By Iris Edén Santiago
Special to The Star
Third time’s the charm.
After the event was postponed twice, local fashion designer Lisa Thon finally presented her Fall 2022 proposal at Fairmont’s El San Juan Hotel in Isla Verde on Saturday. And it was worth waiting for.
Thon’s collection officially ends San Juan Moda’s VIP Edition 2022, which showcased Fall and Holiday collections from nearly 20 local fashion designers. Among the designers who hosted fashion events with San Juan Moda are Eddie Guerrero, José Raúl, Juan Carlos Collazo, Sonia Rivera, Rubén Darío, David Antonio, Elda Samano, Marcos Carrazana, Carlos Alberto, Luis Antonio, Leonardo 5th Avenue, Lisa Cappalli, Lisa Porrata, Javier Arnaldo, Juan Colón and Orlando López.
Designer, professor and mentor, Lisa Thon is a beloved local authority in all things fashion. Her fashion design school Centromoda is a top-notch school where dozens of established and emerging designers are trained. And with all that work, Thon still manages to put out several collections of her own every year.
“Visionary” is a sophisticated, complete and festive collection that integrates classic silhouettes with a modern twist. Her color palette includes chocolate, burgundy, gray, teal, turquoise, burnt orange, gold and softer hues of baby blue.
Inspiration for the collection came from “all those visionary women who face life with creativity and wisdom.” Thon mentions that she added a little spice and a touch of surrealism with hints from iconic artist Salvador Dalí, and Frida Kahlo images. Dalí’s pet ocelot, Babou, also provided inspiration for the fabulous series of looks in animal prints. Vibrant animal print fabrics are utilized in belted cocktail dresses with shoulder tie knot straps, bomber jackets, and sexy mini skirts shown with strapless fitted tops. Matching animal prints with bright teal and turquoise for a high-impact effect was genius. Striking, really. Also winning? Feline-print hosiery modeled with skirts in contrasting colors.
We especially loved the duster jackets, the monochromatic three-piece look with bandeau in turquoise, and the belted short dresses. The collection ended with strapless midi dresses and pleated maxi skirts in metallic colors, pink gold, pastel hues and iridescent fabrics for an ultra feminine and delicate look. The shirt dress with long sleeves and a pussy bow tie at the neck … very 1970s, very chic.