Spanish-inspired fashion takes centre stage

WEAR SATURATED COLOURS

Make like a human highlighter in the season’s unapologetically vivid palette of red, orange and yellow. Oscar de la Renta’s Peter Copping paid tribute to the late designer’s love for Spain and based his collection on the archives of the Hispanic Society of America. The result was standout pieces in the kind of red that would have compelled Snow White to bite into the apple. 11.11/eleven eleven favoured red too, churning out simple cuts that balanced out the intense hue. But if this were a colouring contest, Roland Mouret and Altuzarra would win hands down. Orange was the new black, with key pieces ranging from mellow apricot to heavy-duty tangerine.

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Photographs: Imaxtree.com/Alessandro Lucioni (Runway), Gulshan Sachdeva (Runway)

Mediterranean is to summer what florals are to spring (cue Miranda Priestley’s withering expression), but with these numerous original interpretations, the Spanish trend isn’t the least bit boring. If anything, it’s as bold as they come.

CHANNEL FRIDA KAHLO

If a picture is worth a thousand words, hers would invoke every synonym for attitude and boldness. Fashion’s still undecided about her unibrow, but Kahlo’s style was always on point. Her wardrobe’s signature bursts of colour and heavy florals were seen across runways, but Temperley London got dibs on larger-than-life embroidered motifs, festooned across white cotton sundresses. Alice + Olivia’s bold blooms, meanwhile, were splashed across skirts and woven thick on crochet dresses, while Sanchita dabbled with scalloped patterns over tutus. It’s out there but feminine — a modern-day avatar, to which, we’re sure, Kahlo would raise her brow in approval.

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DON’T BE A WALLFLOWER

If you must go the floral route, go big. Think supersized carnations on the Oscar de la Renta ramp, a tribute to the late designer’s favourite flower. Roses did the job for Payal Pratap and Fyodor Golan, who played with geometry and embroidery. To use the party analogy, the de la Renta girl’s off to a debutante’s ball, while Golan’s muse could probably be seen wreaking havoc at a frat party. Not your garden-variety floral print, this.

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SHOULDER YOUR WAY THROUGH

Summon up all your will power (and if that doesn’t work, duct tape) to keep the dangerously off-shoulder silhouette in place. Or hedge your bets with Proenza Schouler, where drooping shoulders were held together by thick black ribbon. Givenchy’s take was cut closer to the body and embellished with lace. If boho is more your style, look to Anupama Dayal’s rainbow-coloured summer dresses with a gypsy flavour. Our vote though, goes to Prabal Gurung. His dresses clung snugly to the frame and were works of art on their own, embodying what the bare shoulder stands for — an assured, understated sensuality.

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WORK THE FRINGE

Ask any flamenco dancer worth her tasselled shawl and pissed-off expression — fringing mimics movement, emphasising every step and sway. In other words, it is pure drama. Christopher Kane was more liberal with colour than a toddler with crayons, finishing off his pieces with a flurry of fringe. Boss used tasselled accents along the shoulder and to highlight the details of its draping, while in Anna Sui’s tropical tribute, the subtle use of the fringe made you look twice. And in our playbook, that’s always a good thing.

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LET IT ALL HANG OUT

We doubt the nuns who first knit Spanish lace would like this, but the sheer, delicate material was often layered with absolutely nothing across S/S 2016 runways. Proenza Schouler and Preen toyed with the imagination using dresses that wavered between discreet and daring. Givenchy’s lacy pieces could easily be misconstrued as lingerie, but everyone was too busy drooling to notice. Payal Jain used crochet and lace in beachy, off-shoulder silhouettes to create the perfect poolside cover-up, but layer them well and they transform into sundresses that could be your summer uniform. 

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RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS

Yes, ruffles are OTT, but they’re a surefire way of ensuring your party entrance isn’t DOA. The most literal interpretation of Spain’s voluminous frill and flounce was seen at Michael Kors Collection and Oscar de la Renta. Mary Katrantzou gave ruffled skirts some disco chic by hiking up the hemline, while Gauri & Nainika used cascading curves on more ladylike pieces. They're occasionally overwhelming, but hey, how often do you hear ‘Spain’ and ‘subtle’ in the same sentence?

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