Malababa

I found out about Malababa from Amlul and immediately fell in love with the bags. I admit that I have a penchant for Spanish designers like Malababa's Ana Carrasco who opened her first studio in Madrid, however take a look at the purses yourself. They are classic designs which makes them easy to pair with any outfit; however some designs have a touch of color and different texture that makes them more interesting.

Here are some of her bags from an older collection that I'm hoping to get my hands on.

Kina Fernandez

Kina Fernandez is a Spanish designer from the province of Galicia. I may be a teeny bit partial to her designs since my dad's family reigns from this mountainous province in the north of Spain, but nonetheless Kina Fernandez has a style that is both classic and uniquely her own. Her pieces are chic are wearable and never over the top. This spring I really liked her fringe skirts and sailor inspired colors.

I was first drawn to Kina Fernandez honestly when I realized that she was born in Ourense, where I had spent a good part of my childhood summers. Fellow Gallegos Adolfo Dominguez and Amancio Ortega creator of Zara, are other notable Galicians who have proved to be extremely influential in the fashion industry.

For fall Kina Fernandez created a collection with many varied textures and colors however they all have a common thread throughout. The design are for the working urban girl, something I would have worn a lot when I had worked at my old office job; however her designs aren't boring, and go far beyond business casual. I really like the animal prints, black and white print skirt, as well as her textured sweater dress.

In Spain, I still remember the way my grandmother would stress the importance of dressing well. If you left the house you had to look your best because who knows who you might run into! No yoga or sweatpants for the Spanish woman.

Josep Font Haute Couture Influences

Catalan designer Josep Font is known for his avant garde creations, which he says he designs for confident women. Confident you'd have to be in order to sport one of his attention getting designs, that's certain. This past week he showed his collection at the Haute Couture shows in Paris, the only Spanish designer to participate. He made his presence known with pieces that look more like works of art, rather than actual wearable clothes.

El diseñador Catalán Josep Font es conocido por sus creaciones avant garde, que el dice que el diseña para mujeres seguras de si mismas. Y como no? Tendrías que ser muy segura para poner uno de sus diseños que agarran tanta atención. Esta semana el presentó su colección en las pasarelas de alta costura en Paris, el único Español que participó. El llamó la atención con piezas que parecen más como obras de arte en vez de ropa práctica.

Font cited American artist Frank Stella among the influences for his collection. Frank Stella is known for using three dimensionality in his work, where he includes waves, curves, and architecture into his paintings. The dresses Font created also incorporate this technique, seen in his use of curves, ruffles and structured shoulders that rise at the tip.

Font dijo que el artista Estadounidense Frank Stella era unos de los influencias para la colección. Frank Stella es conocido por su uso de tri-dimensionalidad en sus obras, donde el incluye ondas, curvas, y arquitectura. Los vestidos de Font también incluyen esa técnica de curvas, arrugas, y la línea de los hombros que sube en un punto.

Frank Stella's "Severinda" (1995)
Frank Stella played around with the concept of painting, where instead of focusing on a picture as a representation of something else, he created pictures that were merely objects, representative of nothing more. This particular dress looks like the stylish sister of the Queen of Heart's from Alice in Wonderland.

Frank Stella experimentó con el concepto de la pintura, y en vez de enfocar en una foto como representación de algo, el hizo pinturas que son objetos, no la representación de otra cosa. Este vestido particular parece como la hermana stylish de la reina de corazones de Las Aventuras de Alicia en el País de maravillas.


Marbella Style, a great blog if you are looking for information on Spanish fashion, provides more pictures from the runway show. Mexico's Day of the Dead was also an influence in Font's collection, evident in his use of bright colors such as lemon yellow, topaz blue, fuchsia, deep red and green.

Marbella Style, un blog sobre la moda Española, muestra más fotos de la pasarela. El Día de los Muertos también influyó la colección de Font, evidente con el uso de colores brillantes como amarillo, azul de topacio, fucsia, rojo, y verde.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday where celebrants honor the memory of people who have since died. Here are pictures that I took while in Mexico during the Day of the Dead. You can see where Font may have gotten his inspiration for his bright color choices.

El Día de los Muertos es un festivo que honra las memorias de los muertos. Aquí hay fotos que saqué cuando estuve en México durante el festivo. Puedes ver como Font podría haber sido influido con toda la variedad de colores en los conmemorativos.




Images via: nytimes, marbellastyle.

Custo Barcelona

There are many reasons why I love Custo Barcelona. The colors, the design, and the prints are all very attention getting. The Dalmau brother are extremely imaginative and created a brand that was very unique to Spanish design at the time, such as designing t-shirts. Although these t-shirts are not like any old white t you may have in your closet.

Hay muchas razones lo cual me gusta tanto Custo Barcelona. Los colores, el diseño, y el estampado agarran atención. Los hermanos Dalmau son muy imaginativos y crearon una marca que era único en España en esa época, por ejemplo el diseño de t-shirts. Pero estas camisas no son como cualquiera en tu armario.

Image via: Custo Barcelona, Vogue.es.