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As far as colors, they are very bright and
gay covering nearly the whole rainbow of possibilities, and they are combined
in two tones for the solids and polkadots. Floral patterns on the other hand appear
in large bouquets with very earthy tones: a wide range of colors for the petals
and green for the leaves and stalks, and the practice of placing a single rose
on the head is making a comeback. Special complementary items are presented in
silver or gold-plate with Swarovski crystal, gold-colored metals, carved spheres
which imitate coral, and hand-dyed resins in an infinity of colors. The footwear
is very feminine, with high heels, almost becoming high-class sandals. An innovative
accoutrement are the shawls made of braided gauze.
Special mention for the king of complements, the "mantón de Manila"
or Spanish shawl. Chocolate color, tobacco, pistachio, cream and jet-black are
the most eye-catching tones for the these authentic works of art, nearly always
combined with ivory-colored embroidery and whose price varies from 1,500 to 6,000
euros. The magic resides in the hands of María José Naranjo, Pepa
Reinoso and Manuela Romero, three artisans from Carrión de los Céspedes
who make up the firm Manos Bordadoras.
Amparo Maciá. Her collection combines
fabrics that range from poplin polkadots to lace or guipur, as well as crepe,
piqué and organza. Her asymmetric bodices and skirts were especially admired.
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Aurora Gaviño. She presented a large
collection of flamenco dresses for children which followed the fashion with solid-color
blouses, and skirts with tiny polkadots. Red eyelet and knee-length dresses made
it possible to see very high-heeled shoes which characterize the female flamenco
walk. |
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'Flamencas' on parade
Simof is also an authentic show worth seeing since it combines
not only fashion, but also flamenco singing and dancing, as well as staging to
surpass many theatrical works. Edith Piaf and the Parisian ambience or art nouveau
and art decó contribute to representing trends from the twenties, fifties
and seventies, but of course there is also flamenco. A very flamenco trio indeed
paraded Angeles Verano's creations: Marina Heredia, Lalo Tejada and Alba Molina.
Dressed in yellow sand and black and white, they marked some bulerias which got
the audience on its feet to the rhythm of their "mira si yo soy gitana, que
canto por bulerías y repican las campanas" ['see what a gypsy I
am that the church bells toll when I sing bulerias']. The flamenco contingent
was completed with the singer Macarena Giráldez who modeled the entire
Creaciones Maricruz line of batas de cola.
The industry already moves 120 million euros annually
The last edition of Simof was undertaken with the expressed
goal of surpassing the previous one which attracted more than ten thousand visitors.
The new site, and the planned simultaneity of the Feria del Toro was quite a good
idea - the Empresarios de la Moda Flamenca [business concerns devoted to flamenco
fashion], say that the industry moves about 120 million euros each year, figures
which reflect not only the business of flamenco dresses, but also the huge amount
of complementary items consumed by female flamenco dancers and singers and which
play a fundamental role. In order to expand this business volume more than thirty
designers had their own stands at the expo. It cost each fashion impresario about
1,350 euros to rent a stand at Fibes for the four days duration of the Simof fair.
If you also include the new designs exhibited in the show which included fourteen
designers, the cost goes up another 1,800 euros. This all translates into about
70,000 euros profit for the show, not even counting the box office take from entrance
tickets for the event. In addition to the investment made by professional designers,
each one has to mount and furnish their own stand, pay the average of thirty models
required to show off the creations, rent dressing-rooms, and a long list of other
overhead costs. Despite everything, it's clear that professional designers want
to make this investment because fourteen out of the eighteen designers who presented
new fashions at Simof 2003 also have a stand at the fair. Sales are not a direct
motivation, but rather the volume of visitors who go looking for just the right
dress or accoutrement after the competition is completed. The total budget devoted
to Simof 2003 was 175,000 euros, supported by sponsorship from the Diputación
Provincial de Sevilla [Seville's autonomous government body], the Consejería
de Turismo y Deporte and the Consorcio Turismo de Sevilla [Seville's tourism and
athletic board and chamber of commerce] among others.
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