The fashion show at the Tropicana Showroom served as a 15-year retrospect for designer Ronchi de Cuba, a local couture expert. In fact he is the only consistent and probably the most-important force in fashion on the island for over a decade and a half. Ronchi started Knockout Organization, a modeling agency as soon as he graduated high-school. And he’s been at it since then. Having attended the International Fine Art School in Miami gave him the certificate, but in reality Ronchi has been putting on spectacles since the day he was born. The designer summed it up fabulously on stage, as her thanked his models at the end of ‘Celebration of People 4.’ “There is no place I’d rather be, no profession I’d rather have,” he declared emotionally confirming the choices he has made and the people he has surrounded himself with. He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to his most supportive family members, mom Rina and sister Rachelle.
At least twice a year for 15 years, Ronchi and his close collaborators – decorators and make-up artists, members of the Beauty Team Salon, have conceived a fashion parade laced with music and dance. In 1997, Ronchi also imported to Aruba the International Male & Female Model contests two annual events, filmed by E-Entertainment Television, which are a lot of fun to attend and/or to watch. I have been privileged to have been able to cover his activities since I met Ronchi in high-school, as he was orchestrating the Christmas show for the elementary school in lieu of a Phys-Ed grade.
I don’t remember when, but perhaps it was during ‘Celebration of People 1,’ that Ronchi’s eye shifted to accommodate and include all sizes and ages. On the runway for last Sunday’s show his models trotted a variety of clothes size 1 to size 28, age 13 to age 65. A truly inclusive artistic force, Ronchi continuously gives women a forgiving stage, on which they can shine. His men however are all gorgeous studs, lean and mean body-builders reminiscent of the Calvin Klein underwear models. No mercy there.
The show opening last Sunday featured an entertaining Madame Pompadour meets the Marquis de Sade segment. Big skirts, tall curly wigs, crushed velvet for the guys, polka dots for the girls, set to Madonna’s Vogue. It determined the tone for a show which was filled with beautiful visual effects and retro glamour.
Some of Ronchi’s famous models red haired Shannon, elegant Jerianne, sexy Iris, exotic Sharine, and defiant Jasmira joined the relative newcomers striking Noraisa, and bouncy Boyoura, as well as the winners of the Chica Polar contest, on stage in basic black dresses, long and short. The gorgeous Paola Ochoa proved to be a true runway treasure. Gilliane, a 14 year old showed her great ability as a dancer. Mimi and Elizabeth represented the full figured women, both looking as good as the skinny young things! Mieckey made all grandmothers in the room, proud! Two or even three pregnant girls showed off their tummies, quite nonchalantly.
Between entertaining tableaux the models strutted the long runway. I found all shoes sensible and all men’s shirts fun. The hunks wore their shirts untucked. Some were embroidered, some printed, not too tight-fitting, not too large – fashions this year seem to exhibit real common sense. Boobs on the other hand appeared in just two sizes, regular and giant. I discovered some plastic surgeons have been quietly but consistently altering quite a number of figures on the island and the big-is-beautiful trend definitely applied to breasts last Sunday.
Mid-program, the earth tone section presented as the opening number a gospel inspired choreography, with a Greek chorus and a pint size singer. Their song, by the Black Eye Peas had the men wearing army fatigues, the women, white sheets. Jose, a popular fashion and news photographer appeared on stage as a model, which naturally was a nice touch. In fact Ronchi recruited a number of local celebrities among them a former Miss Aruba Karen Ann Peterson, the President of the Carnival Foundation, Tecla Kelly, a singer, Edjen Semeleer, as well as several radio and Carnival personalities. The reigning Miss Aruba, Maya Frigerio appeared as a guest of honor for just one round.
Le Jazz Hot and the roaring twenties featured a troupe of hoofers tapping away a la Victor Victoria, their long pearl strands and their frills swooshing out of control.
Throughout the evening what I saw was a richness of styles and an everything-goes attitude: Harem pants out of ‘I Dream of Jeanie,’ skin tight cat suits – surely James Bond inspired - strapless tube dresses, uneven gypsy hems, bare midriffs, tiny halter tops mixed with Chinese jackets, made of shiny fish scales, lurex, velvet, gold lame, velour, and chiffon, in pastels, AND basic colors. Pieces came off the shoulder, plunged into daring décolleté, ripping long slits and generally covering as little as possible, and doing so quite fetchingly.
In men’s suits, grey and black ruled all of the models, especial 16 year old Christopher were a pleasure to watch.
Among memorable moment? Boyoura in a pink velvet jumpsuit, Gilliane in a red lace trimmed number, Karen Ann Peterson in yellow, Paola in baby blue, Noraisa her hair upswept and trimmed in gold, Jasmira in red and black and Jerianne in anything she wore. They were all beautifully made up and coiffed creatively. Gerrit Tromp wrapped the stage in miles of plastic bubble wrap and Erick Clement did a wonderful job on the light and sound including indoor fireworks. One hundred models, nine hundred outfits all from TRASH by Ronchi on Sibeliusstraat.
