Camper re-launches bestselling Brother model

Camper, the Spanish shoe brand that has managed to become a true global brand has just re-launched its mythic Brothers model picture above in black and blue. Ever since it opened its first store in Barcelona in 1981 Camper has been able to launch shoe models that have managed to become true household names. That is the case of the Brothers models worn by nearly everyone with a penchant for fashion and comfort in the late 80's.
Walking the streets of Madrid we came across these two models at the Camper store in Calle Fuencarral: the relaunched early model and the new Brothers with red stitching. On sale at your local Camper retailer or directly from the brand's site http://www.camper.com/es/eshop/productos.xhtml?type=M

Bowie Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

Victoria & Albert Museum in London will be the stage of a comprehensive exhibition on David Bowie and his collaboration with artists and designers from the fields of fashion, photography, theatre, film and all kinds of art form. According to this museum "The V&A was granted unprecedented access to David Bowie Archive to curate the first international retrospective on the extraordinary career of David Bowie".

The aim of this exhibition is to explore "the creative process of Bowie as a musical innovator and cultural icon", V&A added. Considering the chameleonic path of David Bowie, the whole museum will be small to do a comprehensive exhibition, hence the selection process must have been surely difficult.

Visitors will have the possibility to see hundreds of objects from suits to album sleeves, film excerpts and videos, lyrics, sketches and everything pointing out to the evolution of the man, the Artist with capital A, given his curiosity towards different forms of art. The man has worked in close collaboration with major artists. He learned mimic with Lindsay Kemp, was one of the first adopters of Kansai Yamamoto outfits, launched four albums with Brian Eno, considered one of the best producers in the world, ventured in a superb interpretation of Elephant Man, played alien on The Man Who Fell To Earth by Nicolas Roeg, created characters to match his music and the music to match his characters, e.g. Ziggy Stardust or Nathan Adler and was an early adopter of electronica. We could go on forever, so big is his body of work.

This exhibition under the name "David Bowie is" will be at the Victoria and Albert Museum between March 23 and July 28 and we reckon one day will not be enough to see this exhibition sponsored by Gucci and Sehneiser. If you do not live in London you'd better book at least a three-day stay.

The Pet Shop Boys Vault

The idea of opening the vault of all the songs composed by the Pet Shop Boys and still awaiting release on vinyl, CD or whatever was launched by David Walliams, one ot the actors of Little Britain, in a interview with Neil Tennand and Chris Lowe.
That huge vault is yet to be opened, but the Pet Shop Boys have been releasing some forgotten songs. Trendenz recommends "Alternative", released in 1995 with rare songs recorded by the PSB until the mid-nineties and "Format", released in 2012 and containing b-sides and bonus tracks from 1996 to 2009 and featuring "Confidential" one of the 38 songs contained in that 2 CD box.

Bowie photo exhibition in Bologna

Should you be in Italy or about to travel to this country do not miss the  Italian David Bowie photographic retrospective in Bologna under the name  'DAVID BOWIE - BERLINO - A new career in a new town'.

This exhibitoon at Ono Arte Contemporanea, Via Santa Margherita 10 in Bologna features work by ten renowned photographers from Brian Duffy to Michael Putland through to Mick Rock, Geoff McCormack, Ian Dickson, Masayoshi Sukita, Brian Ward, Jan Persson, Sheila Rock and Philippe Auliac.

These pictures portray one what is for many the most interesting phase in Bowie's career, when he left the USA and moved to that German city and where he would meet Iggy Pop and record three if his most stunning records "Low",  "Heroes" and "Lodger".

DELPOZO confirmed for New York Fashion Week

Spanish fashion house DELPOZO confirmed today its presence in the coming Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The brand's show in the USA fits in its international strategy. After the death of its founder Jesus del Pozo, the brand changed its name to DELPOZO, hired a new creative director, Josep Font, and changed it corporate strategy.

Mercedes-Benz Madrid Fashion Week was the chosen venue for the first presentation under the new name and with the new creative director. The Madrid Fashion Week off-location show at the "Capricho" gardens was the perfect location for the presentation of a summer collection full of detail and mastery. But Madrid, will probably be left out and will not witness live the presentation of the autumn/winter collection. After the Madrid fashion show Josep Font said the brand would be betting on international markets and hence Spain would  probably be left out in the next presentation.

