CONTINUED

Jovenes Disenadores
Paco Flaqué wasn’t joking when he said that young designers were the future life-blood of Pasarela Gaudí. A section especially for young designers—some relatively established, such as Karina Savarese, others less so, such as Mar Rodriguez—showed more avant-garde and deconstructed thinking from Barcelona.
   Mar Rodriguez dared with lace; Maria Jesus Henarejos displayed a more restrained, old-style aristocratic elegance. Karina Savarese took deconstruction to new heights as far as Pasarela Gaudí was concerned, though her halter wedding dress was less extreme. Higinio Mateu forecasts tartan and, interestingly, worked in thin red trim details while sticking to a green and red palette.
   Emo-Esther Montoya bridged the gap between Spanish elegance, European street styles and hip-hop with one of the more distinctive collections—one only wishes we saw a few more from her.
   Montoya, from the few outfits shown, blended ties, hip-hop-inspired lettering and linear patterns in a cross between cultures. It was one of the more internationally minded collections—a European Union of designs, meant in the best possible way in evoking the sisterhood of cultures.
   Marta Fernandez’s designs showed natural floral forms, whether on cotton or velvet, and quite happily suggested orange as her colour for autumn–winter. One favourite: an asymmetric orange coat with exaggerated lapel. M. Angels Botello’s selection was more sporty: athletic ties from a sweatshirt and zips appeared alongside ribbons—though maintaining a feminine silhouette with flowing skirts, cut just above the knee.
   We adored the designs of Caridad Frutos. While using simple, solid black, white and red colours, this label was not afraid of playing with distinctive knitting and crocheting techniques. A high-cut red dress with circular strands of wool rope, and a white knitted tube with an abrupt, angular black panel just below were two highlights from this label.
   Nuria Sendra showed some of the few menswear items, with her black cape being one of the more memorable. Maria Barros went from knits to silk brocade with a stunning orange-and-gold gown, recalling Tibetan monasteries.

CONTINUED

Moda Barcelona’s Paco Flaqué said that young designers were the future life-blood of Pasarela Gaudí. A section especially for young designers showed more avant-garde and deconstructed thinking from Barcelona

LEFT: Maria Jesus Henarejos. ABOVE, FROM TOP LEFT: Maria Barros. Caridad Frutos. Emo-Esther Montoya. Caridad Frutos. Wedding dress from Karina Savarese. Marta Fernandez.