Iberia Express takes off tomorrow

Should you be tomorrow at the airports of Seville, Alicante, Malaga or Mallorca, you wil see a new airline landing or taking off under the brand name Iberia Express. These four cities will be the first overed by the new Iberia venture.
The new Spanish airline will focus on cheaper and competitive ticktes and  will be covering the cities where Iberia already flies to. In half a year and according to Iberia's chairman Antonio Vazques, "Iberia Express will be covering 20 destinations in Spain and Europe with its 14 planes".
Iberia Express flights will operate within the Iberia network and provide connections with other Iberia flights and will also be part of the OneWorld alliance. It remains to be seen whether this company will be able to compete in an already crowded market and where Iberia has already an affiliated low cost company, Vueling, which operates to major destinations in Europe.

The tones and tunes of Maria Gambina

Maria Gambina is having a rather busy month of March. This fashion designer, born in and living in the creative hotspot of OPorto, presented her Fall/Winter collection at the Lisbon Fashion Week and crossed Europe from west to the east where she showed yesterday her collection at the Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kiev. Her presence is part of a protocol between this eastern fashion and Moda Lisboa. The latter has also a protocol with Polish Fashion Week and is now working towards the establishment of partnerships with other fashion week, thus stimulating the exchange of designers.

As for Gamina, this is a further opportunity to show “Otherness” a collection inspired by the world and imagery of hockey. This world of horses and hockey was visible in the long hanging wool locks which the designer also replicated in long printed shirts. Large two-tone jumpers in blue and red, outfits with oversized shapes combined with short skirts, long overcoats in black with white stripes at the bottom and Mohawk-punkish styling take us also to a universe close to a certain new-punk attitude. This movement from the early eighties inspired this designer who, influenced by the voice and imagery of The Cocteau Twins, decided to apply some colour patterns that bring us back to the atmosphere of cult label 4AD, but also to the romantic music textures of The Durutti Column and the predominant black in most outfits lead us to the dark wave sounds of Anne Clark.

Music has been a source of inspiration for Maria Gambina. But a remarkable feature in her work is her use of colour in a country like Portugal where most designers do not usually go for strong colours. This was indeed a good match in this Ukrainian Fashion Week which relied also on the presence of the queen of übercolour, the Spanish fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

Have your hair done in a tube station

Having a bad hair day? Don't know which hairstyle fits you best? Well take to the tube station Baixa Chiado in central Lisbon today after 6 P.M. and let the team from GriffeHairstyle advise you and operate some wonders. If you like the end result you can always visit them just around the corner and indulge in a perfect haircut or hairdo by a team of hair specialists with strong connections to the fashion world.
This event is part of a wide program commissioned this month to Rita Rolex and featuring numerous events every month in one of the most busiest tube stations in Lisbon under the auspices of Portugal Telecom.

Tindersticks on Tour

Tindersticks, one of the most brilliant indie acts from England will be playing in Lisbon on March 26 at the Cinema São Jorge, a movie theatre in Lisbon’s main avenue which has become a perfect concert hall for some live acts.

The band featuring Stuart Staples, the man with that remarkable nostalgic voice is touring Europe in order to present the new album, “The Something Rain”, recorded between May 2010 and August 2011 and comprising 9 songs of which we give you here “Frozen”, a track with a more danceable touch which will appeal to a wider audience.

New approaches to Fado

Fado, the Portuguese melancholic music genre has been recently considered by UNESCO as "Immaterial Heritage of Mankind". So far so good, nice one and congratulations. Indeed, from Godess Amália Rodrigues to Camané and Carminho there are numerous examples of songs, also known as fados, who are there to make you heart melt, to make you faint with sorrow, to make even the hardest cobble stone weep.
But now and then we need to reinvent ourselves and to to avoid excessive traditionalism and fortunately some artists, from Paulo Bragança, to Mísia or Anamar, have been able to give Fado a more contemporary touch. This track is a fine example: Fado played with sinthesizers with the help of the great Carlos Maria Trindade and the great voice by  Paulo Bragança.

Groovy shoes at Eureka

Eureka is one of the most interesting shoe stores at the moment in Portugal. You can find them in the main commercial districts of Lisbon, Oporto and in major towns in the country. Owned by shoemakers Alberto Sousa Lds, this company opened its fist store in 2009 and is increasingly appealing to a clientelle looking for more fashionable shoes. Besides the quality and good taste of its designs, price is also a positive factor, with an average pair of shoes costing between 80 and 100 euros. In two years alone Eureka became an household name and in 2011 received the award for "Best Shoe Store in Portugal" at the Fashion TV "Fashion Awards", an event where professional in the world of fashion, business of fashion and journalism elect every year the best brands and designers in Portugal. 

