Michael Cinco's pure spectacle

Michael Cinco knows how to wow a crowd.

At the Red Cross Ball last Sunday, the designer opened the show with a male model cloaked in a nondescript cape. The model opened it slowly — like a present, almost — to reveal sculpted abs, briefs and a metal cup. “Is this 300?” someone nearby tittered, referring to the 2006 blockbuster starring Gerard Bulter and the Chippendales. (Not really, but they could’ve been front runners for the strip act.)

Soon, a gaggle of gentlemen, this time garbed only in those metal cup Speedos, thronged the stage. What was going on? Why are there barely-dressed dudes on stage? And can we have more, please?

Cinco, who flew to Greece last July, was so inspired by his vacation destination — and, one can imagine, the muscled locals in their beachwear — he tacked up the ancient metropolis on his mood board. “It’s all about Greece,” Cinco tells YStyle. “I was inspired by the columns and Greek architecture, the goddesses of Greek Mythology, the colors of the sunset in Santorini.” And those dudes in barely-there underwear? “Those were Greek gods,” he says, tongue firmly in cheek.

Cinco is known for creating spectacle. And he didn’t disappoint, beginning with Amazonian warrior women clad in ceramic and porcelain laser-cut dresses. Though flashy, crystal-encrusted gowns have become his signature (and there are plenty of those here), it’s easy to forget the man’s meticulous attention to detail. He honors the craft with his intricate laser cut techniques.

There are elements of McQueen in some of the pieces (more of an homage than anything else) but what shone through was the relative nonchalance of the garments, with its hyper consciousness of the body, its ornate network of layers that remained unostentatious despite its complexity.

I was particularly amused by a mini dress sculpted with accordion pleats. Starring in the center of the lower half, placed unobtrusively above the crotch, was the face of Zeus, almost like a hidden Mickey. I can imagine the conversations at the cocktail party. “Is that a God on your crotch or are you just happy to see me?”

Cinco followed the Amazons with a parade of red carpet gowns, clearly his forte. Flowing, floor-sweeping chiffon dresses displayed his inner romantic. Large metal cuffs and braces cut through the sweet layers with a healthy dash of sexiness.

His most successful pieces consisted of lace frocks lightened by a cascade of delicate tulle, and Grecian draped gowns reminiscent of Madame Gres. A somewhat muted dress worn by Alex Escat — by Cinco’s standards, at least — seemed like a big step outside his comfort zone. A bold move, considering the modest amount of shimmer, that served him well. It was restrained, grown-up and, ultimately, wearable.

There was plenty of glitz as well, like sweetheart-necklines with tiers of lace and crystal. Full-skirted gowns with orgiastic ruffles. You can take the designer out of Dubai…

The show closed with three brides, Cinco’s three goddesses. Here, he indulges in fantasy. Georgina Wilson, in a mermaid silhouette, was Aphrodite. Claire James, the America’s Next Top Model alum luminous in a princess gown, was Athena. And Marina Benipayo, in a dramatic column gown with a voluminous ruffled train, was Hera, queen of Olympus.

It’s easy to appreciate Cinco’s talents here. The Greek patterns laser-cut from lace, the masterful exposition of lavishness, without a hint of crystal to subtract from the grandeur of all that white. The man knows how to put on a show. And more often than not, it’s a show worth watching.