According to the brand, DELPOZO's show in New York follows a presention at the Jim Villa Showroom in the Chelsea Art District and the positive impact next to important buyers such as Moda Operandi and Net-a-porter, somethinh which "has reinforced the decision to show the autumn/winter collection in New York Fashion Week.

PSB to headline Sónar São Paulo

 

 

Sónar has just confirmed the line-up for the next edition of Sónar São Paulo, the biggest venue of this renowned electronic music and advanced arts festival outside Barcelona. This event will take place in this Brazilian city on May 25 and 26 and will feature some of the most remarkable electronic bands in the world.

The Pet Shop Boys will be headlining Sónar São Paulo 2012 and will present their new album "Elysium" in this festival. But the band will surely use the opportunity to play "Se a vida é", their track in Portuguese featured in the album "Bilingual", an album where the band shows its passion for Brazilian beats, as can best be witnessed in the track "Discoteca".

 

 

German techno master Paul Kalkbrenner, Matmos, Jamie Lidell and Theo Parish are some to the names revealed a hour ago by Sónar. 

2013 is a very special year for Sónar which will be celebrating 20 years. To mark the occasion this festival will travel de world bringing with it 300 artists to 5 Sónar events: Reykjavik - 15 and 16 February, Cape Town - 1 and 2 March, Tokyo - 6 and 7 April, São Paulo 24 and 25 May and Barcelona 13 to 15 June. 

Stay tuned for more details on these venues, particularly Sónar Barcelona, the city where Sónar was born and whose event in June will be a true celebration of Sónar, probably the best electronic festival in the world.

 

Portuguese fashion takes to Brazil

Portuguese fashion designers Miguel Vieira and Luis Buchinho took to Brazil on December 6 to show their summer collections in São Paulo. Sentir Portugal (Feel Portugal) was the name of this event which is there to bring new products, concepts and projects closer to the Brazilian public. São Paulo is probably the best place to show the new creative vitality of Portugal in Brazil, a country with 150 consumers.
 

Miguel Vieira presented its collection "Perfume", inspired in "exotic cultures an idyllic landscapes" in garments with predominantly snow white, black caviar and Sahara sand colours, along with the lime green and orange, a collection he defines as "reinvented classic".

This Portuguese designer is one of the designers in the country with more export experience, particularly as regards his shoe collection. We cand find his shoes and accessories collectins in the most important trade fairs in Europe. In recent years, he has been betting strongly on the addition of his clothing line to his range on offer in international markets and trade fairs, particularly with the addition of a new clothing range for kids, launched last year at the Portugal Fashion shows in Oporto.

Luis Buchinho showed a collection inspired on the modern language of architecture, with pure geometric forms and contrasting graphic effects, anatomic cuts and micropleats, in predominantly metallic and copper tones.

Buchinho was recently appointed Best Portuguese fashion designer at the Fashion Awards, a feat which he repeated after having won this award in 2010 in this very same event. In 2011 he did receive also a Golden Globe in Portugal for best fashion designer. He recently opened a second store in Oporto and has been a regular presence in the Parisian Fashion Week. Bread and Butter Who's Next and Gallery 2020 are some of the events where we had the opportunity to see his range of clothing.

Nuno Gama first designer in the world to have an app on Windows 8

Microsoft and Nuno Gama launched this week the first application in Windows 8 by a fashion designer. With this app it will be now possible to check all relevant information about this renowned menswear designer from catwalk images to descriptions of the featured collections.
Upon download of this app users can  have access to the virtual catalogue of the 2012 Autumn/Winter collection at take a glimpse at the coming summer collection by watching the images collected and recording at the Lisbon Fashion Week.
This was a "wonderful gift by Microsoft" the designer said during the presentation of this app in his Lisbon store. The very same voice of Nuno Gama can be heard in the descriptions of the collections explaining where he drew inspiration from, his aestetic options and the materials used, thus giving users of this app the possibility to better understand the work behind each item and/or collection.
According to Patrícia Fernandes, from Microsoft Portugal, Nuno Gama "is the first fashion designer in the world to have an application in Windows 8. With this app we are helping Nuno Gama in his internationalisation process", she said, further adding that "Microsoft chose Nuno Gama given his bold creations and strong personality".
This app was develped by the Portuguese company Fullfix and will be available in Portuguese and in English in countries chosen by the designer himself.

