By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

The first-ever Queretaro Fashion Show (QSF), held in the capital city’s majestic, 18th century, baroque Centro de Artes Queretaro (Ceart), on Saturday, Oct. 30, not only showcased the central Mexican state’s dynamic economic recovery after the 18-month covid-19 pandemic shutdown, but also served to reignite the city’s elite social circles and spotlight its extraordinary versatility as a high-end tourist destination.

The gala one-night affair, which included catwalks of the latest creations by renowned Mexican design house Pineda Covalín, Macario Jiménez, Elisheva and Constance, and up-and-coming Queretaro couturier Alex Medina.

The star-studded event — led by Mexican actress and Queretaro native Grettel Valdez and a team of international models decked out in dramatic cat-eye makeup — opened with a parade of airy, wind-blown and ultra-feminine, monochromatic evening gowns from designer Macario Jiménez, known as Mexico’s “Stylist of First Ladies.”

The Milan-trained Jiménez draped his models in sensuous take-me-out-and-let-me-flaunt silhouettes of silks and satins that reflected the celebration of a rebirth of social engagements and the designer’s innate love of the female form.

And Jiménez’s regally flowy dresses were made all the more elegant by asymmetric cuts and peekaboo slits.

Next up on the runway were an alluringly colorful burst of vibrant Balinese- and Jamaican-like floral aand fauna prints from the design duo Cristina Pineda and Ricardo Covalín, whose gowns, muumuus, swimwear, shorts and coverups reveled in the irresistible beauty of opulent nature and summer vitality. The collection was punctuated with oversized hummingbird, dragonflies and monarch butterflies, along with multihued orchids and cacti. The highlight of the collection were several cocoon-to-butterfly gowns that started off as muted earth-toned dresses and opened into stunning profusions of animated, energetic prints as the models spread their arms to reveal the garments’ inner grandeur.

“This collection is all about life and color,” Covalín told Pulse News Mexico. “It is full of optimism and rebirth, reflecting our own reawakening after the long and dark period of the pandemic.”

And, indeed, Pineda Covalín’s new spring/summer collection was a virtual kaleidoscope of bright colors and skin-baring forms that underscored an ultra-maximalism of bliss, in keeping with the QFS’ theme of “there can never be too much joy or glamour.”

The signature Elisheva and Constance jewelry collection by San Miguel de Allende’s Bárbara López Vie was gold and bold. Long auric chains that extended way below the waist and thick gilded chokers with diamond studs were accentuated against channel-length  black tutu dresses. And the Elisheva and Constance bling kept on coming with gladiator-style armbands and eye-popping, is-that-stone-for-real? mega-rings.

In contrast to the robust multichromatic splendor of the Pineda Covalín collection, Medina’s garments were stark and unisex, almost entirely black-on-black, with an occasional hint of white to avoid monotony.

These monochromatic pieces, in unusual, loose, oversized cuts, presented a timeless feel that screamed comfort-over-style and provided for seemingly endless opportunities for year-round mix and match.