At a resort appointment, Alejandra Alonso Rojas admitted she was feeling homesick for Madrid—the city in which she was born, and where much of her family still resides. To counter that feeling of longing, she created a resort collection paying homage to the Spanish capital. “I really had Madrid in my head, and the first thing that came to mind was the blue sky,” she said. “It’s a very particular blue. That’s how I started building out the whole collection.”
To help shape her palette, Rojas looked at some of her favorite paintings at Madrid’s Prado Museum (including “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez) and referenced the bright pink outfits worn by bullfighters. She translated the bright hues into some of her effortless silhouettes—the highlight being a breezy dress that floats off the body with ease. A sky-blue style, with a ruched off-the-shoulder neckline, felt silky to the touch; you’d never guess it was jersey.
Standout silk long- and short-sleeve dresses were tie-dyed using a special shibori technique. “You fold the silk over a pipe, wrap it with a cord, then dump it into the dye,” said Rojas. For a classic black V-neck dress she created a subtle watercolor print of Botero sculptures, which Madrid visitors can see upon arrival at the airport. “It says Madrid, but in a very subtle way,” she explained. The print gave just enough visual interest to the otherwise-timeless piece.
There was a sense of ease even in Rojas’s more difficult cuts, including the leather maxi dress with crochet paneling on the skirt. For the first time, she also created breezy caftans. Her inspiration? Stylish Madrid locals, naturally. “I was thinking about all of the really chic and sophisticated women in Spain,” said Rojas. “There’s always a natural elegance.”