Shoes with attitude - Doc Martens spike

Here's the brandnew Doc Martens spike, the right shoes for people with attitude.
Contrary to most brands who have come up with models with spikes and which have absolutely nothing to do with it, at least this one is closely related to the initial spirit of punk and new punk, spikes and chains.
This is the new addition  to this British brand which has been relentlessly launching new models in recent years, thus keeping its spirit alive.
Have a word with your local retailer or simply get them from their online store at http://store.drmartens.co.uk/p-7798-dr-martens-spike-boot.aspx

Estelita Mendonça awarded Best New Talent at the Fashion Awards Portugal

João Pedro Estelita Mendonça is Portugal's New Best Talent. The prize was awared yesterday in Lisbon at the Fashion Awards, an event hosted by Fashion TV Portugal and which is there to acknowledge the best in Portugal fashion, from designers to fashion journalists, through to hairdressers, producers, photographers, make-up artists, stores and brands.
This year's new best talent is one of the most promising names in Portuguese fashion, someone with a very consistent body of work. Trendenz has always kept an eye on the work of this Oporto-based designer whose style is marked by a revealing simplicity and whose collections are a true statement.

Estelita Mendonça designs for the urban man and his outfits match the spirit of modern cities. His garments fit in perfectly in offbeat cities like Berlin, in the most alternative corners of Madrid or Barcelona, suitable for fashion conscious Asian men, for avant garde New Yorkers and for those for whom Antwerpen is still a reference.
But the city of Oporto plays an important part in his work. This city is booming with new artists, a place where fashion, architecture, performing arts, design, sculpture and painting intersect in a curious way, a city both proud of its legacy and increasingly open to the world.

Geox expands to Asia

The renowned Italian shoe company with the patented breathing shoes opened its first store last week in Hong-Kong. The opening of this flagship store marks the start of Geox expansion into the Asian continent.
The new store is located in Central, the busiest shopping street in this city, a city where Geox plans to open up to 30 new spaces during next year.
The Mario Moretti Polegato, CEO and founder of the company said this is just the beginning of the Asian expansion of his brand which is thus betting on the opening up to new markets, the development of new patents and new modern, comfortable styles.

As for style, Patick Cox, a renowned shoe designer, is the new addition to the Geox team. Cox, who has as been designing new models for Geox stated said he "was highly pleased to work with Geox on a regular base" given that this is a brand he admires both given the quality of this company's shoes and the concerns as to offer contemporary designs.
This event relied also in the presence of actress Tavia Yeung who stated she admires the versatility of Geox shoes. After storming Europe, where the brand is number two, and number one in Italy, Geox now has a new plataform for growth and a further oppotunity to sale its whole range of shoes, clothes and accessories.

Mario Testino guest editor for Vogue Spain

Mario Testino is the guest editor of the December issue of Vogue Spain. The renowned photographer whose image is, according to the man himself "a mix of fashion, elegance, humor, reality, beauty and energy" joined the team of Vogue España in this true celebration of the Spanish fiesta.

The December issue covers traditional Spanish imagery and a particular imagery of this country's art of partying, from the long sleepless nights to that crazy party called Tomatina. Trendemz took a glimpse at this particular production, which brings us back to that wild tomato throwing festivity, and was stunned by the fabulous visual result of this fashion production. 

Higher+Higher were the people behind the artistic direction of this issue inspired on true icons from Spanish design, fashion and movies   but from a modern perspective.

Movida was the Spanish movement, which brought party to another level, combining the traditional and the modern in lovely promiscuous way. Glamour and excess, sexiness and sophistication marked those days, something Testino did take into due account for this issue,  featuring leading icons from that time and which have made it remarkably until today, such as Almodovar, Rossy de Palma or Alaska. This issued thus feature everything that is remarkably Spanish or Spanish-related. Hence the profusion of names such as Plácido Domingo, Baroness Thyssen, Manolo Blahnik, Carolina Herrera, Marisa Paredes and Manuel Benítez “El Cordobés”, just to name a few.

