Cut to the chase

Coco Chanel said that before leaving the house, you had to look in the mirror and take off an accessory. In fashion - as in journalism - cutting is almost always synonymous with gaining strength, intention and quality. The same thing happens in the parades. Those that avoid infinite declines in different colors and fabrics of the same style or save superfluous pieces, those that go to the heart have, in general, more impact and relevance. This Friday, on the second day of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, Maison Mesa needed just over 10 pieces to build its techno-gothic universe, and Jorge Vázquez, 28 to demonstrate what he is capable of at Pertegaz.Whether this contention has to do with a drop in sales that the Association of Fashion Creators of Spain estimates at 36% or with the organization of the event providing only 26 models per show is another debate. The scissors improves the collections and it would not hurt the Madrid catwalk itself in this 74th edition, which hosts more than 30 presentations, most of them featuring family brands or with some industrial support. The pandemic - and the collapse in consumption it caused - appears to have wiped many of the authorship signatures from the MBFWM calendar.The pandemic - and the collapse in consumption it caused - appears to have wiped many of the authorship signatures from the MBFWM calendar.The pandemic - and the collapse in consumption it caused - appears to have wiped many of the authorship signatures from the MBFWM calendar.

Pertegaz parade Sergio R. Moreno / GTRES

Pertegaz inaugurated his new stage three months before the confinement.

In 2019, Jealfer, the company that had the license to manufacture the firm's knitwear, also bought the

and appointed designer Jorge Vázquez as creative director. The project was presented with an ambitious parade on January 31, 2020 and has had to develop in a world without events, the natural habitat of the semi-sewing pieces with which Vázquez intended to rebuild the house. For this reason, his latest collection is more relaxed and commercial. "You have to sell and we have to adapt to the moments we are living," explains the designer. This attitude translates into a proposal of supposed African inspiration with shirt dresses, high-waisted pants, kaftans with embroidered bibs and dresses cut from the seventies. As usual, Vázquez rescued a print by maestro Pertegaz and reissued one of his mythical tunics. Among the public, the wife of the President of the Government, Begoña Gómez.

Teresa Helbig fashion show Sergio R Moreno / GTRES

Teresa Helbig also searches her archive to celebrate 25 years of her brand.

On the catwalk, the Catalan creator once again uses raffia, one of her fetish materials, and with it she builds sculptural jackets, tops and dresses beautifully embroidered by hand in a display of technique, craftsmanship and passion for the trade.

He also recovers the chains, another of his hallmarks, this time woven together with velvet to shape a kind of

three-dimensional.

There is no lack of leather work or minimal dresses and skirts that have made her so famous and that arose, like so many successful products, from a mistake.

“In my first collection, I made the patterns taking me as a reference because I didn't have anyone else, and when the models put them on they were all too short.

People loved it, ”he laughs.

Helbig, who has just opened an

in Madrid, hopes to return to Los Angeles as soon as possible.

Just before the lockdown, he landed several famous outlets and clients, such as Halle Berry.

"He still texts me from time to time," he says.

Parade of Roberto Torretta.Eduardo Parra / Europa Press

Roberto Torretta, who returned to the catwalk on Friday after a year and a half absence, was also celebrating his anniversary.

He was celebrating 40 years in shape and with optimism.

"We will have to have done something good to keep going after so many years in such a fierce sector," he explains hours before his show.

The designer assures that in 2021 they have managed to match the sales figures prior to the pandemic.

His commitment is not innovative, but it is coherent and, as the candles blown by his family business show, solid: “Garments with a long journey in the wardrobe, apparently simple, but that contain a lot of pattern and craft work behind them”.

This is the collection that went up on the catwalk this Friday: “Quiet, harmonious, serene, how we feel”, Torretta sums up.

Lola Casademunt fashion show.GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Lola Casademut is also 40 years old. The firm is one of the few that have made the leap from Intergift and Bisutex —the gift and jewelery fairs organized by Feria de Madrid— to the MBFWM, which also depends on this institution. The brand landed on the catwalk a year ago, when the pandemic reduced the number of participants and the duration of the Madrid event, which went from five to three days. As its creative director, Maite Casademut, explains, this experience has helped them “raise the brand image” and reinforce their internationalization strategy and launch of new lines.