NYFW Spring 2012 - Bunmi Koko Made in Africa Runway Review

Total looks: 11

Bunmi Koko comes with a confidence that doesn't need to announce itself or brag but isn't bashful either - the level of work and thought that goes into each collection, from planning to execution is always evident in the final product. Whether the inspiration is geishas, masquerades, or the alluring sirens of Greek mythology as it was for Spring 2012, the result always bears the stamp of expert, sure hands.

It began with a sleeveless slip-like dress in a very light orange and rounded off with a full blown Bunmi Koko production - floor length, sculpted, origami bodice, sheer skirt, midnight blue, yellow highlights; a truly extraordinary piece of work, competing with only an origami jacket with a beige inset belted with rope for our full attention. A vaguely nautical theme pervaded in the sampling of aqua and cool blues and pleated prints mimicking the surface of water, while the pairing of a layered, pleated yellow skirt and a sheer yellow blouse with stunning breakaway flaps was heartbreakingly perfect.

[Screen capture by Shop Liquorice]

One small problem - this collection featured only eleven pieces and while we wished we could've seen more, we have to admit that it also seemed fully complete. Pieces seemed more fluid and relaxed - uncharacteristic of Bunmi Koko's previous collections with strong angular sleeves on statement dresses and jackets - but still very confident, from a pintucked sleeveless blouse paired with pleated palazzo pants, to swim wear, and the most extraordinary sheer, cropped top held up with a silver bra paired with a free silk below-the-knee skirt.

Some pieces may have been a little too relaxed, but the mastery that held the collection together, and the details - from sheer nude sleeves, to rope belts and chunky rope necklaces - were robust and spellbinding. Bunmi Olaye is a gifted story teller and as the collection moved from yellow to blue, reminding us of the strong alluring pull of Greek sirens and the eventual drowning and destruction of their targets, it may not be too farfetched to say Bunmi Koko blew this one out of the water.

- SLiq

Photos: Getty Images via Bella Naija