Kate Moss was the model chosen for the cover of thus issue. The very same actress can be seen also in a stunning production in the pages of this magazine with Spanish bullfighter José María Manzanares.

Surrender to cork!!

Surrender to cork!! This could be the leit motiv behind this promotional video starring British fashion journalist Jemima Daisy Compton and Angela Giltrap, australian fashion journalist based in New York, filmed during the Lisbon Fashion Week on October 2012 and which is there to publicise Pelcor's range of cork products from bags to umbrellas, caps, hats and a myriad of products made by this company based in the Algarve.
After many years making pretty original products with this typically Mediterranean raw material and the typical beige and brown colour of cork, Pelcor decided to enter the fashion segment by coming up with a whole range of new colours and models, thus  creating true it bags made with the very same cork used in the production of Moet & Chandon champagne cork stoppers. 

"We Can Be Heroes" - The life of the Blitz Kids

Some called them New Romantics, others referred to them as Futurists  or as the Blitz Kids. Born in the beginning of the 80's at a London club called the Blitz, Blitz Kids is probably the name that best encapsulates this youth movement which brought fashion and extravaganza to a new level.
Steve Strange and Rusty Egan are the two names behind these club nights, the first with its daring look and tons of mascara, the second the person in charge to the synth music that took this wild mob to the floor - Both would later work together in the Visage, the band which delivered the huge hit "Fade to gray".

From this club nights resulted a movement which would later become better know as New Romantics, highly influenced by both the music and aesthetics of David Bowie. Boy George and Culture Club,  Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Bow Wow Wow, Heave 17, Gary Numan, Human League, Soft Cell or Adam and the Ants were just some of the names that provided the soundtracks for the crazy lives of these mob which Graham Smith covers and portrays in the book entitled "We can be Heroes, Punks, Poseurs, Peacocks and People of a a Particular Persuasion" which has just come out:. 

(http://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Can-Heroes-Particular-Persuasion/dp/1908717653

For those wishing to revisit these extravagant nights please check the London media on a regular basis and look for Blitz has been hosting one off club nights in this city. Aside from these nights, some of the aforementioned bands have been making regular comebacks, as it is the case of Heaven 17 which, after has been playing regular gigs featuring both the band songs and the songs recorded at the British Electric Foundation, inviting to these gigs household names such as Boy George, Midge Ure or Green Garthside.

Peter Hook plays Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" Live

Peter Hook, founding member of both Joy Division and New Order, will be playing live tonight in Lisbon at Centro Cultural de Belém. Together with his band, The Light, he will be covering the whole of Joy Division's first album, "Unknown Pleasures".
This gig is part of a whole tour which has taken Peter Hook & The Light to many stages worldwide. The man who took bass playing to new heights is strongly committed in reviving live the legacy of two of the most important bands in the history of modern music.
After this tour, focused on "Unknown Pleasures", but where we will have the opportunity to listen to further songs by Joy Division, Peter Hook will be focusing on two of the best albums of New Order's career, e.g. "Movement" and "Power Corruption and Lies".
The fist gigs of his new live venture are scheduled for January 17 at Koko in London, the place formerly known as Camden Palace and a true heaven for the new romantic and post punk generation, and at Cathedral, on January 18 in Manchester, the city where the remarkable sound of Joy Division and later New Order was generated.
For those who do not have the oppotunity to attend the "Unknown Pleasures" show or wish to retain the memory of that gig, Peter Hook & the Light has promised to release a live DVD of their concert at the Lowry Theatre in Salford, recorded on November 19, 2011 featuring this great version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

Book a table at "Book"

Located in the center of Oporto, "Book" is a pleasant surprise for those seeking a different atmosphere. Located in Rua de Aviz, Nr 10, where once was the bookstore Aviz, the restaurant thus follow the trend in this particular part of Oporto of recovering old stores and buildings and giving them new uses with contemporary touches and vintage looks.
As you enter shelves plenty of books bring you back to the original spirit of the place - a bookstore. aside from the shelves, books are scattered all over the place, among dishes, knifes and forks. Even the menu comes in a small piece of paper inside a random book.
"Book"is the right place for dinner before heading to the many bars that flock the area of for a quiet lunch the day after. Try the delicious pea soup with bits of blood sausage, the grilled octopus with sweet potato and the fine Portuguese red wines.

