AVESSA Magazine - The Striking Balance | Oct/21 - Year II - Vol 17-A

Oct/21 Year II, Vol. 17-A

THE STRIKING BALANCE

IN THIS ISSUE

MENA LOMBARD DOPE TAVIO & SHARAYA J CARLOS PARDO ROBIN JACOBS

MENALOMBARD.C OM COMING SOON TO AVESSABAZAAR.C OM

MENALOMBARD.C OM COMING SOON TO AVESSABAZAAR.C OM

www.ku-den.jp

COMI N G SO O N TO W W W. AV E S S AB AZAAR.C O M

the ROPE project

by Lisu Vega

WEARABLE ROPE SCULPTURE

lisuvega.com

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE

by Carlos Marrero

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Y U K ATA

by Erika Ishibashi

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F E AT U R E S T O R Y: B A L A N C E

by Mena Lombard

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R U N WAY R E P O RT E R

by Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta, Karo Delgobbo and Agathe Damas-Hottinguer

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CAT C H T H E N E W WAV E featuring Dope Tavio & Sharaya J

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D R A M AT I C T U R N O F E V E N T S story by Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta, produced by Carlos Pardo

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M O R E T H A N I M I S S YO U featuring Mena Lombard, interview by Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

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THE INFINITY OF IMBAL ANCE

by Ibtissam El Azami

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I N T H E S P O T L I G H T: R O B I N JAC O B S presented by the Fashion Group International of South Florida

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S U I C I D E S Q UA D

by Christen Gates Wall

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Z O D I AC

by Manish Arora

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V U L GA R D I S P L AY O F P O S I T I V I T Y

by Virginia Mayer

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FROM THE DEPTHS OF ENNUI story by Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta, produced by Jean Pierre Godineaux

P H OTO C R E D I T S FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R : M E NA L O M BA R D MODEL: COLLEEN CHAMBERS H A I R & M A K E - U P A RT I S T: B L E R BA S TO S P RO D U C E R : NATA S H A TA BU N OVA P H OTO G R A P H E R : F L Á V I O I RYO DA SPECIAL THANKS M I A M I I N T E R NAT I O NA L U N I V E R S I T Y O F A RT & D E S I G N OSCAR LOPEZ

editor’s letter

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O N T H E C OV E R FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R : M E NA L O M BA R D MODEL: COLLEEN CHAMBERS H A I R & M A K E - U P A RT I S T: B L E R BA S TO S P RO D U C E R : NATA S H A TA BU N OVA P H OTO G R A P H E R : F L Á V I O I RYO DA S P E C I A L T H A N K S : M I A M I I N T E R NAT I O NA L U N I V E R S I T Y O F A RT & D E S I G N A N D O S C A R L O P E Z

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HIS YEAR HAS TAUGHT ME that having a wonderful team of professionals (I’d rather call them friends) will turn a product into success.

And don’t get me wrong: we still have a long and challenging road ahead. It showed me that this magazine has truly connected and changed my friends’ lives for the better. We are all very enthusiastic, passionate, and proud of what we do. But I won’t hide, I feel haunted by an unbalanced feeling sometimes. And it’s funny to say because I have always preached that life is made of balance and here I am, falling short of what I‘ve always kept vigilant of. Although I am still trying to better understand myself, I believe I grow unbalanced because of my passion for creating something different, growing the magazine, expanding the business, and all the entrepreneurial and creative speech that we all know about. But it is mainly because I haven’t been able to keep pace with my personal life. I have not allowed myself to enjoy moments of creative idleness, to completely disconnect from work, to share simple moments with friends, to let someone enter my life. I am sure you have experienced this in one way or another. I have reached a point in my life that I have to stop, reflect deeper, understand my weaknesses, so I can continue to be a better version of myself. I was once told that Pain + Reflection = Evolution. Well, I am sure that’s easier said than done. As you read this, I have stopped everything I was doing in the middle of my day to heal and write this letter, to find some balance.

FLÁVIO IRYODA Editor-in-Chief

The same creativity that sets you apart can make you part of our creative community. And if you are passionate about Fashion, Miami International University of Art & Design is the place to be.

We'll help you turn your love of Fashion into the pursuit of a career that loves you back.

THE EDUCATION IS HANDS-ON. THE FUTURE IS WIDE OPEN.

We offer a range of associate and bachelor's degree programs including Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising & Accessory Design. You'll learn by doing-applying the same talent, tools, and techniques used in the industry

Where will your passion take you? Find out.

WWW.MYMIU.EDU AIMIUinternational@aii.edu 1.305.428.5903 Miami International University of Art & Design is one of The Art Institutes, a system of private schools throughout the United States.

Programs, credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by school and are subject to change. 1501 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33132-1418. © 2020. The Arts Institutes International LLC. All rights reserved.

OUR TEAM OF

MENA LOMBARD

KARO DELGOBBO

@camarrero

@karodelgobbo

Fashion Designer and Professor, Mena believes that fashion completely transcends the surface and the most important is how one feels rather than anything else. Fashion is really about how empowered one becomes by it.

She channels vibrant flares of vintage fashion and dreams of contemporary twists, inspired by her own life and travels.

Widely recognized for his tongue-in-cheek and informed critiques of the fashion, beauty and entertainment industry, Carlos is a seasoned fashion illustrator, host of TRENDENCIAS and fashion designer of Marrero Collection - a compilation of alluring statement pieces designed for the fashionista looking for unique fashion items.

A true fashion passionate, Karo is a fashion runway coordinator, fashion buyer, fashion producer, magazine editor and entrepreneur. She approaches fashion in an innovative manner, where luxury brands are mixed with everyday basic pieces, transforming into a fresh, bold and powerful statement, fulfilling one’s heart and soul.

ALFONSO DE HOYOS

VIRGINIA MAYER

Recovering from an obsession with Italiandesigned menswear, Alfonso decided to take a deeper look into women’s fashion to see how our relationship with clothes has changed. Educated as an economist with an MBA, he is traveling between Chicago, Miami and Mexico on a search to see what happens next to fashion.

Upon learning writers are artists, Virginia wrote a novel called Polaroids and a bunch of stories and opinion pieces published in Colombia, thus becoming an author. She now writes shows with her duo, teaches creative writing and lives with her cat Mandela in Key Biscayne while she falls in love with Miami.

@dehoyosa

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CARLOS MARRERO

@menalombard

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IBTISSAM EL AZAMI

@theburnoutbrand

Ibtissam, aka Azami or The Burn Out Brand in make-up artistry, is a fashion make-up artist, content and copywriter, and a social media manager. Her attention for detail allows for unique works of art, focused on finesse and graphic shapes. After the conquest of Paris and London, she is now in Rome, where she lets the sun inspire her day in and day out.

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ctriburs

CARLOS PARDO

@carlospardo.1973

Acclaimed producer who continuously chases creativity, empowerment and innovation with the perfect blend of fashion, art and advertising. He carefully positions himself close to those three pillars in a more strategic manner to promote and deliver fashion shows, TV shows, concerts and brand/product campaigns.

MANISH ARORA

ERIKA ISHIBASHI

CHRISTEN GATES WALL

@erika_opie

@cmg925

After graduating with honors, she moved permanently to Tokyo. Not only is Erika a finalist for Miss Earth Tokyo 2020 but she is also one of the founders for Women of the Earth, a group of women who tackle environmental and social issues in Japan. Erika has also a strong passion for the environment, animal rights and skin positivity.

Pioneering the subtle art of getting noticed for originality in fashion, Christen and her husband Joe built a brand that offers a sophisticated approach to confronting friction between conservative and liberal American ideals. Through their original fine jewelry designs they reveal more about what we have in common than different.

