The Playful Raul Penaranda NYFW Collection

I had the pleasure of covering the Raul Penaranda NYFW for Fall / Winter 2016. Since his last show was so impressive, I was particularly excited to see I would be covering his Spring / Summer 2017 debut. Penaranda came to New York City from Columbia, and he’s known for his work with Oscar de la Renta, Liz Claiborne, DKNY, and Tommy Hilfiger. Last season Penaranda debuted on his own in his first ready to wear collection titled ‘EMERGE — Show The World Who You Are’.

Having interviewed Raul before the show, I learned that this season’s collection was influenced by the classic 1950’s style of Cuba. This resulted in looks that had class and sophistication, and a playful manifestation of classic style into the modern day wardrobe. Penaranda showed his kindness backstage as he personally thanked the Fashion Mingle team for our attendance and coverage of his debut.

As the Raul Penaranda NYFW show began, brilliant ready-to-wear dresses, jackets, and tops made their way down the runway. It was clear the direction of the models was to be playful with this show, forgoing the usual stone-serious demeanor of models on other NYFW runways. Models twirling dresses and winking to the press pit helped bring the essence of a spring afternoon or summer day in the tropics of Cuba. Seeing the collection was like walking into a movie. Many of the outfits were accented with wide-brim hats and small, sleek hand bags or clutches. The collection consisted of pale greens, sheer tops, and over all vibrant colors closely associated with the spring and summer months.

Raul Penaranda shows a clear passion for style and fashion. Backstage, Penaranda explained that he wants his vision and designs to not just showcase one select class of person, but to be worn by many and inspire even more. His designs are for the girl who isn’t afraid to push boundaries in her wardrobe. If we learned anything from the Raul Penaranda NYFW show it was that this designer is definitely one to keep on your radar.