Colombia Blooms At Miami Fashion Week

"Welcome to Miami". In 1997, Will Smith put this city of neon and azure on the global pop culture map. Launched a year later, Miami Fashion Week has been "getting jiggy with it" ever since. In recent years it has become the hottest international platform for swimwear and resort style apparel. Given its strategic geopolitical location, Miami positions itself as a gateway between the North American market and Latin American and Caribbean designers on the cusp of going global. This season basked in special media spotlight thanks to Antonio Banderas, its Honorary President. The world is experiencing a Banderas Renaissance. He arrived in Florida from the Cannes Film Festival where he had won Best Actor prize at for Pain & Glory, the latest Almodovar film. Banderas is also the menswear ambassador for the Spanish premium retail giant El Corte Inglés. His trademark style, passion and wit brought the attendees’ excitement to a whole next level.

In all seriousness, Latin American designers approach Miami Fashion Week as an opportunity to reach American audiences and governments and chambers of commerce see a chance at fashion diplomacy here. Case in point is Colombia. Two emergent designers took Miami runways by storm: Glory Ang from the coastal Cartagena and Daniella Batlle from Barranquilla, a city famous for its Carnaval. Both anticipated shows featured an explosion of tropical flora in key summer colors.

Colombia is the world’s leading exporter of flowers thanks to its everlasting spring climate and seemingly endless varieties of tropical blossoms. It is no wonder Colombian fashion lovers and designers cannot get enough of flowers. Miami is a perfect place to showcase that devotion. Flowers also play an important role in its cultures, both indigenous and of Spanish heritage.

In fact, Glory Ang finds the historical mix particularly fascinating. "I love the colors and textiles, the passion of my people along with traditional Andalusian and Spanish garment design elements," comments the designer. Just within the last year her sales took the brand from a single brick and mortar storefront to prominent e-commerce platforms.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF CANADIAN FASHION?

It should be bright verging on blinding: The design talent in this country is extraordinary. But the industry's problems are deep and structural: It's hugely expensive to launch a brand, but government funding for fashion doesn't exist. It's essential to be in places where your customers shop, but (most) retailers don't support homegrown designers. To chat about the challenges and forecast the future, we invited eight industry leaders to the St. Regis Toronto for a rollicking round-table chat with our editor-in-chief, Laura deCarufel. We talked money, Meghan Markle, Canadian identity and how to spark lasting change.

AWARENESS AND ACCESS
How much awareness is there in Canada about Canadian designers? Do you think Canadians want to buy local fashion?
Judith Maria Bradley: "I've always wondered why people in this country don't know the names of their designers."

Bojana Sentaler: "I've definitely seen a change in the last couple of years. Ten years ago when I founded Sentaler, people didn't even know Canada had fashion designers. Now we have some clients who won't wear anything but Canadian. One particular client said she got rid of everything in her closet and she's only replacing her wardrobe with Canadian designers. I think the change has to do with events like CAFA [Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards] and TV shows like Stitched. And when Sophie Grégoire Trudeau appeared in Vogue wearing Canadian, people were like, ‘Oh, Canada and fashion—those two words can be in one sentence.' Meghan Markle has also made it a point to wear Canadian—she's helped the world see that we have great fashion designers."

Sylvia Mantella: "I think the awareness has grown, but the key now is access. How do you access Canadian brands? Everyone these days lives very busy lives—I'm always going a thousand miles an hour—so making access easy for people is essential."

Has Bella Thorne Found Her Fashion Groove?

You could be forgiven for assuming you know all there is to know about Bella Thorne's style. The actress’s joie de vivre means she’s frequently spotted in brightly colored wigs and psychedelic fare, but there are layers to the former Disney star. On the heels of a best-selling book, Carnegie Hall performance, and successful makeup launch, Thorne has joined the ranks of multi-tasking celebrity entrepreneurs and adopted a look to match. At last night’s Los Angeles premiere of J.T. Leroy she arrived in an asymmetrical little black dress by DSquared2 with understated charm.

