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ELLE Travel: The magic of Colombia
Fantasy, fashion and new-found freedoms make Colombia a happening spot for chic globetrotters.
By Noreen Flanagan
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Where to dine
• Andrés Carne de Res About a 45-minute drive north of Bogotá, this is equal parts street theatre, restaurant and dance hall.
• Criterión This French restaurant is a hideaway for well-heeled locals.
• Harry's Bar This hot spot attracts a fashionable young crowd that wants to see and be seen.
Getting there Air Canada flies from Toronto to Bogotá three times a week. Fly between cities in Colombia on Avianca.
Bogotá's beau monde
Rebel, rebel "Magic realism" is a term often associated with film and fiction, but Bogotá-based designer Olga Piedrahita brings the same fantastical and mystical elements to her fashion. One of the country's most revered designers, the former artist and dancer is known for her intellectual and avant-garde designs. "Every time I work on a collection, I first rid myself of any preconceptions and throw myself into an abyss," she says. "It's the only way to achieve creative lightness." Piedrahita aims to create illusions and shatter others with her work. "I've tried to liberate women from any concepts of elegance created by men."
Pink lady A few doors down from Piedrahita's studio is designer María Luisa Ortíz's atelier. Their boutiques are located in the heart of La Zona Rosa, an area known for its fashionable shops and nightclubs. Ortíz's mother was one of Colombia's first fashion designers. "I used to hang out in her atelier when I was a child," she recalls. "She died when I was 18, and I was too young and inexperienced to run her business. I left for Paris, where I studied fashion and interned at Christian Lacroix. Now that was magic -- real magic!" After a short stop in Los Angeles, Ortíz returned to Colombia in 1995 and started sewing dresses in her father's dining room until she was able to open her shop. Her work has a nostalgic sensibility and femininity to it. "My muses are from the '30s to the '60s," explains Ortíz, "from Madame Vionette to Wallis Simpson to Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." While her influences are largely European, Ortíz says that her designs are influenced by Colombia's struggles. "I try to bring colour -- especially pink -- to my collections," she explains. "I use colour to show optimism for my country."
Image courtesy of Noreen Flanagan
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