Summer in the city

Her South American home inspires Johanna Ortiz’s latest capsule collection

Johanna Ortiz’s ruffle-festooned, puff-sleeved dresses have a way of making their wearers the belles of any ball from LA to Paris – but the Colombian designer keeps her inspiration closer to her heart, designing and producing all her collections in her home town of Santiago de Cali. For her latest project, an exclusive capsule range for mytheresa. com, Ortiz envisaged the wardrobe for a weekend getaway to Cartagena. The polka-dot and tropical-print dresses, tops and skirts (plus a stunning white swimsuit) are all evocative of heat and escapism. ‘For me, Cartagena is visual poetry,’ Ortiz says. ‘The essence of the place is a conductor of creative energy and inspiration. It is the home of magical realism.’ Top, £350, and skirt, £460, from Wednesday, mytheresa.com.