@manishastrologer

@beyond.the

NATASHA TABUNOVA

AGATHE DAMAS-HOTTINGUER

Renowned KP Astrologer, Numerologist, Tarot Reader Vastu Consultant. He has been rendering professional advice to clients with a high degree of success. He has been conferred with the title of Jyotish Varahamihir and Jyotish Aryabhatt. Manish has been writing monthly astrological columns for 40+ international magazines.

Natasha has been surrounded by art since her early years in Belarus, creating art and fashion since her early years with limited resources, zero knowledge, and much energy and passion. Her dream to become a Costume Designer came to life after graduation. She believes fashion is an endless field for playing games, especially if you like breaking rules.

Since she was a young girl, Agathe became committed to her love of fashion. In primary school she ravenously read critiques of fashion shows and dreamed of writing her own take on the styles and looks presented across the world. Although never formally trained in fashion design, Agathe realized she was destined for fashion.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Flávio Iryoda ASSISTANT TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Angélique Salcedo EDITORS Fashion & Styling Karo Delgobbo Juanita Crary Mena Lombard Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta Ibtissam El Azami Product Carlos Marrero ASPAC Erika Ishibashi Interviews Virginia Mayer Cinema Christen Gates Wall Travel Tamara Almeida Zodiac Manish Arora

DIGITAL

Available year-round at avessamag.com

PRINT

We are now printing in small batches.

Contact us if you’re interested!

On-demand printing, worldwide delivered at www.magcloud.com/user/avessa.

CONTACT US

Questions or comments? info@avessamag.com

Associate Producers Karo Delgobbo Carlos Pardo Natasha Tabunova Reviewer Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta Art Director Flávio Iryoda Sales Karo Delgobbo Giu Brandão Flávio Iryoda

CONSUMER SERVICES

AVESSA Magazine is a bi-monthly digital and print on-demand publication focused on fashion, lifestyle and empowerment for the independent and contemporary woman. Founded in early 2019 with main operations in Miami, FL (Brickell) and a wide network of collaborators distributed across the globe.

PUBLISHER AVESSA Media Group LLC Brickell - Miami, FL 33130 United States of America

A PROUD MEMBER OF

© 2021 AVESSA Media Group LLC, a Florida limited liability corporation. All rights reserved.

The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future.

No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a through examination of the particular situation.

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KIKI L E T ’ S H AV E A

1. Meet Serina Lilliane @serina_lilliana, Fashion Designer of African Hippie and also a braid hairstylist.

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2. Our proud Editor-in-Chief of INFECTA Mag @lisa_opie and her last creation. Congrats, Lisa and #TEAMINFECTA!!! @infectamag

3. Make-up Artist and Fashion Designer Jesús Molina @idcmolina during the production of one of our editorials.

4. Cherie Pickett @fervor_mode, Fashion Stylist and Photographer who works for several music celebrity video productions.

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5. Looking familiar? You will see her many times in this issue. Our majestic covergirl, ballerina, and model Colleen Chambers @colleenchambersofficial.

6. Who doesn’t love the amazing model Olga Dubrovina @olga_srg_?

We fell in love with her attitude and editorial look since Day 1. Did you know Olga was our covergirl last year?

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7. Keep it up! AVESSA goes to the gym with Miami’s best Personal Trainer @leticiamattospersonal.

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8/9. Sisters Angélique @pinasalcecci and Valérie Salcedo @valerie. salcedo. Angélique has also helped the production of one of our AVESSA editorials this month. Oh, we just cannot forget to mention that she also styled the cover for INFECTA last month (or else we would be dead by now :) S H A R E YO U R P H OTO S W I T H A N Y O F O U R P U B L I C AT I O N S !

I N F O @ AV E S S A M AG. C O M

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BE YOUR OWN SAFETY 18K GOLD DIAMOND SAFETY SELECTOR NECKLACE

J O E WA L L D E S I G N . C O M

let’s have a kiki

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WE CELEBRATED THE RELEASE OF OUR LAST ISSUE IN WYNWOOD, MIAMI’S ART DISTRICT WITH THE MIAMI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN. DON’T MISS OUR NEXT ONE! 22

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10. Fashion Designer and Professor Tammy Apostol from TA Couture @ tacouture and Hair & Make-up Artist Bler Bastos @beautybybler.

13. The one and only Natasha Tabunova @beyond.the and our Editor Virginia Mayer.

11. Our sweetheart Mena Lombard @menalombard and Andres Aguilar @andresaguilardesigns.

14. The MIU leadership Oscar Lopez @oscarlopez0225, Nestor Camacho @nfcamacho and the legendary Charlene Parsons.

12. The lovely Carolina Rinchere @c_rinchere.

15. Catch David Diaz if you can @ followdaviddiaz.

16. Is Jean Pierre Godineaux @ jpgodineaux from la isla or Guaynabo? It’s a mystery we will never know.

17. Philip Molina @yellobb (center) and friends (from left to right) @___dandlyon___, @chaejovanne, @vibratelovedaily and @iseenhimbefore.

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18. Chef Pablo Lombardero and our questionable Editor and Writer Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta @ dehoyosa.

19. Our eternal Hair & Make-up Artist Araceli Bravo @aracelibravoartistry along with Fashion Designer Luis Aponte and Melida Sanchez, founding partners of @ luisaponteatelier.

20. Wiola Gaida @wiolagaida and her man Ronald @ronaldcaar.

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uber talented Jade Matarazzo @ jade_matarazzo. You should check @colectamag.

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21. The epic Jac Mauro @jacmauropr. What is he planning for the next issue?

23. We can’t get enough of Mili Rottjer @mili_rottjer.

25. Our INFECTA Mag coverboy Zach Dishinger @zachdishinger, owner of Formula Z @formulazcosmetics and his proud parents. Did you know this print is a limited double-sided AVESSA/INFECTA?

22. Our AVESSA Bazaar Shop Manager Bruna Amorin @bruna. img, COLECTA Editor-in-Chief Giu Brandão @giu_brandao and the

24. Meet the multifaceted fashion designer and artist Alejandro Bárzaga @barzaga.official. Check out his art profile @barzaga.art.

26. Oscar Lopez @oscarlopez0225, Alvina Lam @s2alvina, founder of Baliawear @baliawear and Thierry Richard @thierryrich26.

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objects of desire

GUCCI SQUARED-FRAME SUNGLASSES Black and yellow gradient transparent acetate frame. Presented in black and yellow gradient acetate, these rectangular-frame sunglasses feature a sophisticated reinterpretation of the Web, crafted from green and red acetate layers, placed on the temples and trimmed by gold-toned metal details. $780 / gucci.com

STAY COOL IN AUTUMN

Start fall with a fresh feel

BY CARLOS MARRERO

LOUBOUTIN SO KATE BOOTY One of the most iconic mainstays of all Louboutin designs. This season’s So Kate comes in Oh Xtian, a colorful collage effect fabric inspired by retro posters, magazine clippings and Christian’s vision of femininity. $995 / christianlouboutin.com

N°5 THE BODY LOTION Experience The Body Lotion, housed in a soft, squeezable stand-up pouch reminiscent of refill packaging. The lotion’s light, fluid texture leaves skin delicately scented with the iconic fragrance. $55 / saksfifthavenue.com

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SUMMER GLAM READING 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World, by Samantha Barry. Showcasing three decades of Glamour’s Women of the Year, this book is a record of the ceiling-shattering achievements that have reshaped our world, and a manual for success for the women of today— and tomorrow. $30 / amazon.com

MARS CLAUDETTE AUDACIOUS MATTE LIPSTICK A limited-edition matte lipstick with medium-sheer coverage and a soft-focus finish, inspired by François Nars’ mother, Claudette. Color: ANAIS. $34 / nordstrom.com

CHER EAU DE PARFUM A scent as iconic as its inspiration. On one level flirty and sensual, on other meditative and serene, the scent defies a single category, like Cher herself 1.7 oz. $85

BURBERRY CONTRAST VINTAGE CHECK COTTON BANDANA Archive Beige; 50”H x 35”W; Contrasting tones of signature vintage check; Made in Italy. $320 / bloomigdales.com

LEATHER PHONE CROSSBODY BAG 305 DECO DREAMS DIFFUSER Transports you to a tropical paradise. The fruity mandarin, honeydew and coriander notes will keep you relaxed and feeling upbeat. Paraben free and nestled in a premium, iconic box.

