Fashion Thursday: Brasil Desigual

The international fashion brands have been hitting hard on the Brazilian market. If you follow the retail scene, or simply shops in a mall, you are well aware of that. The big news, which I found out while browsing the stands of Salão Bossa Nova looking for trends, is the arrival of the Spanish brand Desigual along this shores.

It is possible that you have already stumbled in front of one of their stores during a trip. Desigual, a brand born and bred in Barcelona, can now be found all over Europe and on the US. More than clothes, those Spanish trendsetters are selling us ideas. Every single collection is divided in three themes: sex, fun and love. Those three pillars solidify the brand's identity, catering to free spirited women. 

Up until this moment, there is no concrete plans about opening actual physical stores in the country. They do, however, plan to invest in an e-commerce very soon. When they decide to take the next step and make their presence on the streets, Brazilian women, free spirited by nature, will surely embrace them. 

Fashion Thursday: Punk it up!

If you were part of Sex and the City's audience, you know very well that the 2000's were an era of glamour and extravagance. Back then, and it wasn't even that long ago, it wasn't strange to grocery shop in stiletto heels or blow dry your hair to go to the beach. Then, the economic crises and the financial scandals came, and life became harder for all of us. The obvious consequence was a return to a more simple way of living.

Many people, though, were not satisfied with just living a plainer life. That was the ideal scene for the return of the rebellious culture, bringing punk back with it. Do you want proof that this trend is here to stay? How many colourful heads have you seen recently? How many torn jeans, destroyed T-shirts, tattoos and piercings? Even high fashion icons such as Charlotte Olympia and Tom Binns got together to create a capsule collection and the theme is, guess what, punk! Take a look at the images I selected and feel free to take a walk on the wild side.

Other posts from Fashion Thursday:

Bikini Battle

Fashion Thursday: Bikini battle

The beach habitués know perfectly well: there is such thing as beach fashion, it changes all the time and poor of those girls that do not keep up. We also know that Rio de Janeiro is the biggest trendsetter in that market (although other Brazilian cities are quickly catching up), which makes Fashion Rio the place to look for the next hits.

The problem lies exactly there: since fashion is becoming more and more democratic and the brands are  experimenting with a more conceptual work, the collections end up being dramatically different from each other. Will it be the end of the summer crazes? Or the arrival of the individual style on the sands? Take a look at the collections that hit the catwalk during this Fashion Week's last edition and find out what style suits you best.

Blue Man

Blue Man mixed together the style of the late Yes, Brazil! and some patterns from their vintage collections. The result was an elaborate beachwear, almost verging on the baroque. It's ideal for a pool party or for any occasion when you need to look glamorous in a two-pieces. The one pieces will be perfect for doubling as a statement blouse for an after party. 

Lenny

Lenny's style is the complete opposite of Blue Man's. Here, the word of the day was simplicity. Few prints, a more forgiving silhouette, there was even space to fit in the voluminous trend. If the little black dress is your fashion staple during the day and you understand the value of a well cut piece, this collection is for you. 

Salinas

Do you hit the sands in Leblon but your heart lies in Capri? Well, know that is now possible to make that trip, even if it's only in style. Salinas came up with a collection filled with vintage references, wrapped together by some classic Italian songs. Yet, the silhouettes were updated (who wants to hit the sands looking like their grandmas?) and the result was fun and chic. If you're a vintage treasure hunter and Lana Del Rey is your style icon, this collection is for you. 

Triya 

Triya's show was meant to cause an impact. Perfect bodies clad inside ultra colourful, tiny bikinis, we felt like time travelling to Ipanema during the 80's. The colour combinations, mostly reds and purples, created a bold and impacting look. Jewel and makeup were far from discreet. If you're the kind of woman that can rock a Hervé Léger at night and your own fitness program during the day, this collection is for you. 

Travel Wednesday: Amsterdam's Nine Streets

Until recently, every time someone told you they were visiting Amsterdam you would give a sly smile and say something like "hummmmmmm, Amsterdam"... Well, the recurring joke must have infuriated the local authorities so much that it is now forbidden to sell pot to the tourists inside the cafes. Now, only respectable citizens interested in the canals and the museums are welcome to visit.





Nevertheless, if you're interested in fashion, you still have several reasons to take that trip. In the heart of the city, near the three biggest canals, there is a block of nine streets known as, well, the Nine Streets. There, you'll be able to find something to please every type of costumer. There are cuting edge stores such as Lock, Stock and Barrel, cheese places, restaurants and even stores for kids. You ertnaily won't leave with empty hands.





If you prefer to do most of your shopping on line or if you like to browse the products beforehand, the Nine Streets created an e-commerce with a link to all the store. Take a look!

