Juana Martín once again looked to Malaga, Spain, for her spring couture collection. This time she remembered the humid mornings full of flowers, typical of the Andalusian region.
But these picturesque moments immortalized by artists such as Spanish symbolist painter Julio Romero de Torres failed to translate into compelling programming.
An early graphic direction, featuring high-waisted pants paired with an abbreviated bandeau top ending with a long train or rectangular cape over abbreviated shorts, seemed promising.
But Martín stumbled when trying to be sculptural. The pieces carved from rattan straps looked like unfinished experiments, while the square, tapered shoulders seemed limiting, not empowering.
Meanwhile, dresses that looked like bolts of fabric wrapped around the body with silver embellishments sprouting from the navel and crotch were more affected than plain.
Here and there were examples of his skillful tailoring (and they are still attractive, make no mistake), but they were too sparse to enhance an ensemble that meant costume rather than couture client.
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