The traditional notion of Resort—one built on fabulous winter getaways in exotic places—lends itself to Johanna Ortiz. The Colombian designer creates fashion against a tropical background 365 days of the year, after all. She brought some of that warm Latin flair to New York this season, and the sounds of Colombian music could be heard pulsing from the garden of Ladurée in Soho where the presentation took place. “It’s called Cumbia Pacifico,” said Ortiz, dancing to the beat with a bevy of models. “We listen to this back home all the time.”
Ruffled asymmetric crop tops and tiered skirts had an unmistakable romantic sway about them, one that has helped Ortiz to seduce a sizable international audience in the last couple of years. Globetrotting socials such as Lauren Santo Domingo were among the first fans of Ortiz’s work, and there were references to an American icon of exceptional style and taste, namely Georgia O’Keeffe, in the new collection. The so-called mother of American modernism is in the zeitgeist right now—there’s currently an exhibit spotlighting her immaculate minimalist wardrobe at the Brooklyn Museum. Austere elegance is hardly Ortiz’s bag, though traces of O’Keeffe could be found in the hothouse prints inspired by succulents, and there was a Southwestern streak in the bright pink and lipstick red gingham looks.
Ortiz collaborated with jewelry designer Rebecca de Ravenel, and her popular Les Bonbons earrings came strung with pretty floral embellishments. Ortiz still produces all of her clothes in an atelier in Colombia, and the intricacy of the hand-embroidered sequin party dresses certainly held up to the kind of craftsmanship you might find in Paris or Milan. She also partnered with the indigenous Colombian Wayuu people on the charming hand-woven bags known as mochillas this season. Finished with oversize silk tassels, the pieces toed the line between cocktail hour and sunset on the beach—a practical and chic extension of the brand’s homegrown production values.