Candle also available. $49 / 305candles.com / @305_candles

D&G logo with baroque-inspired gilt flourishes ornately brands this compact leather bag designed with a sliding chain strap that can be worn doubled or long. $1,195 / nordstrom.com

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objects of desire

THE SNATCHED PALETTE BY LADYCODE A multipurpose, inclusive face palette. This game changing, travel-friendly palette offers 6 shades of pigment that can be used as eyeshadow, highlight, blush, contour, setting powder, and more for all skin tones. This palette is all you need for a full face of glam! $48 / ladycodeshop.com

24K GOLD LIFT & FIRM HYDRA-GEL EYE PATCHES An anti-aging eye contour gel patch infused with pure 24K gold and collodial gold to help lift and firm the appearance of the eye area in 10 minutes. $63 / nordstrom.com

SERPENTI SPIGA WATCH Quartz movement, 35 mm 18 kt rose gold case set with diamonds, 18 kt rose gold crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite, black dial and double-spiral 18 kt rose gold bracelet set with diamonds. $27,000 / bulgari.com

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BERTRAND SENECOURT CHAMPAGNE Combining supreme quality with impeccable, cutting-edge design, BEAU is made from the highest quality wine – 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay – naturally derived from the finest grapes of Epernay, France. $99-129

ROCK STAR 223 In the battle to be heard, Joe Wall arm you with sophisticated art and fashion to make your stories memorable. True-to-size of the iconic 223 cartridge, now crafted with faceted pyramids to excite your bad side. Upgrade to your everyday style with this hard take on a timeless classic. Staring at $249 / joewall.com

BALENCIAGA WOMEN’S LE CAGOLE XS SHOULDER BAG Green, Le Cagole XS Shoulder Bag Arena lambskin, aged silver hardware. $1,590 / balenciaga.com

ULTIUNDIES LUXURY LEAKPROOF UNDIES The ideal undies for your light period days: during pregnancy or after delivery; throughout your menopause; anytime, anywhere.

Three layer crotch protection. Make your carbon footprint, use less tampons/pads/liners and contribute to saving our Planet. Bikini with Lace in black or nude. $36 / UltiUndies.com

LA PRAIRIE PLATINUM RARE HAUTE-REJUVENATION CREAM Dr. Paul Niehans dreamed of eternity, dedicating his life to its pursuit. Inspired by the doctor’s Cellular Therapy, it is strengthened by the Exclusive Cellular Complex and enriched by eons of pure, rare platinum. $1,525 / laprairie.com

KNEES UP PATENT SHINE 10X NAIL LACQUER From glamorous looks to weekend brunch, this butter LONDON Mini Patent Shine 10X Nail Lacquer adds a posh and polished nail look to every occasion - no matter how sophisticated or casual. $12 / butterlondon.com

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women of the earth

YUKATA 浴衣

BY ERIKA ISHIBASHI

P HO T O G R A P H ER SAYO M I YA MO T O

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MODEL S : WA K A KO YA M A NA , NA NA O TA , U LA LA M I K A M I , M I Y U K I KU D O, NA NA M I K A N EKO, ER I K A I S H I BA S H I

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OMEN OF THE EARTH IS BACK TO INTRODUCE THE ENvironmentally friendly traditional Japanese clothing: the yukata. The kimono is more widely known worldwide for being Japan’s traditional clothing but because it’s still yukata season here now, I’m going to tell you more about the kimono’s lesser-known cousin. The history of the yukata starts during the Heian Period, between the years of 794-1185. It basically started as a fancy robe, something to wear after getting out of the bath, but nowadays it’s really popular to wear during the summer, especially going to a summer festival or when visiting shrines or temples. The yukata looks like it would

be too heavy to wear in the summer but it’s made out of 100% lightweight cotton and it was actually very comfortable to wear outside during this shoot. Putting it on is a different story though. Similar to the kimono, there is a specific 10 step process to follow when putting on the yukata. It took my friend a good minute to put it on me but this also inspired me to learn to do it myself one day. The coolest part

about both the yukata and the kimono though, is that they’re both made out of one piece of cloth. After cutting out a very big piece of cloth, that cloth is cut into long strips and those strips are then sewn to create the yukata shape.

There is no leftover fabric to be thrown away so it’s very good for the environment. Not to mention both the yukata and kimono last forever. They are often passed down the family for genera-

tions which is another fantastic way to save resources. Personally, wearing the yukata was so much fun! It truly was so comfortable to wear, it was light and breezy, and it was really cool being able to wear this in public because that’s so normal here, no one even bats an eye.

You can of course buy your own yukata when in Japan but there are also plenty of rental options. I hope you all considered trying to wear one someday!

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L A D Y C O D E S H O P. C O M

the language of fashion

BALANCE THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO

STORY BY MENA LOMBARD FASHION DESIGNER MENA LOMBARD MODEL COLLEEN CHAMBERS HAIR & MAKE-UP ARTIST BLER BASTOS PRODUCER N ATA S H A TA B U N O VA PHOTOGRAPHER FLÁVIO IRYODA SPECIAL THANKS M I A M I I N T E R N AT I O N A L U N I V E R S I T Y O F A RT & D E S I G N OSCAR LOPEZ

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the language of fashion

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE this ongoing pandemic, without a doubt I would use the word “fast”. I am still shocked at how fast everything took place. How fast the virus spread, how fast the entire world had to close every door and turn off every engine, and how fast life moved to virtual mode. As fast as an instant, the pandemic made clear how fragile our world was. And when we talk about our world, we can think of it in terms of the planet we all share, the world we create among our loved ones, or the very personal one we build inside the walls of our homes or our minds. It doesn’t matter which one; they are all equally remarkable, equally important, and equally fragile.

Amid this situation, fashion, as it always does, reflected what we were going through.

We all hung our tailored dresses and business suits and cozied up in soft loungewear that allowed us to work, socialize and move around in the ease and safety of our homes.

Looks were all about comfort, and trends talked about work-leisure garments and over-the-keyboard tops. Clothing brands started including face masks as part of their offer, and fashion week was held virtually.

Fashion was, once again, instant language that showed and expressed what was happening around us and how we were dealing with it.

For over a year now, I have heard and read countless methods people began using to deal with this unprecedented situation. From music, exercise, and virtual socialization, we all designed, carved, and put together our personal recipes that would allow us to sur-

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vive and keep thriving through this ongoing situation. We were not only connected by the reality we were living, but we were also connecting through the need to find a way to make the best of it. For first survival and then enjoyment, we sought ways to move through and past a common situation to every human being on this planet. We started doing this and keep on doing it because it is within our human nature to search for the light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t help to ask myself, is there a formula to survive this? Would it be possible to decodify it?

I started paying more attention to what those closest to me were doing. My neighbor started working on her garden. One of my best friends began meditating. My husband began cooking all his mother’s and grandmother’s best dishes. We were all, in one way or another, creating the world we wanted to live in, even if that world was momentarily being limited to the confines of our homes.

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BALANCE AS THE ONGOING AND NEVERENDING ACT OF BRINGING ALL THE ELEMENTS OF OUR LIVES INTO HARMONY I decided to focus on finding the common element all these successful recipes shared, what they were focusing on, and why they were working. I realized that at the heart of them all was the search for balance. Balance in its most pure and meaningful form - as an awareness of what is true, positive, and has meaning. Balance in terms of being able to cultivate what we need and manage what we have. Balance in the sense of understanding when to hold on when we can, and let go when we must.

