Puerto Rico High Fashion Week Spring Summer 2014

Wearing Lola Olive Dress and Necklace, Charlotte Russe Nude Pumps, and Zara Orange Clutch.

            Saturday, October 26th was the final day of the Puerto Rico High Fashion Week event in the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and I was able to share this experience with my best friend Ana; it would not have been such an awesome night if it wasn’t for her. After escaping the dreaded traffic of Puerto Rico we arrived at the Museum at 6:30, when the show was scheduled for 6:15 (fashionably late is an understatement in P.R.) We didn’t know exactly where the event was being held so after passing through the empty museum we found ourselves going down nervously on a huge staircase outside, hoping that our heels would not cause a fall. Once we were down we saw where the event actually was, in a large white tent where civilization was heading to. We entered the tent into a packed lounge area to wait until the curtains were opened and the crowd would pour in as if going through a funnel. For the first show we bought general tickets so we had to choose our seats in the last two rows. Fortunately, Maleyda, who was part of the organization of this event and has been very supportive of my blog by providing press communication, got us to the front row.

            This first show was actually a presentation of a group of up and coming local designers called The New Generation II. Reynaldo José was the first designer to present his take on Spring Summer 2014. This collection composed of bright hues of aqua, fuchsia, and lilac had a lot of volume and interesting textures seen in ruffles, capes, frills, and geometric embroidery. The next designer was Gabriel Ocasio, who presented a completely different style, with edgy pieces in black, white and bright yellow. The most recurring element in Ocasio’s collection was a graphic print of the famous portrait of Julia de Burgos. Orlando Emanuel was the third designer, and his collection of feminine dresses was actually one of my favorites of the night. The combination of nude, orange and turquoise was flawless especially with details such as sequins, embroidery, and striped fabrics.

          The fourth and final designer to present was Joseph Da’ponte, which seemed like an anti-spring collection or better yet an anti-Christ inspired collection. The smell of incense that was troubling Ana from the beginning of the show grew more intense as a group of male models in nothing but black and white briefs with peculiar add-ons along with chunky tribal jewelry came in. They stood in a tight formation for about a minute and then a strange satanic-ish music started. It was all black and white pieces with cross designs and appliqués made with wires, rhinestones, and even candles and incense which were lit on the shoulders of the last piece of the collection. The dresses I liked from Da’ponte’s collection were really the only two wearable which were an Ouija print body con and a white flowy gown with wire appliqués on the top.

      When that first show was finished Ana and I went and had some gourmet snacks while we waited for the Arte Por La Paz Gala to begin. We did miss Jaer Caban's collection, but I stayed updated and from what I saw on Instagram it was composed of intricate pieces with very modern figures and textures. There were a few crazy accessories as well, but all in the name of fashion. Finally, the Gala began with a musical number by the talented students of Escuela Libre de Música Ernesto Ramos Antonini, including inspiring young vocalist Adiel Micheo.  Then designer Jackie Tejada presented her collection for children and tweens, "Paper Dolls", which the name almost says it all, that's exactly how those tiny models looked. Her designs were delicate, feminine, filled with lace, embroidery, all in a color palette of pink, pastel yellow, orange, and white. Reynaldo Álvarez was the closing of the night, with a collection straight from Paris. His designs were simple, chic, and elegant using color blocking with nude, black, white, turquoise, and fuchsia. Solid pieces with sleek asymmetric cuts and small details such as a bow or a modern flower were all part of this collection.  Before the models made their final walk out came Giselle Blondet, founder of Arte Por La Paz, in one of Álvarez's designs and the event ended. I am very grateful to have at least made it to this night, this was after all the first time I assisted the event and there is no way in hell I am missing the next one! Enjoy the pictures, just click on each to see them in detail.