Photo: Jaime Ibiza

Mexico’s Fashion Icons

By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

Always one step ahead of the latest fashion trend, Mexican handbag designer Jaime Ibiza has dedicated his latest collection to the women of Mexico who have set the style for the nation to become Mexico’s fashion icons.

Mexican handbag designer Jaime Ibiza with fashion model Alejandra Infante. Photo: Jaime Ibiza

His new collection, appropriately called Iconos (Icons), is a homage to seven of Mexico’s most important fashion-conscious women, based on Ibiza’s most enduring styles and designs over the last 10 years.

“I wanted to let the women who define fashion in Mexico have a say in what the collection would like out,” Ibiza told Pulse News Mexico during a launch cocktail of the collection on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

“As a result, this collection is extremely large — over 100 designs — one of my largest collections ever.”

Ibiza said that the collection is also a tribute to the Mexican fashion industry as a whole, and the creative style of Mexican women, who, no matter what, always manage to keep up with global trends while at the same time showcasing their unique national identity.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Mexico City director Beatriz Calles. Photo: Jaime Ibiza

For his muses, Ibiza chose seven leading fashion icons: Fashion commentator and patron Anna Fusoni of the Modapremio Experience and House of Anna platforms; Beatriz Calles, head of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Mexico City for more than a decade; Lucy Lara, fashion editor of the likes of Elle, Marie Claire, Glamor, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue and author of four best-selling books on female empowerment; Jannette Klein, founder of the most prestigious fashion school in Mexico; Alejandra Infante, one of Mexico’s top models with an international projection; film actress and star of the movie “Guerra de Likes” Pamela Cortés; and fashion influencer Valeria Aguilar.

Each of the seven women were asked to choose their favorite purses and to personalize them with their own stamp of elegance.

Fashion editor Lucy Lara. Photo: Jaime Ibiza

The purses, now available in select boutiques and Liverpool department stores nationwide, as well as on Ibiza’s webpage, cover practically every style and need, from tiny evening clutches to oversized fit-in-everything-you-need-for-the-day-including-lunch totes.

Although the color range is extremely ample, Ibiza’s now-signature monotone texture-on-texture dominates the collection, making these day-to-night bags instant classics that will no doubt remain in style for yet another decade.

There are also a good number of always-stylish animal prints, and each bag comes with Ibiza’s prototypical gold metallic clasps and trim, along with his trademark cloverleaf crest and tassels, that have always given his bags a well-appointed cache.