FASHION...EH, CARS, EH...FASHION > Designer fuses his passion for fashion, cars

DETNEWS.COM: Ford manager unveiled clothing line, concept car at Miami Fashion Week.

Camilo Pardo, the chief designer of the macho Ford GT, has been busy creating not just the vehicles we'll see on the road in 2012 but a disposable wedding gown and floppy hat stamped out of highly polished aluminum.

The 43-year-old manager of the advanced design studio at the Dearborn automaker has a passion for sewing. He's got several Singer sewing machines at home and is not ashamed to stop in fabric stores to buy Simplicity patterns that he can alter to fit what he calls his "sarcastic" style.

His fashion and automotive design came together this month during Miami Fashion Week, when he showed off his Mercury Milan Voga (Spanish for "vogue") concept sedan, as well as women's wear.

The clothing line featured such whimsical items as a crossword puzzle dress with a matching purse and a micro-mini skirt and top made of aluminum discs that were provided by automotive supplier Northern Engraving and Machine. One outfit in his Miami collection was inspired by a silver racing suit, with a skirt instead of legs.

Prior to his Mercury clothing collection, Pardo made a bikini out of three Crown Royal whiskey bags and a raincoat with a NASA theme that he says you can wear "if it rains on the moon."

All kidding aside, Pardo says there is a strong connection between fashion and automotive design.

"The way the skin wraps around a vehicle is very similar to the way a dress wraps around a figure," he said. "It's amazing how close they are."

The designer with the ponytail says he was inspired early on by fashion icon Tom Ford at Gucci. Ford made boots and purses that resembled automotive finishes in patent leather and metallic colors.

But Pardo is not predicting a resurgence of patent leather in automotive design.

"We will see fabrics made out of recyclable materials on cars in the future," he said. "Now they look like natural, earthy colors, but we will take it beyond that and make them look more colorful and exciting. Something that is good for the environment doesn't have to look like health food."