If balance was the common denominator of so many answers and the formula to withstand unprecedented situations and still thrive despite them, it deserved to be highlighted and shared in a way that could resonate with everyone. The concept of balance can be as vast as the sea. The word itself is a noun and a verb, so it can, and it does, mean different things simultaneously. Balance can be related to values, emotions, and even professions. For example, being a fashion designer myself, balance is a design principle.

And I follow this principle often because my own approach to fashion is to pay special attention to proportions. The idea of balance that these recipes had in common is the balance as an avenue to enjoy what life throws our way. Balance as the ongoing and never-ending act of bringing all the elements of our lives into harmony. Balance as a journey and not a destiny.

I immediately felt the need to share this discovery, so I began thinking of the best way to do it. Because an image is worth a thousand words, I decided to look for a visual representation of that idea. A graphic that could capture the mood, the spirit, and the meaning of such an important concept. One that could materialize and encompass its entire message. It had to be simple to be understood easily and beautiful to attract attention. But it also had to be true to my own idea of balance, a balance that can be enjoyable, elegant and provides stability in both static and moving conditions. When I thought of this, my mind went straight to one of my favorite books: The Ballerina Project.

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balance in the sense of understanding when to hold on when we can and let go when we must.

balance as an awareness of what is true, positive, and has meaning.

balance in terms of being able to cultivate what we need and manage what we have.

balance as an avenue to enjoy what life throws our way.

the language of fashion

I have a very close relationship with dance in general and with ballet in particular. I enjoy dancing in any situation, but few things provide me with the joy, excitement, enjoyment, and inspiration that ballet does. This is because ballet is probably one of the most all-around and complete art forms that I have ever encountered. As a physical exercise, ballet not only gives you strength and flexibility but is also the foundation for all other dance genres. As training, it requires commitment, dedication, and discipline, values that can be transferred and applied to any other aspect of life. As an art form, it combines acting, music, dancing, costume, and scenic design. Finally, as a methodology, it provides with perseveration, communication, and confidence.

I immediately called a long-time friend of mine who is a ballet dancer and instructor and explained to her that I was researching about the fundamentals of ballet. Through a zoom call, we sat down and began our conversation. “Ballet trains you to dance and teaches you to live,” she said. “What you need to succeed in ballet is what you need to succeed in life.” I asked her, “what would you say is at the core of ballet?”. “Balance,” she answered. In the same way, my neighbor took care of her yard, or my husband cooked his grandma’s dishes, through this pandemic we have all been trying to recreate places or moments that remind us of a better time. We are searching for the balance we feel we lost, and in that search, we are reclaiming it back. This is not only enlightening, but it is also something that draws us closer, establishing yet another reason and example that shows how similar we all are and how much we share and have in common.

I fell in love with this concept of balance because it provided me with not only hope but also enlightenment. As a designer, I felt that the best way to share this idea was to do it through the language of fashion, so I decided to make it the inspiration of my Fall Winter 2021 collection. I believe fashion is an avenue that can provide empowerment and opportunity. One that can take us through a journey of self-discovery and confidence. Fashion can provide us with essential stones to pave our journey of expression, connection, and of balance.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED IN BALLET IS WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED IN LIFE: BALANCE

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runway reporter: new york fashion week ss22

P H OTO C O U RT E S Y TA DA S H I S H O J I

ROARING W BACK WITH HAPPINESS

BY KARO DELGOBBO

“One hundred years ago, the Spanish Flu receded and the Roaring Twenties made its spirited debut. Here we are 100 years later. While we all do our best to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19, my hope for this season is a return to parties,” said Tadashi Shoji.

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ITH SPRINGTIME RETURNING, THE IDEA OF A FRESH start was prevalent throughout Tadashi Shoji’s Spring 2022 collection. Tadashi Shoji, an Americanbased Japanese fashion designer, is well known for his evening wear and special occasion fashion. This collection was inspired by the Roaring Twenties with its dramatic social and political changes, and it encourages us to forget the dismal past year. He created these chic midi dresses and runwayready gowns to evoke that new spirit of celebration with a focus on living in a wilder, glitzier, and more dazzling way.

Shoji played up lace insets and intricate ornamental trims, such as flapper fringes and embroidered tulle cap sleeves, not only to provide an elegant foundation for the collection but also to emphasize his glamorous aesthetic. His color palette included vibrant florals juxtaposed with gorgeous jewel tones as well as textured blacks and whites. The first look

was a gorgeous daytime dress with a pink floral print and a flounce skirt. You can easily imagine Daisy Buchanan in this dress as she cruelly flirts with Gatsby in her East Egg Garden.

Another standout was a silver, one-shoulder empire draped gown that evoked a blossoming rose.

Tadashi Shoji’s styles were designed to exist in the beauty of a moment, captured like lightning in a bottle. You can close your eyes and hear the uncorking of more champagne and the sound of laughter as cocktails are happily drunk after midnight. In the end, that’s what New York Fashion Week was all about this season, reinventing ourselves and moving on to greater times full of life and hope. The key to Tadashi Shoji’s collection is the return to parties and he delivered that with a lot of glitz and glam which signaled a more cheerful time and the hope of happiness for the festivities that will come.

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runway reporter: copenhagen fashion week ss22

HOW MUCH CAN WE GROW

BY ALFONSO DE HOYOS-ACOSTA

S

CANDI-STYLE HAS CERTAINLY changed throughout the last 20 years. Starting with the old-school minimalist looks presented in glittering shades of grey.

If you were a screaming rebel spitting at the ruling hierarchy, then you mischievously included white, black, and perhaps brown. Then in 2006, after a brief stint as a fashion editor, Stine Goya founded her own label filling a niche for feminine shaping, artistic prints, and exuberant stylings. In an interview prior to the pandemic, Stine Goya stated “I believe that fashion must be playful! I love when women wear eye-catching colors and beautiful prints. I want to push women’s perception of how they dress, to make them more daring – so that people will notice and compliment!”.

From that point, Scandi-style started to mean something else.

Printed dresses, denim, and volume became the rallying cry for the new Copenhagen it-girl or “Ganni-girl”. So, if anyone would start the move away from the now ubiquitous look, it would be Stine Goya with their new collection called “How Much Can We Grow”. The Danish company stated: ” Emblematic of this sentiment, the collection is imbued with the fiercely unique and unapologetic spirit of the iconic Bloomsbury Group”. The early 20th century Bloomsbury Group was an informal group of English writers, intel-

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P H OTO C O U RT E S Y S T I N E G OYA

lectuals, philosophers, and artists including Virginia Woolf, and E. M. Forster. They had interconnected views on varied topics such as ethics, feminism, economics, and sexuality. Although they lived in a picturesque London district of garden squares surrounded by elegant townhouses, they were quick to abhor the conventional platitudes of that time as well as the dreaded bourgeoisie, (why is that always de rigueur?).

In other words, they were 20thcentury bohemians whose influence is still felt today. This inspiration was a natural starting point for Stine Goya, but the designer also imprinted her own unmistakable sense of color and draping on the collection. What was new this season was the gradual introduction of solid colors and the building up of knits into her lineup.Interwoven into the fun and chic mismatched prints one can see lovely lime green ruched dresses, in both long and short versions, that still maintained a body-conscious style. The designer also played with shapes, such as the denim jackets in vibrant colors and a curved shape that highlighted a flared peplum.

Checkerboard sweaters, seen and loved in the past, were now presented shortened and with both flowered skirts and a solid backflowing skirt that ended just over the knee. Down the runway still came patterns only now with more intensity. One look, in particular, was striking as it combined three abstract prints — a pastel swirl vest, a short sweater vest with geometric shapes, and a skirt covered in strokes of varied colors as if hand-painted by one of the Bloomsbury gang.