One of the reasons for the success of this brand lies also in the collaboration with Portuguese fashion designers. Punctured dress shoes, great looking pumps, and orange, yellow or blue suede shoes, all designed by Miguel Flor, were fine examples of this work with designers. Nuno Gama is a renowned menswear fashion designer whose designs you can find here, a full line comprising sneakers, boots and shoes with his distingushing touch. The new addition to this joint work is Ricardo Andrez one of the most interesting new fashion designers whose collection is now available at Eureka. This designer has been able to convey in his shoe designs some of the elaborate and groovy touch  of his clothing line.

Aside from these collections created  by Portuguese fashion designers you can find also a whole range of designs created inhouse by Alberto Sousa Lda. This company is also present in the major international shoe trade fairs under this company name, hence keep an eye at this company name. Should you be or fly to Lisbon visiti the Eureka store at Rua Nova do Almada in the Chiado area where these photos were taken.

Josep Font new creative director at Jesus del Pozo

Josep Font is the new creative director at the fashion design house Jesus del Pozo. Josep, who has a wide experience in fashion has been invited on many occasions by the "Federation Française de la Couture" to show his collections at the Haute Couture Fashion Week and will be conducting the creative side of this brand. "It is an honour for me to be able to preserve the legacy of Jesus del Pozo, someone whom I truly admired.


The brand Jesus del Pozo was fully acquired by the company Perfumes y Diseño after the death of Jesus del Pozo last August. But the relationship between these two brands dates back to 1992, when they produced the perfume Duende, having launched so far eleven fragrances under the name Jesus del Pozo.

The company aims at pursuing an international strategy and Josep Font will be a crucial element in this strategy given his national and international credibility. After taking del Pozo's perfumes to all corners of the world, The company intends  to do the same now as far as clothes are concerned.

The last collection designed by Jesus del Pozo himself was shown at the Madrid Fashion Week - Pasarela Cibeles in September 2011, one month after his death. The brand Jesus del Pozo was present in February in the most recent and now rebpatised Mercedes Benz Madrid Fashion Week and his team has been able to maintain the elegant sobriety which was a hallmark of the late Jesus del Pozo.

Sétima Legião on Tour in 2012

They were one of the greatest Portuguese bands than sprang out of the new punk movement in Portugal. Influenced by the likes of Joy Division, they combined the typical sounds of the early 80's industrial melancholy with Portuguese influences and delivered the best sountrack to Lisbon and the country. Their first album "A um deus desconhecido" is a masterpiece to file right next to Joy Division's "Closer" or The Cure's "Seventeen Seconds" and "Faith". By the end of the eighties they achieved a huge success in the country and filled concert halls with crowds of Portuguese who had been regaining their pride in Portuguese music thanks to the work by Sétima Legião, Heróis do Mar, Rádio Macau, GNR and Pop Dell'Arte, among others.
The band never really split as they continued to rehearse together. In 1999 they released "Sexto Sentido", another masterpiece where electronic, samples and traditional music were perfectlt combined. During the 90's and in the first decade of 2000 the band did perform in occasional concerts. In the last tweenty years some of their members pursued their own careers, playing now and then together in each others' own projects. Paulo Abelho formed Golpe de Estado and later joined Sétima Legião's singer Pedro Oliveira in the band Cindy Kat. But the most sucessful has been so far Rodrigo Leão who, after leaving the iconic band Madredeus, followed a solo career that has taken him to all parts of the world.
The heritage of Sétima Legião is there and everywhere and  2012 will mark the return of the band which will tour the country. After playing in Oporto, today, May the 4th will mark the return to the grand stage of Coliseu in Lisbon, the very same city which inspired. Setima Lisboa is for many and for Trendenz the sound of Lisbon and hence this is gig one should not miss. Stay tuned for more information on venues and dates as the band promises to play many gigs throughout the year.

