his main inspiration derives from the work of the self-taught architect, Tadao Ando. 

Haute couture pieces are made using the finest fabrics and, for this unique print, Gustavo Lins actually hand-painted on the silk blazer. I'm not one to don womenswear, but seeing that the men's version of this piece was far too large on me, I decided to venture onto the women's version seeing the print was just too good to miss; and it fit beautifully. The difference between the men's and women's version of this blazer is that the lapels on there is a shawl lapel on the  women's version; this continuous curve, originally found on smoking jackets in the Victorian era, is the most traditional and commonly found on tuxedos. By mixing the elements of this shawl collar and the print, Gustavo Lins successfully mixes the old with the new. 

It's unusual to see menswear in haute couture, partly because designers tend to keep the collection exclusively for women in order to leave room for other designs to be shown in men's and women's prêt à porter shows. But this Atelier makes an exception and takes a new approach to luxury fashion. Having opened his first boutique in Paris last year, it was a great pleasure to pay a visit during my trip and I can't wait to show you more pictures on their haute couture show and their newest SS15 collection.

Top to bottom Atelier Gustavolins

To be continued…#tbc