Ugo - The man and the Camera

Ugo Camera is one of the most renowned fashion photographers in the world and Trendenz has been trying to get the right photo of the man in action. We finally managed to get the right snapshot, one that, we hope, this highly skilled photographer will nor disapprove.
This picture was taken at Portugal Fashion, in Oporto, one of the many fashion shows he has been working for as the official photographer.
Born in Italy but living in Barcelona for more than 25 years he meet him everywhere, at the Madrid Fashion Week, Barcelona's 080 Fashion, London Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and so forth.
But his work does not stop here. He has been working for more than two decades for the most relevant magazines and publications around the world from Elle to Marie Claire, just to name a few.
Another important part of his work is are the look books and further work he creates for brands such as Custo, Loewe or Roberto Verino, a studio work which is a fine complement to his work getting the best shots in the catwalks around the world.

David Bowie's Heroes celebrates 35 years

It is one of the most iconic albums by David Bowie and contains "Heroes", the title track that has become an hymn for some generations. The album was recorded in Berlin at the Hansa Studios right next to the Berlin Wall and together with Low and Lodger forms the Berlin trilogy, for many, and Trendenz also, the best in Bowie's career, along with Scary Monsters which would be recored years later but still retains the Berlin influences and the Kraftwerk influenced electronic sound. 35 five years later "Heroes", "Neukoln",  "The Secret life of Arabia" or "Sense of doubt" remain timeless masterpieces and a bring us back to the cold war days of West Berlin, an isolated city at the time but whose isolation has contributed to a brilliant set of songs like these. Aside from the musical genius, thanks to a great extent to the influence of Brian Eno, Heroes is thus both a musical and historical document

Jean Paul Gaultier plays enfant terrible again

Jean Paul Gaultier brought the androgynous and the dodgy and strong sexuality to the runway in his latest fashion show in Paris. This time the catwalk was full of feline Grace Jones, Anne Lennox and Boy George lookalikes among others, a show that with the presence of disco diva Amanda Lear, one of the first transgender characters to make to the music pop charts in the late 1970's.

A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade back in Europe

Trendenz was highly surprised by both the song and the video "Oração" by A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade, one of the best bands to emerge from the Brazilian music scene. The song was a huge succes and weeks after its realease on Youtube more than one million people had watched this video on that platform.
Today, September 29, Madrid is hosting the so-called Youfest, the Festival for the Youtube Genereation which began yesterday and ended with Primal Scream. Today's shows feature Buraka Som Sistema and Underworld, along with A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade who will be performing their most iconic tracks, most of them a well succeeded reinterpretation of Brazilian songs from some of the country's most talented composers.
After Madrid it will Lisbon's turn to see them once again on October 4 at Sala TMN and to listen live songs like "Solitária" a song of both despair and hope, the funny "Mimimi" and the eternal classic Oração, among others.

Lur Lur cover Peter Murphy's "A Strange Kind Of Love"

Portuguese band Lur Lur has just released a version of one of the best tracks by Peter Murphy, the former frontman of Bauhaus who has embarked in a solo career for nearly three decades now. The song is being aired in different radios and other media and somehow respects the original structure and the same feeling, ending with in a clever and beautiful solution of chorus and power drums.

Fashion on Film in Lisbon

Fashion and film often walk hand in hand and that is why we take this opportunity to walk you by the hand to CLOSE-UP, a special night dedicated to fashion on film and where you will have the opoortunity to see some of the most interesting fashion films produced in England in recent years for brands such as Richard Nicoll, Kenzo or Louis Vuitton.

This special night will take place at MUDE (The Lisbon Museum for Fashion and Design) and is organised by Associação ModaLisboa and Associação Il Sorpasso. This selection is curated by Kathryn Ferguson and will rely also on the presence of Portuguese fashion designer Lara Torres.

