Last week, the hot streets of New York City welcomed hundred of fashionistas with just one thing on their minds: FASHION WEEK! (Sorry for the caps lock). Every season, we expect to see the best from our favorite designers and to delight in the fresh new trends coming down the runway. This year, two Puerto Rican designers made their debut at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, filling the whole island with pride. We’re talking about Stella Nolasco and Luis Antonio, who dared to take their Spring/Summer 2015 collections to the next level by representing Puerto Rico in the Big Apple and using important elements of our culture as inspiration for their designs.
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Stella Nolasco:
Stella Nolasco named her Spring/Summer’15 collection “The Saints of My Devotion”, inspired by the carved saints of Puerto Rico’s religious mysticism. The looks walking down the runway were romantic yet modern, hinting at a slightly provocative attitude. The variation of fabrics ranged from sparkly metallics to tulle and lace in Caribbean-inspired colors that represented the saints’ attires. Stella presented a versatile assortment of garments, jumping from ones that could be worn on a tropical vacation to ones that would make a gorgeous  statement for an elegant night out. We saw fabrics with sequence appliqués, feathers, and laser-cut designs that demonstrated exactly how detail-oriented this avant-garde designer is.
Stella describes her woman as “romantic and nostalgic, but she’s also modern and confident woman.”
Watch the whole show here:Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JthfK81E7n0
Luis Antonio:
Luis Antonio’s Spring/Summer’15 collection “Maritime” was inspired by ocean life and the colors of Puerto Rico’s flag. This collection was made for the modern woman who lives a sophisticated life and enjoys everything that is beautifully made. The runway was full of amazing prints with abstract designs made of lines and other ones made of ropes. Luis’s elegant silhouettes were made to accentuate a woman’s figure in a classic way. We saw a transition from daywear dresses with flowy midi skirts to sparkly evening wear, leaving all of the spectators in awe.
“I wanted this collection to be abstract, from the prints to the silhouettes, to the whole look on each of the women that I presented today”, said Luis Antonio in an interview after the show.
His dedication for creating a well-made dress for an elegant woman left us viewers craving more dreamy garments to float down the runway. And have you seen those shoes? They were designed by Luis Antonio himself exclusively for this collection. Good news: they will be available in Novus Shoes stores soon!
Watch the whole show here:Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYR3ZrnFUXQ
We are extremely proud of these two amazing designers who took pieces of our culture to one of the most internationally-recongnized fashion events, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. With their experience making it to The Big Apple, these designers have proved they have so much to offer, not only to Puerto Rico, but to the world.Â
*Pictures taken from Google