This many-layered collection can be seen as an antidote to being locked in at home. Stine Goya brought us clothes to dance, play, and be seen again. She asked us “How Much Can We Grow”, and her answer was to grow by being more intense, colorful, and daring.

Yet? Still doing it with great panache and an eye for detail.

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runway reporter: copenhagen fashion week ss22

JOY, SADNESS, AND HOPE

BY AGATHE DAMAS-HOTTINGUER

T

P H OTO C O U RT E S Y T E AT U M J O N E S

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HE RE-LOVE | GLOBAL WOMANHOOD 2022 COLlection from Teatum Jones, Catherine Teatum, and Rob Jones, was inspired by a collective of 25 unique women who embody the Teatum Jones spirit – bold, confident, creative, and smart – including women such as Trans model Munroe Bergdorf, disability model, and activist Kelly Knox. Teatum Jones takes us on a journey unearthing their moments of intense joy, sadness, and hope which represent our most instinctive human emotions.

In an accompanying statement with the collection the designers wrote: “By Re-DISCOVERING footage from the archives of our past interviews, we have been Re-INSPIRED to further research these moments of intense joy, sadness, and hope and Re-BUILD a new collection from their collective human stories.

We call this Re-LOVE | Global Womanhood 2022”. The collection was presented in three chapters based on the emotions of Joy, Sadness, Hope.

JOY manifested in a palette of explosive red and burgundy tones with pinks, and purples. These looks were beyond eye-catching with details such as pink florals, silk organza, Liberty waste prints, and merino knits. The first dress was a standout with vibrant neon pink florals printed on transparent red silk organza.

It combined a beautiful top with a deep

neckline, voluminous hanging sleeves, and a flowy, pleated skirt with a handkerchief hemline.

SADNESS revealed itself in a palette of midnight navy, intense blue and spring white. These looks were more demure but still contained gorgeous silk organza, ruffle skirts, and floral prints. Representative of this chapter was an elegant midnight navy dress constructed with geometric flock printed fabric, an offthe-shoulder neckline, and a skirt reaching down to mid-shin. This dress was stunning with its heavily textured fabric cut into a flattering hourglass shape that would be pleasing on all body types.

HOPE was the concluding chapter and was brought together with a group of fun, optimistic patchworked denim looks. All patchwork textiles combined magenta, red, black, and white mis-

matching prints. One of these looks included an oversized grey and light blue plaid suit jacket playfully embellished with the signature patchwork on the sleeves and right-half of the garment.

The jacket was combined with a white shirt and patchwork jeans that provided a unique overall look that was fashionforward and stylish but also appeared surprisingly comfortable.

Material manipulation was a central focus in this collection along with sustainability goals that reused deadstock fabric and recycled sleeves. Teatum Jones celebrated their 25 inspirations with fashionable clothes that referenced our instinctive human emotions but still maintained clever construction and a point of view that seriously takes on the issues of body inclusivity and the environment.

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runway reporter: london fashion week ss22

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SPACE TIME

BY ALFONSO DE HOYOS-ACOSTA

T

AIWANESE BRAND OQLIQ VIRTUALLY presented their genderless collection, “SpaceTime” at the London Fashion Week. OqLiq is designed by, Orbit Lin and Chi Houng, who have partnered to create garments based on their shared passion in Ura-Harajrhuku culture, the vintage aesthetic, and the skateboarding scene. Lin’s experience as an internet engineer and Houng’s fine arts background has enabled them to create a streetwear line that is innovative and unorthodox but at the same time beautifully minimalistic. This season OqLiq presented a virtual 3D maze that symbolized the anarchy of the virtual world with 3D models showing the pieces from one camera angle before switching to another.

Oqliq’s designs utilized a wave of earthy grey, green tones with splashes of bolder colors such as neon green or a deep oceanic blue. Their spring-summer collection not only provided color-blocked shorts, light-weight pants, t-shirts, and vests but also continued to highlight their playful jackets with unique pockets and introduced genderless skirts that were reminiscent of “andon hakama” worn by the Japanese samurai elite classes.

One particular look was a gorgeous deep blue Noragi-style jacket paired simply with grey-moss color-blocked shorts. While another design that stood out was a gossamerlight grey skirt with a matching collarless jacket containing subtle moss and white blocks of color. You can just imagine this intriguing outfit being used as a utilitarian and artistic suit worn by any gender as they stroll through an orbital dock on their way into space. The entire collection has this cohesive futuristic vibe with unexpected flourishes such as a sleeveless vest or a monastic grey asymmetrical one-sleeve jacket with a powerful burst of neon green.

In addition, the brand presented new fabric technology — the garments were made with recycled materials like yarn mixed with oyster shell powder, and leather coated with dam sediment mud. OqLiq continues to impress with its streetwear and its subtly complex construction and color palette.

| OCTOBER 2021

P H OTO C O U RT E S Y OQLIQ

OCTOBER 2021 |

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SWEET DREAMS D O P E TAV I O S I LV E R P VC B OW S D R E S S, Y S L VO I L E P O L K A - D OT G L OV E S, D E V I O U S S C R E A M P U M P S, D O O R K N O C K E R E A R R I N G S, V I N TAG E P E A R L S

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D O N ’ T YO U WA N T M E D O P E TAV I O L A M E P RO M F RO N T D R E S S, B I L L B L A S S V I N TAG E J E A N S, A D I DA S T U B E S O C K S, M A D A S H E L L P E O P L E G L OV E S, D E V I O U S D O M I NA H E E L S, D O O R K N O C K E R E A R R I N G S, S T Y L I S T S A RC H I V E T I A R A

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SWEET DREAMS D O P E TAV I O S I LV E R P VC B OW S D R E S S, Y S L VO I L E P O L K A - D OT G L OV E S, D E V I O U S S C R E A M P U M P S, D O O R K N O C K E R E A R R I N G S, V I N TAG E P E A R L S

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the fashion analyst

AVESSA TAKES THE EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT WITH OCTAVIO AGUILAR ABOUT DOPE TAVIO AND HIS VERY ANTICIPATED PARTICIPATION IN THE UPCOMING SEASON 19 OF PROJECT RUNWAY PREMIERING OCTOBER ON BRAVO.

BY ALFONSO DE HOYOS-ACOSTA

YOU HAVE WORKED IN INTERIOR DESIGN, WHICH IS BOTH CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL, BEFORE RETURNING TO DESIGN YOUR OWN LINE, WHAT ASPECTS OF INTERIOR DESIGN HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO YOUR CLOTHES? I actually worked in interior design for 7 years before I started designing Dope Tavio. Before that, I was the general manager at The Levi’s store in South Beach for 6 years. Both of these jobs have influenced some of the designs in my line, with interior design I get draping, prints, oversized proportions, and with Levi’s it brings in all the denim and the streetwear. It’s a great balance when merging the two together.

I HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE A SWEET AND VERY CLOSE FRIENDSHIP WITH YOUR MUSE SHARAYA J, IN FACT, SHE HELPED INTRODUCE DOPE TAVIO IN 2016, HOW DOES YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SHARAYA J IMPACT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? OMG Sharaya and I go way back, so there’s definitely trust in both our personal and creative processes. When working together we feed off of one another’s vibes, we are forward-thinking and we both like taking risk and we definitely know what looks good. I mainly get inspired by Sharaya’s music - her music takes me to another place while I’m creating in my studio. It’s always a new mood. It’s not until I’m done filling up a rolling rack of new pieces when I tell myself “Sharaya would look great in all of these”.

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YOUR CLOTHES ARE GENDERLESS, ONE-OFA-KIND PIECES THAT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A GORGEOUS MIX OF HAUTE COUTURE AND HIP HOP FASHION, DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF MORE OF AN ARTIST CONCEPTUALIZING YOUR CREATIVITY, OR ARE YOU ALSO INTERESTING IN A WIDER COMMERCIAL AUDIENCE? For now, I consider myself an artist making oneof-a-kind pieces but I definitely see it growing into a full brand.