LANCIA FASHION Night Out

Fashion Night Out Lisbon is almost there and Trendenz has a great suggestion for you to start this special night in style. Take to Spazio Dual at Avenida da República for a nice get together and a cocktail and use the opportunity to know the groovy special series Lancia Fashion, a car with beautiful inner seats in beige color, parking sensors, steering wheel in leather and a car key with Swarowski elements. These are just some of the features of this special model. As for the remaining features it is up for you to discover in this Lancia Outlet, a place where you can buy the car of your dreams, have a great lunch and see the work by the resident artists who have their own ateliers at this very same Spazio Dual and whose works are regularly displayed here from the sculptures and jewellery by Valentim Quaresmas to clothes by Os Burgueses and photographs by Ricardo Quaresma, just to name a few. Do come by and you will receive a special offer, which we are obviously not going to tell you what it is and let yourself be driven in a Lancia shuttle downtown where the great action takes place during Fashion Night Out Lisbon.

Teresa Helbig - Pret-a-couture

This Barcelona based fashion designer showed today her proposals for the coming Spring/Summer and she has proven once again why she is one of the most interesting fashion designers in the Spanish fashion scene.
Trendenz visited Teresa Helbig backstage hours before the show and was therefore able to feel and touch her refined outfits.

"I got inspired in the imagery of the Palais de Versailles gardens", she said, explaining the manual work and the effort put into each outfit.

It is the third time we see her collections at the Madrid fashion week. Minutes before the show we came across Spanish fashion journalist Lara Courel wearing her iconic blouse from her last collection shown, here in Madrid last February.

 After visiting her backstage we had the opportunity to see how she cleverly turned what could have been a mostly couture collection into a fine mix of prêt-a-porter with fine details inspired in the work by landscape architect André Le Notre.

This inspiration is clearly visible in the lime, white and purple tones in voluminous skirts with purple embroidered elements.

Teresa Helbig started her career as a fashion designer after making a dress for herself for a wedding one day and after she realised she was pretty good at it. She now world full time in her atelier. Making bridalwear is one of the the things she likes the most, as she loves to make people feel special, she said.
Stay tuned for the coming work by the fantastic and extremely nice Teresa Helbig.

Francis Montesinos dresses Spanish Wine Reymos

Valencian fashion designer presented, along with Anecoop Bodegas, the new design for the Reymos 1918 wine, the first "Brut Nature Muscatel". The design for this limited edition was presented at the Mercedes Benz Madrid Fashion some hours before the show by the very same Montesinos where he, once again, came up with a show of colour, patterns, and cool knitwear.
Fashion and wine go often hand in hand in the Madrid Fashion Week: Veteran designer Roberto Verino, the first to show his collections on the first day, has been producing wine for ten years under the name Bodegas Gargalo.
The somehow offbeat fashion designer Amaya Arzuaga comes from a wine producing family and uses her fashion shows also to promote her wines.
Ion Fiz, a designer from Burgos used in the past the occasion to present wine from his region, and the cool  Sara Coleman teamed up this time with Bodegas Muga during the most recent Mercedes-Benz Madrid Fashion Week.
This is a rather clever strategy for a wine-producing country like Spain and a nice way to promote this country's wine. Stay tuned for more updates on wine and fashion :).

Lacoste Micah Lidberg Capsule Collection

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Lacoste has just announced a capsule collection, LACOSTE L!VE, and invited the American illustrator Micah Lidberg to design a range of clothes and accessories. This capsule collection comprises polo shirts for men and women, along with t-shirts and sneakers. Available in selected shops throughout the world.

Micah Lidberg is a well-known American illustrator who has workd until now for a range of clients from Nike to Visa, through The New York Times, Nylon Magazine or Computer Arts, among others. 

 With this capsule collection Lacoste thus continues its path of expanding its range of products. Meanwhile stsay stunned for the new collection by Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the Paris based Portuguese fashion designer who took the post of creative director of this French brand.

Primal Scream - Loosen up and get loaded - "Screamadelica Live"

By now the northern hemisphere is loosening up and taking to the beaches in the south, the lakes in the north or chilling out in improvised beaches in Paris or Berlin. It is time to loosen up, to get loaded, to release the pressure. To help you while your are at it doing absolutely nothing follow our suggestion and get this DVD with Primal Scream performing "Screamadelica", the brilliant album by this british band and featuring true hymns of a generation like the mellow title "Loaded", the fabulous groovy "Don't fight it, feel it" or the mind blowing "Swastika Eyes".

