One would be ill-informed not to know the Dominican Republic has a hot and happening fashion scene. Apart from an average of 10 shows a day over a 4-day period, the country’s fashion week was filled with numerous trunk shows, social gatherings, and enough bloggers, photographers, and fashionistas to fill the pages of trendy magazines for the next couple of months. Dominicana Moda always encapsulates the feisty flavors of resort wear and does well to encourage holiday wardrobe shopping. It may not be every day that we can wear a Carlos de Moya blue and red mosaic gown, but we sure as heck want one come December!
Rossana Tenia for Chavón School of Design, Giannina Azar, and Leonel Lirio (Dominicana Moda 2017, ph: Freddy Cruz)
This year was ripe with embellishment and strong architectural shapes. If bodies weren’t dripping in body conscious layers of beads, silhouettes were so exaggerated you may be hard pressed to recognize the shapes beneath. We kind of like it that way though— relaxed cuts and new takes on men’s dress shirts means we can eat more in the coming months and none be the wiser. Asymmetrical blouses, baggy pants, and textured prints ruled the runway.
Camila (Dominicana Moda 2017, ph: Freddy Cruz)
Menswear styles also took a new form as top designer Jose Jhan tapered men’s waistlines with braided belts and punched up classic looks with a wide variety of patterns and stripes. Held at the square in front of popular restaurant Lulu in La Zona Colonial, it was one of my favorite DM17 shows despite the sun’s aggressive heat. The cool thing about fashion week 2017 was its new locations, that in year’s past were all held at the Occidental El Embajador. We loved fanning through Capilla De Los Remedios for Maylé Vásquez’s show to see poised models on podiums, exhibiting her latest collection like artwork at a museum.
Silvia Tcherassi, Armando Costa, and Jose Jhan (Dominicana Moda 2017, ph: Freddy Cruz)
The Fortaleza Ozama that housed the majority of shows in its courtyard beckoned guests to marvel at the fortress’s intimidating heights and mysterious corners among some twinkling evening lights. All in all, we congratulate the excellence of Dominican talent, visible in our progressive fashion scene, and a special shout-out to the young Altos de Chavón School of Design students who are making a name for themselves in hip, wearable art. View more of their eco-friendly collection “Reshape the Future” here.
Our top pick’s from Dominicana Moda 2017 can be seen in the gallery below, taken by Freddy Cruz:
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