I know I’m a bit late on this since it was announced in late May that Veronique Branquinho would be closing down her shop and forced to liquidate due to the current recession.  I’d written about  Branquinho’s work in a previous post and noted that she was always under the radar when it came to the fashion world.

However, Branquinho was meticulous in her attention to detail and was a pro when it came to her use of fabrics.   She was one of the designers that I said I’d buy a piece from their line once I “made it”, because I knew that it would last forever in its stylish form.

Plus, her shoes were always on point:

Now, it’s one less designer I’ll be looking  for in the stream of Fashion Week photos and reading the runway report on Style.com.  Not that I ever got the feeling that she was the highlight of their reviews, anyway.   As for what’s next for Ms. Branquinho, she  will likely focus her time as the artistic director of Belgian leather-goods brand Delvaux.

So as we bid adieu to another talented designer who had the goods, but couldn’t stay afloat during these economic times, I leave with this video from of her Paris 2008 Fall runway show.

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Spring 2009

As far as fashion designers go, we have the so-called “It” designers that come and go every few years.  Some of them remain and continue to have a faithful following, while others may fall by the wayside and lose their financial backing.  There are some that come in quietly and remain resilient throughout, although their work continues to be strong as ever.

Veronique Branquinho, a Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate, began her label in 1997.   Her initial focus was on womenswear, but in 2003, she branched out to menswear, shoes and sunglasses.   A name you don’t hear too often in American fashion, she has excellently made and tailored clothing and her footwear, which you can easily find on Yoox is always (in my opinion) forward and “different”.   Ms. Branquinho’s  Spring 2009 line was even something of a delight with sky blues and mustard yellows on the color palette and models wearing oversized tailored jackets skirts and dresses effortlessly.

While I’m sure she will never have a huge name or be one of the “It” designers of choice to the celebs and socialites, her body of work and can keep her afloat.   She sure does have the talent to back it up.