The Women On The 6th Floor - Love, Humor and Respect

By now thousands of migrants are crossing the French borders heading home for the Summer holidays. They left the villages of Spain and Portugal during the tough years of the fascist Iberian regimes and they still take to France, Germany, Switzerland to find a better job and escape the difficulties that still affect these two countries' hinterland.
Depicting the lives of the Spanish cleaning ladies and maids in Paris, "The Women of the 6th Floor" is a beautiful movie that does not fail to show the difficulties of the migrants in a big city but does it with humor.
Starring the acclaimed Spanish actress Carmen Maura (who won a Cesar award in France as actress in supporting role in this movie), Natalia Verbeke and Fabrice Luchini the film revolves around the lives of these funny maids and the love story between a boss and his maid. But it is above a story of respect for the maids and concierges of Paris. Not to miss!!

Underworld's song for the Olympics Opening Ceremony

Underwold teamed up with movie director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire) and wrote the song Isles of Wonder inspired in Caliban's Dream from Shakespeare's The Tempest for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony . See below the easiest to find excerpt from Shakespeare's play but the one that best seems to have set the tone for the song and the show:

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I wakedI cried to dream again.

Some claim the ceremony was somehow parochial. It was indeed a great show of Britishness rather than a show of Worldiness. But then again, occasions like these are there to show the host city's glory.
20 years ago Barcelona used the Olympics to propel both the region and the Catalan language and relied on the powerful scenic imagery of la Fura dels Baus.
 Hitler, dangerously but brilliantly used the art and craft of Leni Riefenstahl to film the Germania dream and the Olympics in Munich in what is until now probably one of the most beautiful images of olympic athletes in motion.
Danny Boyle cleverly used the British imagery and did not forget one of the biggest British legacies - Pop culture. Hey Jude was consensually used to please mothers and grandmothers, but we do have to thank Boyle for having included Bowie's song Heroes, hoping it will soon replace the boring "We are the champions" in major events. David, who refused the title of Sir, does deserve it as he made more for British pop culture than many institutions and performers put together.

The Stone Roses live in the adorable city of Lisbon

They went separate ways for 15 years and reunited recently. Lisbon will now have the possibility to see the band live at Optimus Alive Festival on July 13. The band's gig in the capital of Portugal follows a couple of highly acclaimed concerts particularly in England where, according to Reuters, the band made a successful comeback "leaving the fans wanting more".
The Roses concert in Lisbon happens one year after Primal Scream, another great band from the so called Madchester movement, took to this very same stage and revisited the fabulous Screamadelica album.
I wanna adored, I am the ressurection, Fool's gold or Waterfall are just some of the reasons to attend this gig.

Josep Abril - From Catalonia with style

Some days before Barcelona Fashion Week which, will take place between July 10 and July 13, we bring you images from last year's Summer edition featuring outfits by one of our favourite designers - Josep Abril. His name is not featured in the calender for this edition for reasons that we haven't been able to ascertain until now. But that will not hinder from visiting his atelier and talk to the man who created the outfits pictured here and show in the magnificient Barcelona University building.

Boom Festival, Portugal - One of the biggest alternative events in the world

It is hosted every two years in northern Portugal and has become true mantra for those seeking new sounds, new forms of art and new experiences.
 Between July 28 and August 4 let yourself go in this festival taking place in a fully ecological venue. Concerts, conferences, healing and dance dance dance are just some of the many things you can do here to the sound of trance and psytrance music.
For more information check the website http://boomfestival.org/boom2012/

The Sónar adventure in the land of Samba

The acclaimed electronic and advanced music festival has conquered the heart and soul of Brazilian in its first venture in this country. 31,000 people took to Sónar São Paulo to see the likes of Kraftwerk, Modeselektor, James Blake, Justice, Flying Lotus, Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Squarepusher and Brazilian names such as Emicida, Dago, Psilosamples, Ricardo Donoso and DJ Marky vs Dj Patife. Parque Anhembi was the venue chosen to host in May 11 and 12 fifty shows on 3 stages of which Krafwerk and Sakamoto were the most acclaimed, along with the wild beats and the sounds of Modeselekor and Squarepusher.

