Boston Fashion Week: ICA Fashion Forward

(Models getting ready backstage before the ICA fashion show / Photo by Rebecca Santiago)

In one of Boston Fashion Week’s final festivities, Brazilian urban art sprouted sky-high heels and sashayed down the catwalk at the ICA Friday night. The event, Fashion Forward, was the latest installment in the museum’s First Friday after hours fetes, which take place on the first Friday of every month.

For the show, five local stores styled looks inspired by graffiti art of Os Gemeos (“the twins” in Portuguese), on display at the museum through November 25. Decked in major labels and outrageously coiffed — one model’s wig was a lurid canary yellow, and another’s was adorned with stenciled spray-paint — the models staged a carnival of rich textures, bold patterns, and vivid colors.

Did you miss it? Check out the runway looks…

In a nod to the twin artists who inspired the event, two models took to the runway for Louis. The look on the left is a more literal interpretation of the Os Gemenos exhibit — a play on patterns starring a textural, sequin-studded Balenciaga tank and a scarf of the same brand. The outfit on the right still plays to the theme, but draws inspiration from the model’s personal style, notably a chunky Proenza Schouler sweater, a patterned blouse by Jennifer Chun, and the outfit-making fur vest by Of Two Minds.

Additional looks after the jump…

At Serenella, CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner and rising star designer Joseph Altuzarra is king. Each piece of this look — from the luxe bohemian knit jangling with coins to the geometric print pants — comes from his Fall 2012 ready-to-wear collection. The ensemble “captures the spirit of the paintings,” according to store owner Leslee Shupe.

Riccardi sent its model down the runway in a show-stealing, structural coat from Comme Des Garçons fall/winter 2012 collection. Underneath the wallpaper-print coat, roses bloom on a pair of sharp metallic leggings by California brand Goldsign.

Turtle offered the night’s most practical interpretation of Os Gemeos’s work, offsetting muted pieces — an olive-green coat, black tights, black boots — with a poppy-colored dress and bold patterned scarf.

The runway’s sole male model sported a layered look from Uniform. Emily Munsen, Uniform sales assistant, explained that the messenger bag’s range of vibrant and muted colors informed the rest of the outfit’s palette — neutral with a pop of color. Highlights from the layered look included a blazer and cargo pants by Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen and a wool sweater by Michael Bastian.

— Rebecca Santiago (with additional photos from Laura Childs)