On Wednesday morning, Alejandra Alonso Rojas staged her spring runway show within the Dexter Hall of the Upper West Side’s New-York Historical Society.
“I wanted somewhere that represented the city,” she said backstage, adding that upon previewing the museum’s Dexter Hall she instantly saw its giant Picasso work “Curtain for the Ballet ‘Le Tricorne,’” 1919, hanging in the middle of the room.
“The whole collection is inspired by Andalusia, so everything really flowed together,” she said of spring’s kismet inspiration and the icon’s birthplace of Málaga, Andalusia.
Alonso Rojas, who hails from Madrid, was inspired by the southernmost Spanish region’s beauty and vibrancy, as seen through her palette of lemon yellow, sky blue, cinnamon brown, cherry and sangria reds, and shades of pink in rose and carnation. She added the collection’s fluidity was inspired by the movement of flamenco dresses, seen most directly via ruffled skirts, but also in the vein of her understated, luxe DNA with pretty bias slip dressing and new drapey sheer chiffon frocks adorned with handmade fabric appliqués of the Spanish national flower.
The carnation was also translated into a split motif stamped with acrylic paints on great new cotton daywear, like a black-and-white loose ‘90s-inspired trouser paired with her first logoed knit tank. This ease nicely extended throughout the collection with the addition of Italian broderie anglaise detailed feminine dresses; handcrafted and painted crochet espadrilles (specially Made in Minorca), and fresh linen corsets, bustier dresses and trousers detailed with Camariñas lace appliqué inserts.
“It’s a [traditional] lace from Camariñas in Galicia, Spain, and it’s one of the most ancient techniques of lace,” she said of the meticulously woven and knotted works, crafted by female artisans from the region.
As seen from two standout simple black and white silk dresses with Camariñas lace appliqués of a woman playing a flute, which evoked walking works of art, her collection was a love letter to Spain, intertwining its traditional craftsmanship and her modern designs.
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