(one pork taco)

madrid fashion week: victorio & lucchino

(images via vogue)

oh dear, oh dear! so i’m really sorry that in the duration of our loooong discussion of madrid fashion week, we didn’t really get to take the kind of time i wanted with each of the (fantastic!) houses.  however, i suppose now that we’re at the end of our time, we can at least say we were lucky enough to get an introduction, and that hopefully i’ve have planned better for the next go-round. so with that, let’s say goodbye with the breathtaking s/s 2012 range of victorio & lucchino.

anyway, the label, which is designed by jose víctor rodríguez caro & jose luís medina del corral (don’t you love those spanish last names? seriously, sometimes i wonder if in the days of writing on paper, these kids could get it all down on one line) titled their spring range ‘quipao,’ with voga woman explaining that it was intended (trans.) ” to pay homage to traditional Chinese dress, which is 100 years old.”

carrying on, the site added that (again, trans.) “(c)olourful, Oriental patterns and uneven cuts, trying to get away from its characteristic folkloric stamp.  Dresses, shirts, capri pants, and a kimono type that draws a loose and delicate silhouette, are suitable for most women.”

and we heard something quite similar from s moda, reflecting that (trans.) “the silhouettes are relaxed from the start, dragging in most aspects of summer, from cotton capris and tunic blouses reminiscent of holidays…to kaftans and kimono dresses in satin and silk chiffon and sorbet shades, with water, purple and indigo flowers alternating with large gradients or lunar Chinese tapestry prints.”

and in their signature clipped analysis, elle described how (trans.) “Eastern airs, very loud floral prints, ruffles and patterns that emulate Flemish designs are some of the keys to the Victorio & Lucchino parade, who liven next spring with joy and colour. It has come to our attention that some designs look great as ties, with the fluorine-coloured strokes and a dress constructed in shiny metallic fabric.”  i suppose that’s their way of being witty. but really, i thought these clothes looked amazing, yannow…just as they were.

alors. although we heard the likes of the spanish blog street details going over many a look in painstaking (yes, i have to do it again) detail, not everyone was favourably impressed, and we unfortunately heard from hispamoda the opinion that the range was filled with (trans.) “very light and cheap fabrics.” i don’t really get how they can think that, but whatever, not everything is for everyone.  i get that.

well.  finally, we heard from the outstanding spanish site hola, offering that the designers (trans.) “devised a collection where garments are alternated invery straight lines with others in more diaphanous fabrics, which come off the body. Orientalism marks some of the cuts and has been seen in Mao collars in the use of Japanese manga, but above all, in the vibrant patterns that govern each and every piece. References to it appear in Spanish and classics and this time in discrete flyers, contributing to add volume to the pieces.”

and they concluded by noting that (again, trans.) “(o)ne of the most striking aspects of the proposals..has been the way of overlaying patterns and fabrics, a patchwork way of creating wealth effects of colour and textures. And in these materials that have inspired the designers are, for example, guipure lace, silk or satin.”  it was a beautiful show, with plenty of wearable creations, i want to add.  and once again, though we may have seen some of these ideas in the past, it was the way in which they were executed that was so impressive.  that seems to be something of a specialty in madrid, and i certainly look forward to seeing them (relatively soon, of course) next season (see additional images at fashionisima).

(enjoy the full fashion show video here)

madrid fashion week: maya hansen

(images via vogue)

oh, my.  so many outstanding shows, so little time (yes, i’m aware that’s my fault, but still). for her s/s 2013 presentation at madrid fashion week, designer maya hansen opted for a theme and aesthetic that reminded me a lot of austrian designer lena hoschek’s s/s 2013 show at berlin fashion week. but really, both were ultimately so good, i’d have a difficult time in selecting a winner here.

titling her spring range ‘skully tulum,’ ms. hansen opted for a mix of mexican ideas that sometimes we’ve seen a lot of (sigh, frida kahlo, and here i’m not linking, because we’ve already discussed how many kids draw on her work for their shows), and sometimes that which we need to see more, methinks (day of the dead, which also inspired the aforementioned ms. hoschek, to great success).

anyway, the spanish site neomoda explained that (trans.) “(c)orsets follow the order of the day, marking the feminine silhouette. Outfits with prints were often kaleidoscopic, which we recognized as including Aztec signs such as Day of the Dead, the Virgin of Guadalupe and the wonderful Frida Kahlo.”  told you.  sigh.  but really, the kahlo bit wasn’t too obvious, and the rest of it came together just beautifully.

anyhow, hoy mujer carried on by explaining that the models were meant to represent different visions of ms. kahlo (or, at least, that’s how i understood it), sans the mustache, of course (they, like, felt they really needed to note), while carrying on that they (trans.) “wore magnificent hyper elastic jumpsuits adjusted with psychedelic prints, leggings, collared shirts, tunics and semitransparent…magnificent ‘corset dresses.’”

meanwhile, the spanish website el mundo was a little more skeptical of the proceedings, terming the range (trans.) “kitschy and gimmicky,” and i suppose that i can see their point.  i honestly don’t believe it was intended as any kind of an ethnic slur-type collection, nor anything but a celebration of some aspects of mexican culture, but i suppose on the other hand, i can understand how some might see it as appropriating some pop culture-type bits, and not really taking the time to understand the depths of some of these concepts.

however, on the other hand, i suspect that if we’re too sensitive, one risks alienating people from wanting to try to understand other cultures, as if they sometimes stumble and fall on their path to greater appreciation and get bitch-slapped for it each time, it may promote a scary sort of incuriousness. and really, i think i’m pretty sensitive, and yet, i see nothing except some lovely clothes and fetching, fetish-y dresses with some of the baddest-ass prints in current circulation.  so let’s focus on that, yes?

and so, with that in mind, finally, we heard from the spanish website hola, opining that (trans.) “we were able to admire the excellent work of Maya Hansen…Wonderful craftsmanship of each piece, from the simplest to the corsets of the  corset-gowns that integrate seamlessly with other pieces. Along with them, other items like coats, shorts, stretch-suits that cling to the female figure, and short sleeved jackets make up a collection that, once again, features the full colour printing as the true protagonist, this time with motifs as flashy as the skulls or plant or animal motifs.”

(check out the video here)