.A Magazine #6

I was truly sorry to hear that after 11 years, Belgian designer Veronique Branquinho's fashion house is folding. No hope of a restructuring in this case; the company is headed for liquidation. I never made room in my closet — or budget — for any of her designs, but I always admired from afar the at times somewhat old-fashioned and always very romantic mix of light and dark, severe and sweet, that informed her aesthetic vision and particular brand of femininity. Branquinho will continue as artistic director for luxury leather-goods house Delvaux, and I'm sure there will be many more acts in her career as a designer, if she wishes (perhaps if Marco Zanini moves on from Rochas...?).

But for now, in appreciation of a very lovely view on the world, here are a few fashion spreads from A Magazine #6, guest-curated by Branquinho. (Editor-in-chief Kaat Debo advises enjoying the issue "on a cold winter evening, comfortably seated in front of the open fire, in the company of close friends, with a good bottle of wine and some favourite French songs playing in the background..." — it's exactly the wrong season for that, but many of Branquinho's designs seem perfect for dependably chilly Pacific coast summer nights, and it's always good to have something to look forward to, n'est-ce pas?)All clothing Veronique Branquinho, collections 1998 — 2007
(masks by Serkan Cura and Romain Brau).

View Branquinho's past collections on style.com, here.