Rebecca Minkoff's Mexican fiesta
A model walks the runway at the Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2014 Runway Show in Collaboration with American Express UNSTAGED, Music by Janelle Monae during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City. (Sept. 6, 2013) Credit: Getty Images for American Express
For Monáe fans, the fun didn’t stop there. The songstress went on to do a Q/A interview with Minkoff and Kelly Osbourne—who’s looking glammier and glammier these days, even with the lavender hair—in a special appearance for American Express card members, who were ensconced in the hip Skybox above the runway. Not a bad perk. (My card just gets me airline miles.)
The runway, meanwhile, was a garden of color, Minkoff importing a slew of looks inspired by sunny Mexico and the Latin American ladies—Frida Kahlo, Bianca Jagger, Caroline Issa, Alice Dellal—who bring that style to life. Vibrant embroidery, laser-cut leather and muchos, muchos florals all played a part.
Now a tribute to Mexico could wind up a tad costumey—like one of those “Ethnic Heritage Days” in elementary school, where you dress up like you work at Epcot and bring in a batch of Mom’s tamales. But Minkoff saves it by infusing the collection with a sporty American aesthetic.
That means taking the vivid embroidery seen on shawls and tourist-trap tchotchkes and putting it on crewnecks, mesh-net sweaters and racer-back tanks; or laser-cutting neoprene; and revving up draped chiffon with racing stripes.
With such a smart mix of cultures, ummm, who needs NAFTA?
