Hollywood star and long-time Marbella resident Antonio Banderas showed off his collection on a catwalk during a launch event that included fashion designers whose work will feature at the 6th Larios Fashion Show in September this year. The preview allowed Malaga Province’s most fashionable householders to get an early look at Antonio Banderas’ first personal collection at AC Malaga Palacio Hotel. Both Malaga and Marbella are popular destinations for Europe’s fashion designers, who like to stage their shows against the imposing backdrops of historic cities.
Malaga’s Fashionistas anticipate a great Catwalk Show
All twenty fashion labels that have confirmed participation in the 6th Pasarela Larios show held along Malaga’s main shopping street on 16th and 17th September were able to show a small part of their latest seasonal collections at the preview.
Among these early exhibitors were Dalal Alhasam, Sir Lucky, McMegror, Impecable Moda, Tintoretto, Emitie de El Corte Inglés, Protocolo Novias, Valerio Luna, Félix Ramiro, Olimara, La Gioconda Novias and Tucci Black.
Their full collections will be shown on 17th September on what is being billed as Europe’s longest catwalk. The opening day, 16th September, will only feature haute couture on the catwalk in Malaga’s pedestrianised Calle Larios.
“We have tried to create a complete wardrobe so that men feel more confident, comfortable and handsome,” actor-turned designer Banderas said when his label was launched recently.
Antonio Banderas will face the world’s fashionistas for the first time in earnest, when he shows his 25-piece autumn/winter collection, which will be on sale from the beginning of September.
Confident, comfortable and handsome?
Not exactly noted for his fashion sense as his outspokenness, another Hollywood veteran was also spotted visiting Spain at the end of May. But it wasn’t the up-to-date fashion that attracted Mel Gibson and his American girlfriend, Rosalind Ross. Instead, they were drawn to the historic splendour and romance of Granada, where they visited the Alhambra palace complex with a private guide, before watching a traditional Flamenco performance in the evening.
The City of Granada’s numerous tapas bars are particularly famous for their delicious fare, often served free, when guests order drinks. It is doubtful whether Gibson and Ross were offered the same free tapas platters as Granada’s ever-increasing backpacking community. Newspapers reported that Gibson snacked on cochinillo (roast piglet) in the evening, while Ross nibbled boquerones served with roasted vegetables.
Unlike Antonio Banderas, Gibson did not stay in his very own holiday home at the Costa del Sol or in Granada Province. He and his girlfriend flew in from Madrid and stayed in a 5-star hotel in central Granada instead. Fashionistas would probably have rolled their eyes at Gibson’s attire, for the Hollywood star was dressed in jeans and white shirt, sporting a white beard, which allowed him to be quite incognito among the hordes of tourists visiting the Alhambra and strolling through Granada’s narrow, winding streets. Whatever fashionistas made of Gibson’s attire, he certainly looked confident, comfortable and handsome during his visit.
The chance to spot celebrities and Hollywood A-listers has been a major draw for many expats buying property in Marbella at the Costa del Sol and in Granada Province’s ski resorts, where the Sierra Nevada slopes provide winter sports fans with snow from November to April every year. It remains to be seen if Gibson and Ross will decide to make Spain their favourite holiday destination for years to come. If pictures of their visit in Granada are anything to go by, they may well join the likes of Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas and buy a holiday villa in Marbella or Granada.