For over a decade, Parisian designer Karim Bonnet has been plugging the street art scene as inspiration for his line Impasse de la Defense. While his past collections have always infused artful whimsy into his colorful pieces, for Spring 2009 the statement had the same light-hearted humor, yet had the gusto to be more substantial. This gravitas can be partially attributed to Bonnet’s use of black models. Much as Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent used black models to bring out his bright palette, so does Bonnet’s hand-painted dresses take on a new highlighted dimension. Keeping in step with the dropping waistlines seen on the runways, Bonnet was best when he kept his looks clean, such as a loose white tank top edged with navy piping, cut long to drape over a poufy, bright Impressionist-style floral skirt. While the painterly aspiration was obvious, more confusing were his styling choices where he paired long dresses with layers of colorful accessories in multiple prints, whereby a more restrained hand would have better showcased the beauty of his now signature hand-painted prints. By Bee-Shyuan Chang

Photos by Ronen Shapiro