‘SIMOF 2007’ FLAMENCO FASHION
SHOW. SPECIAL FEATURE
Catwalk of flamenco... talent
Susana Muñoz Bolaños. Seville, February
2007
The ‘Simof 2007’
International Flamenco Fashion Show, held in Seville from
February 15th to 18th, confirms the happy union of classicism
and renewal, and corroborates that there is still a lot
to be discovered about the flamenco
dress. And the thing is that flamenco fashion is more
alive than ever.
Ángeles Verano collection,
with Marina Heredia
(Photo Angelesverano.com)
Those who used to think that everything
had already been invented with regards to the ruffled
dress, which is more than a century and a half old, were
able to observe that there is still a lot to be discovered
and that designers’ talent is limitless. Over 1,000
flamenco dresses have been displayed throughout 32 shows
on the catwalk of Simof 2007. With a new attendance record
at every show, the audience was able to observe not only
that classicism and innovation can join hands to sketch
endless proposals for the only regional dress subjected
to the ups and downs of fashion, but also that despite
that fact, not everything is valid and the flamenco dress
never loses its authentic essence.
Bulerías, seguiriyas and sevillanas
were mixed with the performance of flamenco choruses and
drummers and the live voices of Manuel Lombo and cantaora
Sonia
Miranda. On the catwalk, the presence of great flamenco
names such as Marina
Heredia, Macarena Giráldez and Diana Navarro
and in memory, the deceased Lola Flores, whose voice resounded
in more than one show, receiving a tribute from several
creators. Amidst the crowd, bailaoras and bailaores, cantaoras,
cantaores and singers, such as Falete, María Jiménez,
María José Santiago, Rosario Mohedano and
Charo Reina, besides countless bullfighters, soccer players,
celebrities from the social world and show business, plus
international models. Their presence confirmed that besides
being a fashion show, Simof is a genuine social event
as well as a big, big show.
New winds blow
Simof 2007 Flamenco
Fashion Show (Photo Fibes / Simof) |
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Born thirteen years ago to spur on the
creators of flamenco fashion, Simof 2007 continues with
its primary aim, evident in the Young Designers Contest
which inaugurates each edition. Selected from among 30
creators, nine were chosen to showcase their trends, with
such a high level that they put the members of the jury
in more than one tight spot. The winner, Carmen
Raimundo, was convincing with her ‘Antiguas
Canasteras de Sevilla’, inspired by those girls
who used to fill the streets of Seville with color as
they came walking by. Dresses made in fabrics and ‘patchwork’,
with a mixture of fabrics and polka dot poplin, complemented
with belts of several types in different fabrics. A colorist
air which is mixed into the different fabrics and patterns
which were used in the olden days by gypsy women, applied
to current cuts and positions of ruffles, designed to
enhance women’s figure, gave her the victory. Next
to the winner, the trends by Sara de Benítez, who
chose satin as the fabric for ‘Gitana Chic’
to make the fairs more dazzling; and Susana Pagés,
who displayed maturity in ‘Sevilla en el pensamiento’.
Nostalgia, with superimposed transparencies, ruffles in
smooth cascades, sleeves with embroidered strips, different
lengths and V-necks or round necklines to bring out the
female anatomy. Vier Márquez decided on ‘Ay
Carmela’ for the essence of what is hippy, thanks
to crochet, printed patterns, gypsy motifs and the flashy
mauves and reds. And in ‘Kon-fussion’, Susana
Vega combined tops with an impossible cut with low-hip
skirts. Elsewhere, Susana Navarro together with Carlos
Arróniz paid tribute to bullfighting in ‘Pasión
en abril', with little female matadors without anything
on underneath together with seductively naked backs; while
Vanessa Suárez bet on a more urban look in her
‘Coquetas flamencas’, introducing openwork
embroidered berets instead of back combs and ties over
the neckline.
Recognized creators
A total of 32 recognized creators displayed
their trends over a four-day period. With the suggestive
name ‘Tus lunares’ (‘Your Polka Dots’),
Vicky Martín Berrocal received
the first ovation at Simof 2007 for her eclectic, colorful
offer, very audacious in the cuts and the exquisite treatment
of color and textures. In her show, there is room for
skirt-shirt outfits, but especially for dresses, with
shirt silhouettes, encircling and tight-fitting to the
female figure. Standing out are the V-necks and heart-shaped
necklines as well as the sleeves, presented in diverse
varieties. As far as the palette of colors, the exploration
into the range of greens – mint, moss, emerald -
joins the vermilions, violets, purples, pumpkin and browns.
Standing out with strength and daring is gold, the key
to the style of the collection, and timeless red. With
regards to fabrics and textures, the mixture of materials
stands out and together with traditional textures, such
as crochet, the contemporaneity of gabardine cloth coexists
with the classicism and lightness of delicate, luxurious
fabrics, such as silk, satin, lamé and muslins.
The show closed with a spectacular bata de cola in red,
made with 500 cloth roses, tailored until the calf.
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Simof 2007 Flamenco
Fashion Show (Photo Fibes / Simof) |
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Elsewhere, Cristo Báñez,
skillful in ‘prêt à porter’,
with the name ‘Esa’ and to the tango beat
and with majestic stage design, presented a collection
inspired by femmes fatales, to vindicate a strong, powerful
woman with an independent character. His collection joins
two different lines; one for the day and one for the night.
