Click the photo for more looks from Alexandre Herchcovitch.

The lights dim, the crowd silences, and out saunters a model gracing a beautifully crisp sleeveless white midi dress featuring an exaggerated peplum waist. The first look was met with the hushed ‘wow’s of the audience but little did they know that the collection would blossom further.

Inspired by flowers, plants, and all things botanical, Alexandre Herchcovitch’s autumn/winter 2013 collection took the overdone idea of floral influences and transformed it into artistic mastery.

Shades of ivory white, rose red, leafy green, and flowery plum were all duly appropriate considering the theme of the collection. As for prints, Herchcovitch avoided the predictable in-your-face florals and opted for something a bit more understated and muted. The delicate leafy flowers that appear on the sleek trousers and silky blouses resemble watercolors on paper rather than patterns on fabric.

Everything about this collection – from the volumes of the skirts to the ruffles on the dresses – was abundant, big, and dramatic. Origami shaped dresses with modern architectural qualities resembling the shapes of flowers dominated the runway. Ruffles attached to the waist of streamline silk dresses cascaded down the backs of the models, fluttering behind them in the most feminine way imaginable.

A particular showstopper was an ivory satin skirt with full oversized ruffles spilling over the top. The detail’s reference to the petals of a flower was hard to overlook. Another standout was a deconstructed voluminous striped satin dress featuring one attached sleeve and one sleeve gracefully slipping off the model like a falling petal.

As if the clothes couldn’t speak for themselves, Herchcovitch reached a new level with accessories. Average pumps and clutches were made with straps that depicted leaves in their stages of color change, ranging from dark brown to mossy green. The make-up was also kept in tune with the central theme of natural beauty. Think bare faces, thin eyeliners, and matte lips.

Herchcovitch delivered not only a beautiful collection, but also one that was creative, original, and endearingly literal. He is an artist who can take an idea we’re all too accustomed with and tastefully translate it into a concept we can’t get enough of.

Spotted in the front row: Sophia Lamar, Pita Davis, and a blonde Leigh Lezark

Marina Zheng is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].