The Bite Magazine - issue 16

A s I watched the pieces walked by for the first time at Fashion Scout’s Belgrade Fashion Showcase for Lon- don’s SS16, I remember, I couldn’t keep from smiling. Her pieces were something new, yet oddly familiar. Designs and silhouettes rooted in the past but also utterly current and modern.What took this Fashion Editor’s breath away, however, was the incredible needlepoint embroidery and bead- work in a variety of sizes, which Ana did all by hand. Her daring sculptural hour glass silhouettes - some of which featured cadged panniers and exaggerated, puffy shoulders - cute onesie-suits, embel- lished blazers, cropped tops and cigarette pants all created the perfect backdrops for featuring everything from bold floral patterns and vintage scenes like those seen in an English toile to a large windmill, sweet kitty cat and even a stately stag. To compliment the clothes, Ljubinkovic chose to style her models in a line-up of girls with slicked back hair and wild gold glitter-covered faces, or with small porcelain figurines of cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and cherubs carefully affixed to sparkly top-knotted hair. Taking her accessories which bordered on the quirky and whimsical side one step further, she complimented her clothes with a series of box purses, fun and flirty tasselled shoes and metallic wrist and ankle cuffs in gold and silver, as well as cut-out metallic thigh and shin guards. “The effect of Ana Ljubinkovic’s SS16 collection is close to couture, but the designer intends for her pieces to be worn every day (urban couture).” In all honesty, the looks really are on the couture side, which is a wonderful thing to see! True, these pieces are not for the fashionably timid, but rather, for those with daring street style and over-the-top tastes. I, for one, would love to imagine wearing any of her ensembles to a fanciful garden tea party or epic outdoor wedding in the English countryside, because, well, her designs make me happy. Altogether, seeing her beautiful interpretations of a cloud walker made a reality, makes me want to prolong that time between sleeping and waking for as long as possible if it means wearing one of these daring pieces of art. And I believe that’s what Ljubinkovic’s collection inspires to do, to bring the whimsy back to the bored masses.The line takes the mundane and makes it pop. Bam! Like a triple shot of espresso, it rejuvenates the blah of everyday fashion and reintroduces the glaring fact that fashion and style should be fun, free and above all, turn heads in the best possible way. www.ana-ljubinkovic.com bite fashion