Under the same format of its main event which takes place every year in Barcelona and which attracts 90,000 on average to this Catalan city, Sónar draws a very positive balance from Sónar São Paulo, the biggest event so far outside the Spanish borders. Sónar has hosted until now 31 events around the world since 2002. London, Lisbon, Hamburg, Tokyo, Rome, Buenos Aires and New York were some of the cities covered. But none of these events has had the dimension of Sónar in São Paulo, a city were this festival hosted a smaller event in 2004.

Brazil has been raising its profile in recent years and musically is keen on proving that it is not just the land of Samba and Bossa Nova but also a place where all music combinations are possible. A proof of the importance of events like this was given by the country’s government which designated Sónar São Paulo "a cultural event of national interest" not only given the presence of some of the biggest names in international modern music but also given the chance it provided to show new Brazilian talents to the world, considering that this event was broadcasted on Youtube.

Flash back and flash forward at Benetton

The Italian brand which is synonym for both color and knitwear has just presented its coming Autumn Winter collection. 11 months after the public announcement of You Nguyen as creative director of Benetton his influence is there to be seen in many items Trendenz had the chance to see, feel and touch today at the Benetton showroom in Lisbon.

One of the most striking examples of the ongoing revamp of this brand is the new profusion of color bringing us back to the old colorful tones of the brand, something that somehow had been lost. Color is now back but in a new fashion and some colors are now mixed and combined with new tones and shades, bringing us back closer to the brand’s heritage.

A further positive aspect in this collection is the true plunge in the brand’s heritage operated by the creative minds of Benetton, bringing us back to the old patterns of the brand. A couple of years ago Bentton shoed an astonishing display of items which are part of the brand’s history. (Please refer to http://trendenz.blogspot.pt/2011/06/benetton-vintage.html). We are now pleased to see that the brand did research the old archives and brought back to life some of these items with a new touch.

Items with new knitting techniques thanks to the readaptation of existing machines under the guidance of Giuliana Benetton and fitted jeans with special seams and knitwear with particular effects to render women more sexy, along with designs inspired in the art world and new or improved knitting techniques to combine different kinds of wool are some of the new features of the new Benetton collection thanks to the work of Nguyen to a fair extent as the new creative director.

Trendy is the best noun for this new collection whose items can now be found in all stores and not only in showrooms for the delight of fashion produced. This was stated by both You Nguyen and Alessandro Benetton, the very same Alessandro who is now fully at the helm of the company, thus following the remarkable footsteps of his father, Lucciano Benetton.

Portuguese designer stages funeral party

Life and Death was the name of a collection shown at the Lisbon Fashion Week by the Oporto based designer V!itor. That was what he calls the Funeral. Now, this designer based in OPorto will give attendants the opportunity to engage in a piteous mourning during a themed dinner where the designer himself promises to play the deadman’s part.

But don’t take this as a farewell like the staged death of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. This dinner party which will take place at Miss OPO, Rua dos Caldeireiros nº 100 in OPorto on April 22 is a new way to see V!itor’s collection and a step further in this restless designer’s career.

Besides the dinner and performance there will be also a Pop Up store where you can acquire some prototypes, special editions and reproductions of items from the designer’s previous collections shown at the Lisbon Fashion Week, including pré-ordering of the Autumn/Winter funeral collection Life and Death shown last March at Moda Lisboa. Book now and eat and buy later. For further information and reservations write to info@vitor.com.pt.

Stripes by Dries Van Noten

Tendenz came across this jacket by Dries Van Noten and does recommend it for both the look a the fine quality of its materials. We do not want you to wear stripes all over but do check also the shoulder bags, the shirts and the ties, all featuring the same orange, white and black stripes. You can find them in Portugal or buy them online at www.wrongweather.net.

Marimekko for Converse

The Finnish designer Marimekko, designer and brand famous for its lively prints and colours, has come up with new cool models for the sneaker brand Converse after the successful collaboration and great colourful models from last Winter season. The new prints for this Spring Summer collection features the famous Unikko (poppy) prints designed by Maija Isola for the Converse models. As for the Chuck Taylor All Star, they now have a new and modern image thanks to the designs by Annika Rimala.