Pop dell'Arte

Greetings from Lisbon. We provide the perfect soundtrack to this city by one of the most influential Portuguese bands. Formed in the early 80's Pop Dell'arte are still rocking and releasing great records every now and then, as it is the case of this one. The current formation features João Peste on Vocals and Zé Pedro Moura o Bass, Pauo Monteiro on guitars and programming, Nuno Castelo on drums and Eduado Vinhas on synths. Two of its members are currently two of the best DJs in town. Singer João Peste can be seen deejayng at club Roterdão, in the now gentrified red light district, where clubbers and old whores mingle in perfect harmony. Zé Pedro Moura is one the resident DJs at Lux, one of the best clubs in Europe. Trendenz is particularly fond of the work of this band and of both DJ's work.
Check their discography at: http://popdellarte.posterous.com/?tag=ritualtransdisco.

Fred Perry's blue suede shoes

Spring is around the corner with the promise of clear blue skies. To go with it and to match the joyful mood of the season Fred Perry has just launched this pair of Jacobs shoes. With two discrete rubber stitched soles, they come with molded shoe soles to provide additional comfort. On sale at your local retailer for € 90 euros. Aside from these Jacobs pictured above you can also go for the waxed leather model in brown and nude with orange laces. And if you want to be bold, used the orange laces with these blue suede shoes and there you go, you will be wearing the tangerine colour of the coming season in your shoes.

Jean Dujardin plays unfaithful sexist man

The streets of Paris are full of large posters announcing the new movie starring Jean Dujardin, the French actor awarded with the Oscar for best male actor in the movie "The Artist". "Les Infideles" is composed by seven interlinked short movies and directed by seven different directors. It tells the story of two men, plaid by Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche, and their tales of infidelity and will certainly become a star of the box office this Spring, considering the worldwide popularity of Jean Dujardin and that of Gilles Lellouche, a popular actor in France.
The movie has caused some aggravation given the content which is considered highly machist and sexist and has even led the French authorities to ban some of the posters featuring Jean Dujardin and a woman with her legs up.
In times like these it takes courage to come up with a comedy like this, considering all the pressure groups raising their voice and exerting their powers to ban content that may eventually shock some audiences. But this has not stopped the movie from reaching the movie theatres and from becoming a huge success in the first week in the French cinemas.

Tribute to Fad Gadget’s Frank Tovey in New York

Fad Gadget was one of the most influential bands, formed in 1979, and Frank Tovey a remarkable performer. “Fireside Favorites” with its nervous synth sound and the fabulous voice and lyrics by Tovey is among the top ten albums here in the Trendenz list.

Ten years after the death of Fad Gadget’s frontman, New York is paying the rightful tribute to this man and his band. Envoy Enterprises, NP Contemporary and the record label Mute are organizing a large scale event comprising exhibitions with works inspired by Fad Gadget by Erika Keck, Terence Koh and Fisherspooner, among others, live performances and the premiere in the USA of the movie “Fad Gadget” by Frank Tovey himself.

This Spring will mark also the release of “An Introduction to…Fad Gadget” by Mute, to bring us back to the work of this band which plaid a huge influence in electronic bands ever since. Depeche Mode are among the bands acknowledging the importance of this band in their career.

The Hunger celebrates 30 years

Vampire movies are everywhere to be seen in movie theaters and on TV. Trendenz will like to bring you back and recall "The Hunger", from the acclaimed director Tony Scott. The shooting of this cult movie began in March 1982 and featured Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie in the leading roles, along with Susan Sarandon and a short appearance by Willem Dafoe. The movie tells the story of Miriam and her boyfriend John, a strange couple who feed themselves with the blood of clubbers. Tony Scott could not find two better matches: Deneuve and Bowie were the right actors to play the main roles in this movie.

"The Hunger" contains also the remarkable version of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" by the band Bauhaus, sung by an infuriated Peter Murphy inside a cage like a wild monkey.

Pamper yourself with Spausa products

Did you wake up with bags under the eyes after an intense week of work or leisure? Then you should absolutely try the miraculous Spausa eye contour gel. Trendenz tried it and it does work.
This is just one of the products by this Portuguese company which came up with a full line of products to pamper you and to make you feel good. Don't wait for desert to indulge yourself with a generous portion of chocolate, try the chocolate exfoliant right away. And you don't have to keep the wine and candle for a romantic date, just use the wine cream to treat your body and the candle to warm the atmosphere around you anytime.

Just like the barbershop around the corner from you

Shaving can be much more fun with the products and objects by this Portuguese brand which brings you back to the ancient barbershops just around the corner. Shaving brushes, eau de cologne, shaving cream and the new bowl are just some of the objects by this brand owned by the company 100ML. On sale in Portugal and everywhere around the world in selected shops.