Latinas Add Spice to Fashion World's Melting Pot
NEW YORK
(AP) July 20,
2007 — With a swath of bright color
here and the shimmer of an extra-large gold hoop earring there, the Latina look
is everywhere.
"There are tons of stereotypes out there,
but young Latina women in the fashion market are young, fresh and full of
ideas," says Thalia, the Mexican-born pop singer who also oversees a line of
clothes for Kmart. "Maybe we're a little more colorful ... and there's always a
little spice, a little flavor, and something flirty."
Styles included in the upcoming Thalia Sodi
Collection for fall are burnt-out velvet tops, sweaters with metallic thread and
a black-and-white striped shirt with tropical fruit appliques.
Thalia isn't the first to embrace her
heritage.
Hollywood stylist Phillip Bloch, who has
dressed Mexico native Salma Hayek, notes that some of the fashion industry's top
designers are Hispanic, including Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and
Narciso Rodriguez.
Bloch also points out some long-lasting
Spanish and Hispanic trends: the bolero, the tango skirt, floral embroideries
and the sleek hairstyle of a bun adorned with a flower.
"Especially now with the boho influence,
the hippie and gypsy looks — they have Latin roots. Embroidery, embellishment,
color, flowers and beading are important to Latinas and to Latin American
history," Bloch says.
Dominican-born de la Renta probably weaves
more hints of Latin flamboyance into his collection than his peers. His runway
parades almost always include a dance dress with tiers of ruffles in a bright
pink, yellow or green sandwiched between more sophisticated daytime suits and
regal gowns.
But unlike de la Renta, who caters mostly
to a socialite-and-celebrity crowd, Thalia wants to be at the forefront of
courting the Hispanic market as part of the mainstream market — and at the mass
level.
The 2000 census counted 35 million
Hispanics. Since then, Hispanics have passed blacks as the nation's largest
minority group.
Kmart, for one, seems to have confidence in
the Thalia brand, expanding its presence from 335 stores when it launched in
2003 to more than 1,400.
On this day, Thalia is in a clingy bright
green top, slim jeans, an armful of gold bangle bracelets and Gucci stilettos.
She says it's a look that is approachable and wearable for everyone (save the
very pricey shoes).
"I don't want others to be afraid of my
clothes as `too Latin' or `too weird,'" she says. Jeans are the best-sellers of
her Kmart line and the top that has become her signature is a blend of cotton
and spandex.
The Latina influence is in the details —
the glitzy trim, the snugger fit. Otherwise, Thalia says, the fashion
sensibility of Hispanics isn't that different from anyone else. They like the
mix-and-match, high-and-low wardrobe that you'll find women wearing in
practically every corner of the country.
A vintage shell-covered Versace dress hangs
in Thalia's own closet with her rock-climbing and yoga gear, and there's also
handcrafted Mexican shawls next to Christian Lacroix scarves. "I'm super
eclectic. ... There's so much fashion to love and so much of fashion goes in
cycles," she says.
Thalia got her first fashion gig in 1993
designing a line of lingerie when she was mostly known as a Spanish-speaking
soap opera star. Through her Kmart deal, the collection includes womenswear,
childrenswear, eyewear, jewelry, shoes and other accessories.
Makeup for Latinas, however, is the domain
of Monica Ramirez and her company Zalia Cosmetics, which claims to be the first
beauty collection specifically made for Hispanics and their skin tones.
Ramirez launched Zalia in 2003 after
working 10 years as a makeup artist and finding that Hispanic women were
frustrated with the options offered to them.
"Most products have a lot of pink in the
them, which looks unnatural and unhealthy on olive or yellow undertones. Many
people thought traditional products felt too heavy or didn't blend in, or they
would leave a line at chin or neck," she saya.
"Most major cosmetic companies now do offer
more shades, but with Zalia you don't have to search through 100 different
foundations to find the one for your skin tone."
Many white women have started using them,
too, she reports, because the yellow-based foundations tone down redness, and
Asian and southern Europeans also are using the foundations because they also
tend to have olive and yellow undertones. Black women are drawn to vibrant
eyeshadows and lipsticks — in shades called Cha Cha, Guacamole and Cafe con
Leche — which show up well against their darker skin, Ramirez says.
Ramirez hired Natalie earlier this year to
be the face for Zaria's new Goin' Crazy Collection, named after the singer's hit
single.
"She loves what she's doing and I want to
associate Zalia with people who love what they're doing and who are proud of
their heritage," Ramirez says of her spokeswoman.
Natalie, a Mexican-American, tells the
Associated Press she hopes to get across to Latinas — and especially Latina
teenagers — that the makeup they wear can enhance what they've already got.
"What I'm comfortable wearing is light
lip glosses, light shadows, warm colors. ... You just should enhance what you've
already got."
