Carlos Miele Spring '13 Collection

Sometimes, at a fashion show, one dress can save a whole collection.

When this dress came down the runway, I was in awe of its yellow, animal-print perfection. And I then breathed a big sigh of relief, because before yellow animal-print I was kind of freaking out. I'm a big Carlos Miele fan. I have been raving about his shows since 2008, so it pains me to admit I can't rave about Miele for Spring '13. It's OK, I'll recover as I'm sure in February I'll be going on about how much I love Carlos Miele for Fall. It's just that spring felt too '80's hair metal.

But there were some perfectly done animal print looks and a gorgeous green gown. Also, I loved the shoes.

Perfect, flawless, and perfect. So perhaps I should say sometimes four looks can save a show. 

All photos from mbfashionweek.com

Carlos Miele Fall '12

Carlos Miele is always a favorite show of mine, and if someone asked me why, I would say "the clothes and the music." In Miele show world, the two work hand in hand. There's a good reason why a Miele dress moves like a dream down the runway, as it's got music woven into its genes.

In years past there was Seu Jorge and Max de Castro [please excuse the wonky old links, victims of a redesign], and this year there was the Brothers Souza performing on the runway. The DJ's accompanied a collection inspired by the Brazilian gaúchas, which I thought was most successful the more literal the translation. Hey, I'm a sucker for a cute hat.

photos from mbfashionweek.com

 Gorgeous without hats...

 freaking fabulous and hatted...

 meh, where's the hat?

Showstopping with and without hat.

And to end, I'll throw in a few of my action, behind stage shots, because I love the view one has from these seats. Below is Carlos Miele making the models all perfect before their turn on the runway.

Carlos Miele: All Grown Up For Spring 2012

The opening scene, two by two in glorious beach cover-ups.

For Spring 2012, the glamorous Miele beach beauty has gone uptown in simply stunning ways.

You can always count on a lot of leg at Carlos Miele.

I'm not sure if it was the bigger venue, the pleated gowns, or the opening looks with four models entering the runway en masse, old-school style, but this show was like watching the Miele girl grow up. She's always been old enough to wear an evening gown, but now it's not just flowing and pretty, it's also sophisticated. This development has me highly anticipating the Fall 2012 show. Meanwhile, enjoy the structured details on the flowing gowns and jumpsuit (a stronger shoulder, very 1920's in the orange) and several of the bodices.

Oh that finale dress is fun. Also fun? Carlos Miele is experimenting a little with his standard glam girl, and I really like it.