Though she piled on the bling and added sparkle with pieces from Mio Harutaka, Dannijo, and Swarovski, Thorne kept the majority of her outfit simple. Strappy sandals, a swipe of blue eyeliner, and ombre waves combined for a style that reflected her love of glamour while offering a new verve. Thorne and stylist, Mikiel Benyamin, have always kept things audacious. But as Thorne's fashions skew more sophisticated, it seems they’re set to show off a whole new side of the multi-talented performer.

prom dresses

Birds of Passage examines the roots of a fictional cartel as the result of many small steps

North-American filmgoers are accustomed to movies that portray the drug trade to the south as a domestic concern, to be battled by some (see the excellent 2015 film Sicario), aided and abetted by others (The Mule, more recent, less stellar). Few films portray cartel members as anything other than faceless villains, or dig deep into the history of the trade.

Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano), Colombia's foreign-language submission to the recent Academy Awards, takes an unusual tack on both fronts by examining the roots of a fictional cartel. And without glorifying the business or exonerating its participants, it suggests that such crimes can be the result of many small steps, individually defensible yet ultimately leading to bloodshed and misery.

The story opens in the late 1960s, and the marriage between Zaida (Natalia Reyes) and Rapayet (José Acosta). Both are members of the Wayúu, a proud indigenous group, native to what is now northern Colombia and Venezuela. (The word "alijuna," spoken often but never translated by the subtitles, is quickly understood to mean outsiders, literally "the ones who damage." That includes modern descendants of Spanish invaders as well as the more obvious American gringos.)

Rapayet and his buddy Moisés (Jhon Narváez) are at a café when they overhear some young American Peace Corps workers looking to score some weed. Moisés goes to his cousin to get some, the two make some easy money, and everyone is happy. It's that first, oh-so-defensible step.

Co-directors Carmina Martinez and José Acosta skip through the years that follow, with chapters set in 1971, 1979 and into the 1980s. In each segment the drug shipments are heavier, the payments bigger, and the threat (or actuality) of violence more pronounced. We also note, almost in passing, how the cars become more numerous and expensive, the dealers' houses more elegantly furnished.

The best bargain face cleansers

There's always a little lull in January, where it's a fraction too early for beauty's spring launches, and the act of wearing any residual Christmas glitter and party makeup feels about as appealing as eating another turkey sandwich – so I invariably take the time to unearth some old skincare favourites. And, since this is the interminable month when people are mostly broke, the cheaper the products, the better.

Cleansers lend themselves perfectly to this process: I strongly believe that while cleansing itself is among the most important steps in achieving good skin, selecting the specific product with which to do it is among the least. As long as something removes all makeup without stripping the face dry, passes the towel test (no foundation smears when you dry off, ever) and leaves skin soft and comfortable, I'm happy. My preferred formula is cream, and there are plenty of excellent ones on the high street.

Superdrug, in particular, excels at them. I've been recommending its Vitamin E cleanser for donkey's years, but can as enthusiastically recommend its terrific, vegan-friendly Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser on all skin types. It sweeps away everything, imparting a nice glow and no discomfort (swap its free cloth for a cotton flannel for best results). Another fantastic cleanser to which I return time and again, is The Body Shop's Vitamin E Cream Cleanser. I'd be as happy giving it to my 13-year-old niece as I would be in recommending it to her grandmother – and when used with a hand-hot flannel (as everything here should be), it keeps skin clean, fresh and nicely cushioned.

Beauty Pie's vegan Japanfusion Pure Transforming Cleanser was among my most-used products last year. It has a slightly different texture: it's a light gel-balm that massages into dry skin, then becomes milky when you add water, which makes for a lovely, refreshing morning cleanse on any complexion type, including super oily. Finally, a newer discovery from Sukin, a natural brand for which I've developed a soft spot. Its Sensitive Cream Cleanser is just that – soft, gentle, soothing. Everything here is cruelty-free.