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There is something decidedly not of this century about the evening dresses—and they are almost all evening dresses, with a few soigné jumpsuits and pencil skirts in the mix—that she crafts from unembellished satins, cadys, and organzas, with hems cropped just above the ankle.

You could say Barbara Casasola has had a charmed run. After a critically acclaimed London Fashion Week debut last September, the Porto Alegre, Brazil–born, London-based upstart was tapped to be the sole women's wear presenter at Pitti Uomo, the biannual menswear trade show in Florence, an honor previously accorded to Peter Pilotto and Rodarte. There is something decidedly not of this century about the evening dresses—and they are almost all evening dresses, with a few soigné jumpsuits and pencil skirts in the mix—that she crafts from unembellished satins, cadys, and organzas, with hems cropped just above the ankle.

The cousin had a point. Consider Casasola's spring/ summer 2014 lineup, which, inspired by the work of Brazilian constructivist master Lygia Clark, explores the duality of discipline and sensuality: There is something decidedly not of this century about the evening dresses—and they are almost all evening dresses, with a few soigné jumpsuits and pencil skirts in the mix—that she crafts from unembellished satins, cadys, and organzas, with hems cropped just above the ankle. "A lot of people think it makes you look shorter," says Casasola of her preferred silhouette. "But it's the other way around."