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PARIS, France — Whilst his Colombian-via-Miami roots are well documented and often celebrated in his work, who knew that Esteban Cortazar's maternal grandfather was a Brit?
Backstage he explained an homage to his English side for Autumn Winter 2017; it began with the 'Vaughan' nametags tacked onto a handful of garments to signify his mother's maiden name, and fully emerged in the craze of tartans and leafy filigree prints that the designer applied to his now confident silhouette of slashed skirts, baggy denim, and utilitarian jacket shapes blown up into cocooning, larger-than-life proportions.
Though it made an interesting case study for Cortazar’s own culture clash, here the daywear got too caught up in its own schizophrenic mix of pattern, texture and radicalism. It was in moments of simplicity that this collection shone, in pieces like a corseted navy silk shift dress or a structured satin coat dress that exploded into his signature flounces. In a red carpet to runway switcheroo, Faye Dunaway wore the latter on Oscar night, affirmation his eveningwear talents are the key to his brand’s evolution.
