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And few things do it better than the vibrant Latin palette: jewel colors of ruby, emerald, luscious purples, used with black or mixed together. Ofelia Montejano, 30, an up-and-comer in the Los Angeles fashion world, weaves her favorite colors -- fuchsia, chartreuse and orange -- into her fabrics with yards of colored ribbon sewn onto black taffeta. "Using bright colors this way draws on my heritage," she says. "When I was a girl in Michoacan, Mexico, I admired the way even the poorest people made use of color. They take raw color and use it in a very honest way."
At the annual gala showing for Hispanic Designers Inc., when the fashion industry examines its bloodlines and reviews its heirs apparent, young Hispanic designers have their chance to shine. Last year's winner of the Rising Star award, Esteban Ramos, 26, wowed the crowd with a Spanish tango collection of ruffled tops and sweeping skirts in periwinkle, mint and peach. For this year's gala, he will feature richer, deeper colors, hand-woven textures and fabric accented with tassels and trims. "Picture a sarape, or Mexican blanket," he says. "That's my theme." Already his vision has caught the eye of the fashion establishment. "If Karl Lagerfeld had designed those dresses," said Herrera after seeing Ramos' show-stopping stretch denim minidresses, "they would be the hit of the season."
FOOD
It may be that Americans most often sample foreign cultures through their taste buds. After years of experimentation with burritos and Dos Equis beer, they are finally becoming a bit more sophisticated about Hispanic cuisine. The savory snacks of Spain known as tapas, the distinctive bite of cilantro (coriander) in a salad or seafood dish, and the fiery blast of salsa, Mexico's peppery condiment -- are now commonplace ingredients in the menus of non-Hispanic restaurants and, increasingly, in American home cooking.
In many cities the growing popularity of Latin cuisine is altering the dining landscape. Once viewed as cheap neighborhood eateries, Mexican restaurants now number among the most upscale and trendy dining spots. "It's incredible the way it has exploded outside the border states," says Ramon Gallardo, a St. Louis restaurateur who founded and later sold the Casa Gallardo chain. In cities with large Latin populations, the trend goes beyond Mexican restaurants specifically to include a wide array of bistros, featuring the less familiar cuisines of Nicaragua, Cuba and Colombia.
In the small city of Sweetwater, near Miami, for example, people of all stripes come from miles around to dine at Los Ranchos. Opened in 1981 by Julio Somoza, nephew of the former Nicaraguan President, the elegant establishment is a beef house in the best Latin tradition. The house specialty: churrasco, a center cut of tenderloin marinated in chimichurri -- fresh chopped parsley, olive oil, garlic and spices. On a Saturday night at Versailles, the undisputed palace of Cuban cooking in the heart of Little Havana, Anglo couples slurp mamey milk shakes made from a sweet tropical fruit, while Cuban workmen just off the swing shift savor the fresh roast pork, sweet fried plantains and black beans.