With Michelle Obama as a new fan, Bruno Basso and Christopher Brooke are about to get an attention boost. So it was good timing that their Resort collection offered an accessible introduction to their world. Simplification of silhouette and their signature prints was the key. "We wanted to find a balance between reality and fantasy," said Basso. In sharp contrast to the hyper-rococo engineered prints that established their reputation, print master Basso exploded microscopic natural images of, for instance, ice particles to create psychedelic prisms that loaned themselves well to Brooke's easy shapes. There was a vibrantly cartoonish quality to a printed T-shirt dress, and the cartoon worked just as well with the duo's new jeans range. At the other end of the sophistication spectrum, Basso & Brooke's recent mastery of digital printing on sequins meant they could offer a whole new glamour option for daywear. A sequined tee paired with navy shorts might just about make it into Michelle's resort closet.
