Peru Fashion

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When I decided opening this fashion blog, one of the hardest decisiones i had to make was choosing which language should I use. I can only speak two languages (wish i could speak more), so I had to choose either spanish or english. My beautiful spanish, so rich in words and expressions and english, which I've been studying since I was a kid and can't speak perfectly yet. The idea of making it in english offered me the opportunity of improving my english and the same time meeting fashionistas from all around the world (let's face it, english is one of the most spoken languages). How fun sounded the idea of meeting all those people who shared my interest in fashion and style, who wouldn't look at my outfits like they were the weirdest thing on earth (even better, they would dress just the way I like it) and who knew who Marc Jacobs is (trust me, I don't meet people with all these characteristics that often).

My interest on fashion dates from year 2006, just when I discovered all these old treasures hiding inide my mother's wardrobe. That same year I had realized that it really didn't bother me that someone had my same jeans or sweater, because if I combined them different from her, nobody would even notice.

Living in a country, where the 12% of the total population lives in extreme poverty (people who doesn't have enough money to cover their basic needs such s food and housing) and the 54%, despite the fact of having some resources to eat, are still considered poor because they only make around $150 (US dollars) monthly. As if that wasn't enough, I live in Lima city, which despite the fact of being a city, is full of prejudices, prejudices that will stop everybody from being different, mainly because they're afraid of being judged as "huachafos" (unfashionable people, pretty much like calling someone "ridiculous"). Having said that, you'll kinda understand how my list of potential peruvian fashionistas becomes shorter and shorter.

A girl with zero interest on style will mostly wear plain tees, snugged on the hips and flared at the hem jeans and sneakers (usually skechers or converse). This is the way almost 90% of the girls dress I might add.

Now, the peruvian fashionistas usually come from middle and upper class families, why? mainly because only they have all their basic needs satisfied and have extra money to spend on more superficial stuff. These young ladies use to fill up their wardrobes with the clothes that the stores' catalogues (which usually come together with the Sunday's newspaper) tell them to buy and buying the last top from one of those surfer brands (even if they can't even get on a surfboard) is on the top of their to-do list (yes those simple tees with huge latter that say "Roxy" or "Billabong" in the front that for some reason are expensive for our exchange rate, US dollars are more valuable compared to soles, they are not very pretty indeed but i think they are a way of showing-off; I guess is something similar to wearing Abercombie and Fitch in the US, correct me if I'm wrong). We have very few big stores in the country and as the clothes have to be brand pieces and the outfits have to be an exact imitation of what models wear on the mentioned catalogues all the girls tend to look uniformized. These are some of the outfits these kind of girls would wear:

The pictures you'll se below were taken from a suppelement of the peruvian magazine Caretas, in that suppelement there is a segment dedicated to peruvian fashion, on them people who attend social events and go to Asia resort are put under the eye of some critic - god knows who, I couldn't find her/his name - who decides who are the ones whose outfit is flashy or trashy. I can't say i agree all the time on her/his picks, but I'm not a fashion expert so I won't go deeper on this point. Now let's go to the pictures of the women this critic considers stylish. Just to anticipate something: geometric prints crazyness, denim mini-skirts, prominent low neck lines, too matching outfits (shoes that match the belt, the bag and even the nailpolish) are only a few things of what you'll see next.

I don't pretend to criticize the seen before pictures (although probably I would if that was my job and i got paid for that), the only thing is ask for is a little bit of creativity. Maybe some of the girls looked pretty but what about different?. There isn't a lot of people willing to take risks, so individuality and originality doesn't abound here. In a society in which brand clothes are a must and where anyone who dares to be different and doesn't wear what everyone wear is discriminated, the journey for real fashionistas (the ones who know there is no need to spend tons of money in order to look good and who don't imitate everyone else) seems to be very tough.

That's why I really appreciate your feedback guys. It's very special for me to receive all those comments because compliments don't come to me everyday, instead of that i get people pointing or looking at me as if I was some kind of weirdo for going out dressed like that - which is strange considering I'm not even the half of risky Susie bubble is (maybe I'm being a little bit unfair, because of course there are some people who have learnt to understand my way of dressing, like some close friends, my young sister - who always tells me to style her - and my parents - well, they have to accept their kids the way they are, right?).

God bless fashion blogs :)