To read more about travelling:

Crimea

Cape Town

St Barts

Fashion Rio Special: Nica Kessler and Salinas

The fourth day of Fashion Rio was finally worthy of my daily 13 dollars parking fee and the long lines and waiting before the shows. Nica Kessler and Salinas' presentations, each in it's own way, reminded me of why Rio de Janeiro is the capital city of summer.

About Nica's show, I have to say that I adore young designers. They still have fresh ideas and loads of enthusiasm. The collection was based on the ocean, which you could guess by the decor, the gorgeous prints, the colours and the jewels imitating shells and coral reefs. If you're thinking that what we have here is a Chanel "inspired", think again: the two shows couldn't be more different. Let's say that Chanel's ocean was from a glacial fairy tale, while Nica occupies the tropical bottoms of, let's say, Angra dos Reis. 

For those who prefer to stay in the sand, Salinas brought a very vintage beachwear, something that reminded me of images of Brigitte Bardot strolling around St Tropez in the late 50's. High waists, turbans, polka dots and checkers. I felt like riding home in a scooter. If you're sick and tired of the tiny bikinis, that might be a solution for you. Let's hope that the collection stays unaltered when it hits the store. 

Take a look at the video from the catwalk's final sequence:

Fashion Thursday: Black, white and red

Last night, April 10th, Fashion Mall, a mall in Rio de Janeiro, organised a huge event to parade the trends for this next winter. The catwalk show brought 50 looks, put together by the stylists Felipe Veloso e Marina Brum, and portrayed the three colours that promise to be a hit when the temperature drops: black, white and red. The event even had the presence of Scott Schumann, famous for his street style blog "The Sartorialist". He's in the country to photograph the mall's latest campaign and was autographing his books.

If you feel like that colour combination is to trendy and conceptual for your taste and, somehow you doubt that the hype will pay off, I separated a few images of people that has already embarked on that wave (and there are lots of them). Get inspired and start to put your own looks together.

Models on the backstage. Images courtesy of Marina Brum.






Other trends for this winter:
Ethnical
Checkers
Black and Blue

Style Tuesday: Shazam in your closet

The tech addicts are old friends with Shazam, that app that allows us to find out what's the name of the song that's playing right on that moment. Well, I don't know if it's for better or worse (it depends on the date of the month and your credit card situation) but you'll like to know that Shazam decided to make things easier for us and help in our fashion choices.

The new version of the app allows us to track the precedence of some piece of clothing we saw on TV immediately. Pay attention to the word immediately. It works like this: you're watching TV and fancy some shoes you just laid eyes upon. Shazam finds out the designer and even tracks down some online retailers where you can get the same pair with the click of a button. Long gone were the days when window shopping was dangerous for your wallet.

To read other Style Tuesday posts:

Trends for the home

Put a ring on it

Maxi earrings, maxi necklaces, maxi bags, maxi shoes... after a while far away from the spotlight, rings are back with the purpose of bringing this trend back to our hands.

If you're not on Elizabeth Taylor's league of "jewellery the size of an egg", fear not. This trend has options for every taste and every pocket, as long as your taste is for everything enormous. Actually, it's way cooler and more modern today to rock a fun a quirky cocktail ring than carrying an apartment on your fingers.

Take a look at the accessories that caught our eye during the winter 2013 collections.

Sonia Boyajian

Marie Hellene de Taillac

Eddie Borgo

Delfina Delettrez

Dior

Chloe

Dezso


To read more about accessories

Floor

We've already talked about how the sneakers are back on trend since fashion took a turn towards a sporty approach (here). I'm not talking about the way you dress to go for a run, or to the gym. That sports trend can be observed even in casual, street fashion. Pay attention and you'll notice: we no longer cringe at the sight of a smart outfit topped with a colourful pair of tennis shoes.

Well, the shoemakers were very quick to take notice of that and even quicker to create options for all sorts of crowds. Nike, eying the hype around Rio de Janeiro, ready (or not) to host the next World Cup and Olympic Games, came up with a collection inspired by the city's beaches. Converse, a favourite brand of a different crowd, debuted it's latest models on their NYC store under the slogan "Shoes keep it clean. Sneakers get dirty." They do, but yet they are practical, long lasting and now, very cool.

Nike Beaches Collection

Converse

Youngster Vibe

Ten years ago, it was hard to find a pair of sunglasses that weren't covering your whole face, in the Jackie O. and Bono Vox style. Five years later, Ray Ban relaunched it's classic Wayfarer, which quickly was catapulted to the "world fever" category. We're still this far ahead but a great change in coming our way.

The sunglasses we will be buying in a year or two are lighter, with transparent frames or with thinner lines. It's nothing to surprise us: he minimalism that has been going on in fashion has finally arrived to our faces. Ray Ban itself, not one to bet lightly on trends, came up the a new model called Youngster. It's basically a Wayfarer with thinner and lighter frames, which can be made of the usual materials or have a rubbered finish to look more sporty.