Here's How Esteban Cortazar Would Dress Meghan Markle
Cortazar was the youngest designer to show at New York Fashion Week.
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Since starting his company in 2014, Esteban Cortázar has developed a devoted following of women drawn to his sensual, colorful, bodycon style (not surprising for a designer who dressed Beyoncé when he was only 18).
Versions of the 33-year-old's signature piece, the stretch jersey "Salsa Dress" that flares out at the hem, have been seen in the past year on celebrities and influencers around the globe, such as First Lady Melania Trump and documentary producer Marley Clements in Washington, Natalie Joos, Hannah Bronfman, and Astrid Munoz in New York, Tracee Ellis Ross in Los Angeles, Pia Cohler and photographer Jamie Beck in France, television host Angela Saiz in Spain, and Marion Caunter in Singapore.
It's also popular in San Francisco, where this week the Paris-based designer presented his collection at a lunch hosted by stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney at Julie and Sébastien Lépinard's ultra-hip gallery, 836M. We chatted with Esteban and touched on a variety of topics, including his thoughts on Meghan Markle's style, his childhood in Miami, and what he's working on right now. Here are some highlights.
Esteban Cortazar on Meghan Markle
"She's young, she's beautiful, she's got a great body," Esteban told Town & Country over lunch in San Francisco. "I would love to dress her. I think that she has a modern take to her style. "
He commented that Meghan and Prince Harry have a nice dynamic. "I like the combination of the two worlds," he said.
What Should Meghan Wear?
"Everything would look really great on her," Esteban said, as we challenged him to pick an item he'd like to see on the future Duchess of Sussex.
"This would look super chic on her," he said, settling on a white bomber dress from his Spring 2018 collection.
The Salsa Dress
"I did it first in 2014. Every season we do it in different ways. We reinvent it in new fabrics, new colors. We've done it with sparkles," said Esteban, of his popular "Salsa Dress" (worn recently by Tracee Ellis Ross.)
"It comes from my love of dancing, my love of movement, my love of a very feminine shape, so it embodies a lot of what I do. It fits a lot of different kinds of women, too."
On His Design Style
"I have a lot of women in my life. I listen to them and I know what they want a lot of times. So I'm not designing in a fetishistic kind of way," Esteban said over lunch.
"I still have my references, my passions, my idea of something—but at the end I want women to feel beautiful and comfortable in my clothes."
On Valentino Cortazar
"I've always lived around a lot of beauty in my life, so that influences me a lot. Both from my mom and my dad," said Esteban, when asked about his childhood influences.
"My dad is a painter, and he would always bring beautiful women to the house to do their portraits. That was the way that I started to learn about color and sensuality."
Above: Artwork by Valentino Cortazar
On Miami in the 90s
"I lived for eight years with my dad right above the restaurant where Gianni Versace last visited before he was murdered—the News Café," he said.
"I was surrounded by all the major photographers, models, and designers that were going there at the time. I was a little kid kind of immersed into this world and wanted to be a part of it."
Above: One of Doug Ordway's photos at The News Cafe in the 1990s, with Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, Brandi Quinones, Oribe Canales, and James Hyde.
On His Love of Art
As lunch was held at the 836M art gallery, we asked about the importance of art in his designs.
"Living in Paris, art is always a big part of the influence of my work, and I discover it in different ways," Esteban said.
"It's not just contemporary works or more traditional Old School museum works, but I love discovering different types of art from my travels, from things that I find on the street, to just objects. Whatever makes me feel."
Above: Esteban chats with Burcu Garnier and Mary Gonsalves Kinney.
On His Current Inspiration
"Lately, I'm inspired by the idea of athletes and athletics. Things that are comfortable, that move, and have an ease to them," he said, having recently Instagrammed Stefan Ruiz' photos of two Medellín footballers.
"There's a lot of that in the new collection that I'm doing. Everything breathes, and everything has a flexibility to it. So that's what I've been working on lately."
Esteban Cortazar and Mary Gonsalves Kinney
"What I love about Esteban is he embraces diversity, not just in the models he sends down the runway, because that is truly remarkable, but also in his collection," stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney said. "It really represents the world."
Below, a few more photos from the event.
Burcu Garnier and Esteban Cortazar
Natalie Rosendin and Meghan Kanodia
Lauren Godfrey and Emily Wheeler
Esteban Cortazar and Calgary Avansino
Sobia Shaikh, Burcu Garnier and Mary Beth Shimmon
Guests at the luncheon also checked out Olympia Le Tan's unique book-themed bags -- great conversation pieces for any event.
Camilla Papale and Hani Kashef
Esteban Cortazar and Lisa Zabelle
Sobia Shaikh and Sara Abbasi
Sonia Maria Edwards and Mary Gonsalves Kinney
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