YOU ONCE MENTIONED THAT WHEN YOU MOVED TO NEW YORK YOU HAD A TWO-YEAR BUSINESS PLAN WHICH INVOLVED A WHOLE NEW LEARNING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE YOU RAN INTO SO MANY DIFFERENT OBSTACLES, WHAT DID YOU LEARN? I learned that being a new designer in a big city is nothing new unless you have something really different to offer. My pieces stood out and the word got around quickly. Additionally, I was learning how to manage a little brand all on my own and juggling everything from designing, social media, website, networking, photoshoots, models, the list goes on and on.

E V E RY B O DY WA N T S TO RU L E T H E WO R L D D O P E TAV I O L A M E B I K E R JAC K E T D R E S S, D O P E TAV I O P U F F E R H AT, Y S L S TO C K I N G S, D E V I O U S S C R E A M P U M P S, G U C C I L AC E G L OV E S, V I N TAG E VO LT E A R R I N G S, V I N TAG E S U N G L A S S E S

the fashion analyst

O N T H I S PA G E S H A R AYA J A N D O C TAV I O AG U I L A R

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MY PIECES AREN’T FOR EVERYONE OR EVEN FOR EVERY DAY, THEY ARE ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECES GOING ON ONE-OF-A-KIND PEOPLE WHO LIVE FOR FASHION AND WEARING THEM ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS YOUR WORK HAS BEEN ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORTED BY SO MANY DIFFERENT FASHION ARTISTS SUCH AS STYLISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, MODELS, HAIR, AND MAKEUP ARTISTS. WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR AVANT-GARDE FASHION DO YOU THINK ATTRACTS THE PEOPLE IN YOUR INDUSTRY? I will start off by saying that I have been extremely lucky to have met, worked, or have been surrounded by so many talented people that saw something in my designs and believed in me. I know my pieces aren’t for everyone or even for every day, they are one-of-a-kind pieces going on one-of-a-kind people who live for fashion and wearing them on special occasions.

DOPE TAVIO IS SOLD BY PATRICIA FIELD’S ARTFASHION GALLERY IN NYC, WHICH IS SUCH A KEY PART OF THE “WEAR-ABLE ART” MOVEMENT, HOW DID YOU CONNECT WITH PATRICIA AND HER SELECT BAND OF ARTISTS? I’ve been shopping in Patricia Field since I was 11, my mom would always take me back to school shopping in the East and West village when I was a kid so I was familiar with her since a kid. Although I had met her on several occasions in both New York and Miami, throughout the years it wasn’t till I moved to NYC where there was a buzz about me that her team came to visit my studio. They then took pieces for Pat to look at and they picked up my line right away. I love it there it’s like 1 big ol family.

YOU ARE ONE OF THE DESIGNERS ON PROJECT RUNWAY SEASON 19, CONGRATULATIONS

BY THE WAY! YOU CAN BE A PERFECTIONIST IN STYLING YOUR CLOTHES AND YOU ARE METICULOUS IN MAKING SURE OF THEIR BEAUTY. GIVEN THE TRADITIONAL 1-2 DAY CHALLENGES OF THE SHOW, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO CREATE YOUR AESTHETIC GIVEN SUCH INTENSE PRESSURE? Thank you. I always say that I work best under pressure and with crazy deadlines but this was something else. I remember while sewing on the machines I would be styling in my head, envisioning how I wanted the model to look like on the runway. It was a lot of fun running around that workroom and backstage to make sure it was perfect.

PROJECT RUNWAY USUALLY BRINGS TOGETHER DESIGNERS WITH VASTLY DIFFERENT OUTLOOKS ON FASHION, DID YOU FEEL YOU LEARNED SOMETHING NEW FROM THE OTHER DESIGNERS, OR DID YOU TEACH THEM? I think we were all very impressed this season! It was such a huge group of very talented designers, I feel like we all learn something from one another and we were all very helpful to one another.

FASHION CAN BE BRUTAL IN ITS CONSTANT DEMAND FOR SOMETHING NEW, TODAY IT’S ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN WHICH SUITS YOUR UNCONVENTIONAL AND VINTAGE FABRICS, DO YOU THINK THAT WILL CHANGE? I don’t see it going anywhere, sustainability is here to stay. People are aware of how fast fashion has destroyed everything. I will continue to upcycle with some of my pieces in my line.

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MARREROCOLLECTION.COM

the fashion analyst

DRAMATIC WE ARE ANGRIER, MORE FEARFUL AND CONFUSED

T U R N OF EVE N T S STORY BY ALFONSO DE HOYOS-ACOSTA PRODUCED BY CARLOS PARDO PHOTOGRAPHED BY NATASHA TABUNOVA

Emotions drive us to think, live and dress in an almost tribal fashion.

Welcome to our new survivalism-induced mindset that’s draped in apocalyptic chic. Mugatu’s “Derelicte” aesthetic has never been more prophetic. As our society leaves and reenters the shadows of the pandemic, our leaders in political, spiritual, and economic matters all cry out to be heard as they argue and coerce us in a crazed circle of confusion. These days as I try not get unnerved by all the divergent opinions and demands, I maintain a chaotic balance between an irrational optimism and my ungovernable bouts of sardonic irony. Basically, I have a big mouth with a mocking sense of humor, but I try to hide any negativity by smiling a lot.

It almost works.

P RODUC ER & FA S H ION S T Y LI S T FA S H ION DE S IG N ER MODEL H A I R & M A K E - U P A RT I S T P HO T O G R A P H ER R E T OUC H ER P HO T O G R A P H Y A S S I S TA N T SPECIAL THANKS

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CA R L O S PA R D O RO S I TA H U RTA D O M A R I A T ER E SA I A N N UZ Z O FA BY RO JA S NATA S H A TA BU N OVA LI M BERG H I BA Ñ E Z FLÁV IO I RYODA E N R IQU E CA BR ER A

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the fashion analyst

B

UT I’M NOT ALONE IN HAVING a confused and slightly angry attitude to contemporary society. Most of us sleep, wake up, and work with anxiety. Who can blame us if we are exasperated at the rapid, unpleasant changes to our lives over the past 18 months and look in fear to an unpredictable future where many of us may not be better off?

Zoolander’s main antagonist Mugatu said it best, “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!!!”. The general miasma of anger and our slide into tribal factionalism is not new. Political cynicism and economic chaos starting in the late 1970’s gave legitimacy to the feelings of fear and resentment that were rife among American and global populations. Remember the global energy crisis? Latin American debt crisis? Cold War? Sub-prime mortgage crisis? Hell... throw in the pandemic and we have a real party.

So here we are, separated into tribes that demonize each other. We have become more malignantly sophisticated in determining who to sympathize with. Today we openly use gender, colorism, culture, economic disparity, ethnicity and sexuality as levers to gain advantage over each other as we stumble into an unpredictable future. Interestingly, as confused and fearful as we are? We still use clothes and fashion to highlight our deep divisions as well as identify our compatriots.

From MAGA hats to “pussyhats” we have continued a historical tradition of using fashion to highlight our causes and to stave off fear of the unknown by signaling to each other that you are not alone. The French Revolutionaries wore brightly colored red, white and blue cockades in their bicorn hats and suffragettes wore clothes in white, purple and green to signal their clan’s unity.

Both groups are smiling down upon us as we mimic their zeal.

