MADRID — Madrid Fashion Week generated a global controversy last season by insisting on weight limits for models, but all the attention still failed to attract a large number of overseas buyers to the fall edition of the Cibeles runway shows this month.
The fall shows, which ran Feb. 12 to 16 in Retiro Park, featured 35 designers and 64 models whose body mass index, or BMI, was required to be at a minimum of 18. “We were laughed at in September [for banning too-thin models] but the international fashion world has paid attention,” said Cibeles director Cuca Solana (who says her BMI is 21).
While the move by Cibeles over models last season forced most of the world’s other fashion capitals — including Milan and New York — to take up the issue and come up with their own guidelines for models’ weight, Spain continues to lag fashion-wise. In general, the fashions on the runway were eclectic and relatively undistinguished. Trends included minidresses and volume plays; big shoulders and fuller sleeves; high-waisted slim pants and leggings; Eighties’ references and zips; tweedy wools, and black and more black.
Highlights included:
l Amaya Arzuaga’s texture mixes, particularly second-skin separates and a bubble-skirted dress in chocolate brown high-tech fabrics with thick ribbed-knit trims.
l Juanjo Oliva’s matching coat/dress duo in double-faced Prince of Wales checks and strapless party dresses in black and white ottoman. The 35-year-old designer sells mostly made-to-measure through his shop/atelier here, called Egotherapy.
l Angel Schlesser’s shifts and short puffed tunics in beige and black silk jersey and duchesse satin. The designer, based here, has nine namesake shops in Spain and one in Warsaw. Royal daughter Infanta Elena de Borbón, wearing a tailored black Schlesser pantsuit, sat in the front row.
l Agatha Ruiz de la Prada’s simple button-free coats and new skiwear line, the latest addition to her ongoing stable of licenses, in signature bubble-gum combinations, hearts and swirls.
At the SIMM apparel show, held Feb. 16 to 18 in the fairgrounds here, vendors said they are managing to survive, despite a stagnant domestic market and weak consumer spending.
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“Spanish retailers have not sold, so they’re not buying,” said Joyce Antaki, Spanish representative for After Six, a division of Medici, a U.K. producer of eveningwear and special occasion dresses. “For instance, I have a boutique customer whose sales dropped from 5,000 euros [or $6,550 at current exchange] a month to 600 euros [or $798] since last fall, so her order went from 68 pieces to 18 to 20. On the other hand, everybody says this can’t last, so at least we’re optimistic.”
According to IFEMA, the fair’s organizer, SIMM drew 21,216 visitors, up about 8 percent over September. Foreign traffic totaled 2,287.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen many foreigners; this fair is more for the domestic market,” said Jazmin Horta, assistant export manager of Fuentecapala, an established brand for women and men featuring classic silhouettes and impeccable tailoring. She said the label, based here, did well with short casual jackets with zip trims in herringbone-patterned wools, quilting and imitation ponyskin. Wholesale prices ranged from 120 euros, or $157, to 150 euros, or $197.
The strong euro remains Europe’s biggest problem, exhibitors said. “We’ve lost a lot of money absorbing the difference in exchange rate shifts. Each year we have tremendous losses because of the weak dollar, but the U.S. is still an attractive and interesting market,” said Ricardo Fraguas Gadea, managing director of Mirto, a high-end shirtmaker based here.
Mirto sells an estimated 700,000 women’s and men’s shirts a year to about 20 countries. Key markets are France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, the U.S. and Spain with 700 doors and 20 corners in the El Corte Inglés department store chain.
“In the U.S., we’re 30 percent more expensive than Spain, where the average price is 80 euros, or $105,” said Fraguas. “We’re sacrificing profit margins there rather than compromise our quality.”
To help counter the euro, which has strengthened by 45 percent since 2001, Mirto is repositioning the brand, especially the women’s line, “to better connect with the consumer,” Fraguas said. He cited substantial investments in image and design.
Knitwear was one of the fair’s strongest categories, both superfine and chunky, for elongated sweater jackets, stretched-out cardigans, dresses and coats, and contrast stitching for cotton T-shirts and tunics with delicate silk sleeves, for instance. Vendors said key colors were black, gray, cream, brown and plum.
“Retailers are shopping for innovation like belted kimono styles with a three-quarter sleeve or long coats with attached pieces and lots of adornment,” said Juan Rodriguez, commercial director of Dikton’s. The 40-year-old Barcelona knitwear label sells to Nordstrom and was recently featured in the Neiman Marcus catalogue.
Another high-profile classification was party clothes, the best of which played up ultrafeminine styling, dressy separates and short lengths, black and gold combinations, paisleys and lace-like fabrics.
“We’re doing less and less beading and 80 percent of the collection is black. Chocolate is our number-two color,” said Antaki of After Six. “In short lengths, this is our number-one style,” she said, indicating a black silk halter dress with a draped bodice and swing skirt with a wholesale price of 100 euros, or $131. “Customers want easy-going garments,” she commented.
Other core sellers for After Six included black knit tops and twinsets with a little jewel trim; a small grouping of short patterned chiffon dresses in bold colors, and, in longer lengths, a slim gown in printed pewter velvet and what Antaki called “the Begum dress,” a strapless style in hyacinth cotton voile with a full semipleated skirt and a short lacy jacket. “It’s real mother-of-the-bride and suits all skin colors,” Antaki said, adding it wholesales for 500 euros, or $655.
Generally speaking, trendy retailers skipped the fair. “We’re looking for items no one else has and it seems every store in Spain buys at the Madrid show,” said Beatriz Mezquiriz, co-owner of Pez, a multibrand shop here that carries labels such as Anna Sui and Betty Jackson. “I went to Cibeles and some of the clothes were fun and original — but too over the top for us,” she added.