Intrigued by Ports 1961’s silhouettes, shapes and materials

The Ports International brand was originally launched in 1961 as a luxury sportswear line. After focusing on Asia in the ‘90s, the company was re-launched on the American and Canadian markets in 2003 with the help of designer Tia Cibani who injected in it new life and inspirations.

I was recently browsing through Ports 1961’s site and discovered some stylish clothes from both the A/W 08 and S/S 09 collections.

The cut of some dresses from the current Autumn/Winter collection is a bit retro, with perfectly cut capelets and cocoon sleeved capes that make me think about chic creations from the 30s, while the Spring/Summer designs are dominated by the mimosa colour and by unusual materials such as rubber, employed to make fringed coats, or Japanese paper ikat silk and French tulle, used for elegant yet practical dresses.

What really intrigues me about this brand, though, are the shapes and materials Cibani uses for her accessories. North African-born and Vancouver-raised Cibani wisely mixes in her designs her background, the personal memories from her travels abroad and her experiences and associations with multicultural and creative communities to create strikingly unusual and unique pieces.

Cibani’s hats from Ports 1961's A/W 08 collection have a retro yet avant-garde flavour that makes me think about the hats worn by Paola (Lucia Bosé) in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Cronaca di un amore (Story Of A Love Affair, 1950). Defying gravity, the undone flamboyant felt ribbons that decorate the hats raise high up in the air, creating an illusion of movement.

The favoured materials for the headpieces of the S/S 09 collection are rawhide fabric, raffia and linen and while the outlandish shapes and silhouettes of the pieces call to mind modern architecture and traditional African masks, the tall headdresses also make you think about totem poles, a reference to the works of Canadian expressionist artist Emily Carr to whom Cibani inspired to create this collection. Carr often painted motifs from the Canadian native culture such as totem poles, forests and native villages.

These natural themes inspired Cibani the beautiful sandals with sculpted wooden wedges and unusual copper and yarn, abalone and leaf or bark necklaces from the S/S 09 collection.

In Ports 1961’s A/W 08 collection, wood elements were integrated in quite a few necklaces, but wood was also used to create linear handles for bags or sculptural swirling details that adorned refined leather clutches.

I love the innovative way Cibani employed these natural materials, but I’m totally in love with another material she often uses, rubber.
Cibani designed for Ports 1961's A/W 08 a series of bib necklaces that she decorated with what looks like penne shaped rubber pasta in various shades, or mixed rubber tubes with pompoms and wool yarns. 

For this Summer Cibani explored again the possibilities of rubber taking colourful balloons, twisting and turning them, and integrating them in a long necklace, producing a fun piece that could be worn also on a formal dress, to create perfect contrasts of colours and styles.

I don’t think I will be able to resist this necklace for a long time, but, not having $795 to spend on it, I think I will have to do my own interpretation of it. Maybe the results won’t be as nice as those achieved by Cibani, but I’m sure it will be definitely fun to make and wear such a necklace.

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Comments

[Some Like it Vintage]

Great article! I agree, the shapes and materials are a wonderful selection. Love the vintage inspiration. I haven't thought of Ports International recently - but will again. thanks!