Inspiration Collage: Spanish Harlem

I love this week's theme, Spanish Harlem. (Over at Sew Weekly, if anyone's wondering what themes or challenges I'm always rambling about) Of course, since I live far across "the pond" and dreams of New York are well fed but put on ice until days filled with more money, I love everything about it. The city of a million different cultures, all wonderfully mixed up into loud and extravagant versions of themselves.

The parts of the Spanish Harlem fashion and culture I wanted to pick up was not just the obvious Spanish influences with flowers and bright colors, but the roughness, the strong and the proud women who expressed power, hotness and joy of life through all hardships that come with living in a not-so-perfect neighborhood. The ladies of Jazz in the 40's, the glamorous party-going women with fringed dresses as well as the tough young ones wearing mens shirts and boots in the streets in the 50's, and all the other colorful and cocky lovely ladies that stand their ground all the way up until today. In fashion, the inspiration from these women, and of course, the Puerto Rican culture that so many of them come from, is clear and often outspoken, in the collage below by Chanel 1991 (small picture of two runway models wearing mostly black and loads of gold chains) and more recently in Burberry ads for spring/summer 2011 (second pic from left on top).

My first intention this week was to make something super amazing, like a skirt-blouse-jacket combo... then I came back to earth. So, at least a skirt will happen. After all, I do have a very, very... hm, very big wardrobe full of amazing vintage and freepiled clothes to wear and match with what I make. Probably a good time to remember that.