The first one, more functional, is conceived beginning
with skirts cut on a bias, which flourish with dual-layered
ruffles and a lot of flare, some canasteros, which open
at the front to reveal very flamenco, urban boots. The
cuts, especially audacious, with bare backs and dizzying
necklines. The day line is especially fun and urban, with
comfortable, functional bodies, made in fabrics personalized
with inscriptions and the words ‘flamenca’
and ‘gitana’, painstakingly embroidered in
attractive graphic design. In the evening, the woman is
romantic, with a line of very feminine cuts, made in string,
lace, insertions and hemstitches. The night becomes single-colored:
red, black and gold, laying the stakes on lines which
are more tight-fitting, festive and even lingerie-style,
highlighted by the combinations of textures, with daring
mixtures of poplin, sateen, printed crêpe, string,
silk and lace.
The matchless Lina,
deserving of a career and entire life devoted to the craftsmanship
of flamenco dresses, presented two well-defined trends
in ‘Marina’ with the glamour and perfection
of her creations. On the one hand, the return to the fabrics
and designs of the ’70s, with poplin flamenco dresses,
beautiful layered ruffles finished with embroidered strips,
broad V-necklines and elbow-length sleeves. The other
line features the use of sheer, sensual fabrics in which
the cut and placement of the ruffles stand out for their
originality. To cause that effect, the textures chosen
are the classic poplin, crêpes for a luxurious effect
and cotton satin. The palette of colors explores the possibilities
of white, red, black, coral, purple and sea green. Capote
de Paseo is the title of the collection presented with
great success by Aurora Gaviño,
a veteran in the fashion world who on numerous occasions
has dressed folk artists like Rocío Jurado. Conceived
as a tribute to bullfighting, the creator has reinvented
the flamenco dress with new lines for dresses in natural
Indian silk with exclusive polka dots, which are mixed
with different old lace in toned-down colors or with totally
unlike tonalities.
Simof 2007 Flamenco
Fashion Show (Photo Fibes / Simof) |
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On the other hand, Córdoba-born
Juana Martín once again seduced
Simof’s devoted audience with her peculiar style
in ‘Gitanas de Arte’, a collection for eminently
urban flamencas, very colorist, full of creative, esthetic
references which make the creator’s style unmistakable.
Made nearly exclusively from dyed and hand-painted fabrics,
the creator continues to lay her stakes on the mixture
of fabrics with a creative plot, where lace, lycra with
tulle, cotton, guipure and of course, denim come together.
She keeps up her sure bet on t-shirts, thinking of original
women and an easygoing style, with turned-up necks and
knotted blouses with ribbons at the waist, three-piece
outfits in white, perforated in a rhomboid shape, fabrics
with golden brocades together with her personal line of
jeans and her strapped t-shirts.
Pilar Vera again demonstrated
that she can renew once more with her collection ‘La
Guapa’, to offer a flamenco fantasy inspired in
the ’40s and ’50s, revised and molded, with
proposals in which luxury and refinement prevail. Mao
necks and large embroidered carnations on her blouses
and skirts join a series of dresses made in fantasy embroidered
with flower patterns taken from the iconography of the
classic Manila shawls. A genuine fantasy and excess for
the bodies, but with restraint and elegant hand in the
cascade of ruffles. The creator unifies comfort, joy and
color in a final result of canastera inspiration, in which
the flare of the ruffles ends up becoming a constant.
Moreover, she plunges into the adventure of presenting
women for a wedding which, with silk and lace, approaches
the flamenco but is distant from folkloric excesses.
Elsewhere, creator Ángeles
Verano once again sprinkled the international
flamenco fashion show with ruffles and good taste. Her
collection ‘Revuelo de volante’s, which has
her great ally in the print, is full of mixtures of a
thousand and one different fabrics which only she knows
how to make, in a superposition of perforated hand-painted
fabrics and leather materials, like brocades and a lot
of natural silk. A lot of flare in the dresses and large-volume
sleeves. Besides accurate mixtures of mauves and pistachio
greens, the prevailing color in her designs is passionate
red, as could be seen in all its splendor in a bata de
cola with Oriental airs and polka dots on the train. Her
most personal complements for this occasion are belts
to define the waists, cloth flowers like garland and canastero
lines in the hems.
Simof 2007 Flamenco Fashion
Show (Photo Fibes / Simof)
Finally, José María
Cañabate received the last great ovation
at Simof 2007 with ‘Mi niña Lola’,
a collection vindicating the figure of the divas of the
classical flamenco scene, with very elaborate dresses
with highly-studied retro lines. His creations present
silhouettes tailored halfway down the thigh, at which
point voluminous ruffles appear and an elaborate hang
in cascades which are shortened in the front to display
the always feminine ankles and shoes. The necklines broaden
and fill the dresses with suggestion, some of them with
nearly bare backs with rhomboid shapes. The elbow-length
sleeves, very tight and stylish. Deserving special attention
are the crafted applications of delicately linked fringes
presented in different applications on the bodies and
ruffles of the dresses. Moreover, a line with rociero
airs stands out which reinterprets the traditional short
male costume in very feminine dresses and batas.
Renewed
flamenco dresses. Trend guide
