The last time I saw model Vanesa Cabeza (below) she was nursing an ice cold Peroni beer against her thigh as she posed in a pagoda overlooking Playa del Duque, now she was patrolling the blue carpet to present the candidates for the 2013 Peroni Calendar. Red was eclipsed as the fashionable colour in the late night, trendy Calle La Noria in Santa Cruz; blue reflected the Italian chic being sought by the 12 models and 12 designers seeking a date on the 500 copy, limited edition corporate calendar.
Tenerife has become a venue of choice for the creative team. Peroni Nastro Azzurro is distributed here by Compania Cervecera Canarias and this year the new format included a link up with Tenerife Moda, the government sponsored organisation that nurtures and promotes home grown fashion talent. La Noria is a tight, intimate zone lined with restaurants and bars. The tables spilled out to the edge of the blue carpet and they were packed with evening customers winding down after a hot, busy day in the Tenerife capital. A DJ at one end of the catwalk pumped out lively, mood music as models, designers, and fashionistas mingled in front of the flashing cameras.
The protective plastic was peeled back off the carpet as the jury took their places at the head of the avenue. Alfonso Bravo, photographer and creative driving force of the Peroni calendar, sat alongside models and a sprinkling of industry experts. It was all pretty informal, children scampered along the edge of the carpet and an older gentleman who seemed to have been researching the subject of beer in depth, grooved to the music much to everyone’s amusement.
At the stage end the bright young things gathered in a small compound waiting for Vanesa Cabeza to leap out ahead of them and call them out individually to show off their young designer’s wares. A strut, a pose and a seductive turn took the ladies up to the judging table below the glare of the spotlights and then back down to make way for the next contestant. Beauty was not the only thing in the eyes of the beholding judges, they were looking for clothes with style and flair and a cool elegance that summed up La Dolce Vita.
It’s a good job I feasted my eyes on each creation, I thought there would be some elimination process but after the delightful dozen had wowed the diners they retreated as the judges huddled in their own back room to decide on the winner. After a tense, music-filled wait all 12 models filled the blue carpet and awaited the word from Vanesa. Elisa Lastre leapt for joy as she was announced as the winning designer, her model Adriana Reveron kept her cool in her figure-hugging, white and black outfit trimmed and topped with a blue flourish.
The winning pair were soon united for the cameras as Elisa clutched a bouquet of flowers. Locations will now be selected around Tenerife and Gran Canaria for the November production of the 2013 calendar. Only a lucky few will see it but for Elisa it’s another accolade to add to her young designer award of 2008. The post catwalk party was in full swing and Peroni bottles clinked in salute to another triumph for Tenerife’s blossoming fashion scene.
