Text & Images, Vivian G. Kelly
Time & Place: Wednesday night, November 19, 2008, the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada store at 135 Wooster Street, downtown Manhattan
THE INSPIRATION: “Las Meninas” Spanish painter, Velazquez’s masterpiece, of the solemn blonde Infanta Margarita [daughter of King Phillip IV], trapped in a stiff costume, surrounded by her faithful attendants.
WHY: The party was held in honor of one of a kind capsule collection Ms. de la Prada designed for F.I.T. Our favorite dress, and one our friend and guest, Molly Sutter of Limelight Ltd., ordered on the spot, was photographed and ran in WWD. The baby pink strapless with astonishing tulle detailing fulfills any mother’s fantasy of being a prima ballerina or the belle of the ball.
THE CROWD: It was like being in Spain, with all of the Spanish being spoken. A famous face, Belem Hudson in attendance wearing a blue Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.
PR maven, LISA SILHANEK, who looked great in a hot pink and orange de la Prada sweater, cued us into just how big a designer de la Prada is. Although she’s not a fixture on the NY circuit, she just showed not only in Madrid, but also in Milan and Paris!
Ms. de la Prada was surrounded by fans most of the evening, but we were able to secret her off for a minute or two to find out why she would dare to launch such a fantastical collection in times as dark as these.
LYRA MAG: Is there a message about the Meninas that you were trying to share by basing this capsule collection on her?
AGATHA: The Meninas is about the nature of what a woman’s life was like then – very restricted. This collection is the antithesis of all of that. We have always gone against the trend. The idea is to inspire people at a time of a recession.
LYRA MAG: Do you think that recession can be a good thing for creativity?
AGATHA: Historically, artists from all different disciplines have done their best work in times of crisis.
While it’s undeniably “a time of crisis” no matter which country you live in, Agatha Ruis de la Prada’s colorful designs help to brighten up our world.
To view the full range of Agatha de la Ruiz products, visit
www.agatharuizdelaprada.com