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SO HERE WE ARE, SEPARATED INTO TRIBES THAT DEMONIZE EACH OTHER. WE HAVE BECOME MORE MALIGNANTLY SOPHISTICATED IN DETERMINING WHO TO SYMPATHIZE WITH. TODAY WE OPENLY USE GENDER, COLORISM, CULTURE, ECONOMIC DISPARITY, ETHNICITY AND SEXUALITY AS LEVERS TO GAIN ADVANTAGE OVER EACH OTHER AS WE STUMBLE INTO AN UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE. As I have observed this increased interweaving of factionalism and fashion, I also noticed my own relationship with clothes. This may be shocking to hear, but I was hooked like a meth tweeker on compliments and positive feedback for the clothes I wore. But when we entered lockdown, this social affirmation ground to an immediate shrieking stop.

Although, I was praised for bathing regularly and not looking too bloated on video calls. But I digress.

As we locked ourselves indoors, we

also started focusing on how clothes make us feel rather than the aesthetic value. Prior to the pandemic, fashion had been used to represent the person we want to be now and the person we wish to be in the future.

As much as it seems unfair, clothing impacts how we are perceived and treated by the rest of society. During the pandemic we gloried in all the clothes that helped sooth our nerves and made us feel less distraught. Slippers, sweats, pajamas, t-shirts or whatever came with a

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magnificently blessed elastic waistband.

We reveled in closing deals and making money all while hiding in bed under unisex caftans and making Zoom blur our backgrounds. Instead of coffee breaks we trolled social media in slippers and ratty shorts for like-minded strangers that reaffirmed whatever fears or paranoic contemplations we were espousing. Streaming entertainment video after video or using an anonymous username to throw tantrums online replaced getting dressed to be seen and dining out. Our fragmented society luxuriated in clothes that aligned with our version of the apocalypse.

But how does this rise in tribalism and abandonment of aesthetics affect us in a pragmatic way beyond a survivalist mentality and taunting each other via Facebook? Well, many of us are starting to go back to work and immediately asking ourselves “Wait???!! What am I supposed to wear?!? Please don’t make me wear anything tight!!”. Do any of us really want to stop wearing those comfortable baggy sweats that lovingly let us forget that yes, eating that last donut does have consequences? Besides, isn’t the pre-pandemic

WE DON’T ALL REACT IN THE SAME MANNER TO FEAR AND CONFUSION, HENCE WE WILL USE FASHION IN OUR OWN WAYS TO EASE THE PATH MOVING FORWARD business casual style much too formal? I mean can anyone really unsee our bosses wild-eyed, chasing their children around the cam-video dressed as flood victims and suspiciously sans-bath. Now that we’ve opened that Pandora’s box, I suspect anything is possible for work, even fancy yoga pants.

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OUR SOCIETY WILL HEAL FROM THIS POSTAPOCALYPTIC ANGST. I BELIEVE WE WILL ONCE AGAIN RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER’S HUMANITY. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT STRIKING BALANCE.

As mentioned before, there’s also the dilemma of arming ourselves psychologically as we leave our cozy caves and blink into the bright golden sun to once again reengage with other humans. People use clothes as metaphysical armor to bolster our individual confidence. We don’t all react in the same manner to fear and confusion, hence we will use fashion in our own ways to ease the path moving forward. I think we will see a deluge of wildly variant clothes that will reflect our personal reaction to the past 18 months. There are many in the fashion industry that yearn for wide, predictable trends that can more easily understood and marketed. But we are still emotionally fragmented and using our individual experiences, not prefabricated fashion trends, we will choose the specific type of clothes that we will wear to ease our re-entrance into the corporate world and society. At the same time, none of us want to be judged if we start wearing bright bold colors that reemphasize our optimism.

Nor should our neighbors be judged if they want to wear camouflage, a jaunty beret and a semi-automatic just in case the apocalypse happens after the 2:00 pm sales meeting. I never suggested it would be easy.

We’ve devolved into clans these past 18 months and yes most of us are anxious about the future. But as stated before I am irrationally optimistic. I hope and believe that in time our society will heal from this post-apocalyptic angst. Once we start seeing each other in person, I believe we will once again recognize each other’s humanity. We need to remember that striking balance between our fears for the future, our relationships to each other and our clothes doesn’t all have to be insanely negative.

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the fashion analyst

MORE THAN I MISS YOU AN INTERVIEW WITH MENA LOMBARD

BY ALFONSO DE HOYOS-ACOSTA PHOTOGRAPHED & STYLED BY NATASHA TABUNOVA 78

| OCTOBER 2021

P H OTO C R E D I T S FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R : M E NA L O M BA R D AC C E S S O R I E S : QU E E N S B E E M O D E L : O LG A D U B ROV I NA FA S H I O N S T Y L I S T: NATA S H A TA BU N OVA M A K E - U P A RT I S T: J E S Ú S M O L I NA S T Y L I N G A S S I S TA N T: A N G É L I QU E S A L C E D O P H OTO G R A P H E R : NATA S H A TA BU N OVA P RO D U C T I O N A S S I S TA N T: G I U B R A N D Ã O A RT D I R E C TO R : F L Á V I O I RYO DA

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WE WELCOME BACK MENA WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE LOVE HER CLOTHES BUT BECAUSE SHE IS A POSITIVE FORCE FOR MAKING A WOMAN FEEL EMPOWERED AND ASSURED.

M

ENA LOMBARD IS A FIERCELY POSITIVE woman that shines while managing her three children, husband, and teaching at Miami International University as well as Istituto Marangoni. On top of that she is the leader and designer for a high-end fashion label that encapsulates the best from vintage haute couture with her bold contemporary aesthetic. It’s exhausting just thinking of all that work, but the Uruguayan designer buckled down and founded her eponymous brand in 2013 and launched it in 2015.

Throughout her career as a designer, Mena has demonstrated an unerring eye for gorgeous rich colors and patterns. As a university professor teaching historical and future trends, Mena does homage to past elegance, but her designs maintain her unique blend of sophistication, confidence, and a deep desire to make women beautiful. When one meets Mena, you are immediately struck by her energy and smile. You also marvel at how gorgeous she dresses. Well, she should look gorgeous, Mena dresses exclusively in her own clothes. But that is what makes Mena Lombard so special, her clothes are created to enhance a woman. You can pair one of her remarkable long swing coats with a gown or jeans, and that’s the point, Mena’s clothes will augment a woman’s natural beauty. We welcome back Mena with great anticipation not only because we love her clothes but because she is a positive force for making a woman feel empowered and assured.

Besides she is one of the most polite, sweet, elegant women out there trying to prove that life is a balance of choices and with passionate dedication and hard work, success is inevitable.

I RECALL READING THAT YOUR PASSION FOR FASHION DESIGN STARTED AS A LITTLE GIRL ASKING FOR YOUR FIRST SEWING MACHINE AND THEN EXCITEDLY STYLING YOUR DOLLS. BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER YOU PURSUED A BUSINESS CAREER, AND THE BIRTH OF YOUR FIRST CHILD DID YOU DECIDE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN MILAN AND START YOUR FASHION BUSINESS. THROUGHOUT ALL THIS TIME, WERE YOU BEEN PLANNING ON EVENTUALLY RETURNING TO FASHION AS YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER OR WAS THERE A SINGLE FLASH OF INSPIRATION THAT LED YOU HERE? I have a very strong sense of responsibility, and that has shaped my decision-making all my life.

Being born into a loving, close-knit, working-class family from Uruguay, my first adult-life decisions considered and reflected my reality. I spent many years focused and connected to the place and moment I was in rather than what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. I was happy with my choices, but as it always happens, and because you cannot stop nature, my true calling caught up with me at the most creative moment of my life: when I became a mom. Giving life reconnected me with my vocation while it provided me with a strength that I had never felt before. I couldn’t help thinking that if I could create life, why wouldn’t I be able to create a fashion label?

YOU HAVE STATED BEFORE THAT FASHION TELLS OUR INDIVIDUAL STORIES AND PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO OUR MINDSETS, POLITICAL VIEWS, AND SOCIAL ISSUES. HOW

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DO YOU ENVISION WOMEN UTILIZING YOUR FASHION AESTHETIC TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES? IS THERE A SPECIFIC TYPE OF WOMAN THAT YOU HAVE IN MIND AS YOU DESIGN? As a fashion designer, my focus is not on the garment but the woman who wears it.

I make clothes thinking about the opportunities, moments, and experiences they will create in her life. When I design, I am very conscious of the fact that each garment, when worn, will have the power of influencing a woman’s vision of herself, and as a result, it will affect the vision others will have of her. That is a huge responsibility and one that I take very seriously. I embed all my commitment, passion, and dedication into every design I create so it can reach the woman wearing it. I do that so she can feel inspired, transformed, and empowered by her own reflection.

YOUR NEW COLLECTION IS CALLED “BALANCE”. WHAT WERE YOU REFERENCING IN CREATING YOUR DESIGNS? FINDING EQUILIBRIUM IN THE POST-PANDEMIC WORLD? OR SYMMETRY IN THE VISUAL WEIGHT OF COLORS, TEXTURE, AND SILHOUETTE? “Balance” is a collection that addresses our need to maintain equilibrium in a state of constant movement because, regardless if the world must stop and shut down, life keeps moving forward. It is about embracing change without losing yourself or your dreams in it. It talks about the importance of handling what life throws your way and making the most of it. It is about the equilibrium of all the different elements we should pay attention to but more than that; it is about the fact that balance, like happiness, is a journey.

YOUR PAST COLLECTIONS EMBODY ONE OF YOUR CATCHPHRASES “NEVER STRAY FROM CHIC”, AND THEY ARE KNOWN FOR THE QUALITY OF THE FABRICS AND IMPECCABLE FIT. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE FROM YOUR CURRENT COLLECTION? AND WHAT STORY DOES THAT PIECE TELL?

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Putting it in Simon Sinek’s terms, I realized that my “why” as a designer was intimately related to the “why” of the woman wearing my designs. I became aware that I wanted to give every woman the chance to be seen and heard by the world and by themselves.

We are extremely hard on ourselves, and when we feel good about how we look, we can look at our own reflection under a new, more compassionate, and empowering light. To shine under a light that bright creates opportunities. Opportunities of selfcare, of attention, of self-worth that will allow for doors to open our way. So, if you ask me about my favorite piece… it will always be the one that can provide that empowering light to the woman who wears it.

ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS IS GABRIELLE “COCO” CHANEL, WHO WAS A COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL VISIONARY THAT FREED WOMEN FROM MORE RESTRICTIVE, OVERLY EMBELLISHED CLOTHES OF THAT ERA. VISIONARIES TYPICALLY PUNCH THROUGH TRADITIONAL NORMS AND IN THE BEGINNING CAN BE CONSIDERED QUITE RADICAL. DO YOU INCORPORATE ANY OF CHANEL’S APPROACH TO FASHION INTO YOUR BUSINESS PRACTICES OR EVEN AS INSPIRATION INTO YOUR DESIGNS? As a creative person, I believe that being inspired by the life and work of another human being takes me further in my journey. From Coco Chanel to Alexander McQueen, every designer I admire has been both evolutionary and revolutionary in their journeys. Their vision pushed and broke the boundaries paving the way for change, and their courage made them the first ones to walk down that path so the rest could follow. I have profound respect and admiration for that, and it should be something to remember, celebrate, and imitate. “Balance” addresses the search for harmony between different and opposite elements. It represents the need to keep moving forward while living in lockdown, the acceptance within the fight, the evolution along with the revolution. It symbolizes the fact that we are meant to keep evolving in order to thrive.

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“IF I COULD CREATE LIFE, WHY WOULDN’T I BE ABLE TO CREATE A FASHION LABEL?”

MENA LOMBARD

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TODAY, THE DIGITIZATION OF FASHION SALES HAS ACCELERATED TO WHERE BRICK AND MORTAR STORES ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER PRESSURE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ENSURE THAT THE MENA LOMBARD BRAND IS VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO YOUR AUDIENCE? The digital transformation of the world is a phenomenon that has reached every industry and our daily life.

In the fashion industry, the digitalization of the buying experience started before this pandemic and dramatically accelerated during lockdown, allowing everyone to visit any store virtually when we were all unable to do it physically. As a brand, that means that you must become digital to facilitate the access of your offer to the public. The traditional experience is still present and valid, and that is why I’m now going back to the brick and mortar. But this has been a reset, so now we are learning how people will want to experience their fashion buying process so we can adjust to their preference to stay current and present.

FASHION IS A REMORSELESS INDUSTRY, ONE SEASON A DESIGNER SEEMS TO CAPTURE THE SWIRL OF EMOTIONS, FEELINGS, AND SENSATION OF THE MOMENT, THEN ONE DAY THEY ARE FORGOTTEN. HOW ARE YOU DESIGNING AND PRESENTING YOUR GORGEOUS CLOTHES TO REMAIN RELEVANT? I believe that a way to stay relevant is to be able to capture and communicate my own view of the spirit of the times and translate that into each collection. “Balance” captures the need to take a break from having to spend our days inside our homes in leisure clothing, giving every woman a way and an excuse to dress up and go out.

Its curved lines that show feminism allow women to take a little break from the genderlessness of the looks that we have been wearing these past 18 months. By balancing timeless style with modern design ideas, this collection showcases a sophisticated and strong woman who is determined to walk out again and take advantage of the opportunity attention can give, providing her with the perfect frame to shine under a renewed light.

K E E P I T U P W I T H M E NA L O M BA R D !

W W W. M E NA L O M BA R D. C O M I N F O @ M E NA L O M BA R D. C O M I G : @ M E NA L O M BA R D BA L A N C E W I L L A L S O B E AVA I L A B L E S O O N AT AV E S S A BA Z A A R W W W. AV E S S A BA Z A A R . C O M J E W E L RY B Y W W W. QU E E N S B E E . C O M @ QU E E N S B E E _ O F F I C I A L _ U S A

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the target idea

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INFINITY OF IMBALANCE

THE

STORY BY IBTISSAM EL AZAMI

Balance is one tragic little word and one tragic little world. Some concepts are so fragile, yet rule our entire lives.

If you don’t pay attention, if you just so much as shift your focus from your own vibe, there it is: already gone. If we are all somewhat seeking balance in life, the reason is very simple. It is a natural thing to seek happiness, and true happiness cannot happen without peace. And what could feel more peaceful than that exquisite state of nothingness, in which you expect neither past nor future?

J EW ELRY I DA LI A BAU D O MODEL A LYS SA BA RTA S H Y H A I R & M A K E - U P A RT I S T A R AC ELI BR AVO P HO T O G R A P H ER FLÁV IO I RYODA

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ALANCE IS TODAY THE GREATEST jeopardy to our society. A die-hard feel-good attitude in life does not sell.

Modern magazines and TV shows might incorporate plus-size models more frequently, but thin-ass social media is still our true ruler. And it is still throwing shade in propagandas of weight loss and unreal saturated happiness. When you open Instagram, the posts that you see feature sunsets, travelers, and extravagance of all horizons. We’re feeding ourselves with rows upon rows of Insta-saturated irrealities, or as we might actually call them - surrealities. The sooner you understand that you are very much capable of making it in a world that is indeed nothing but a virtual ball on its way to extinction, the sooner you can get rid of that imbalance that has been writing your life to the core.

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY REACH BALANCE, HAPPINESS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY PEACE IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOUR SOUL IS ANCHORED AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT?

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After 2020 and the tragic pandemic that literally sliced the world to pieces of sickness and fear, we’ve noticed a great chunk of the population all over the world deciding to make stuff happen for themselves. Every bud has tried to survive and push through an economical situation where everyone but our parents and grandparents is a selfmade person. When you are trying to become a self-made person, that is also where you might risk losing your sense of balance.

When we start comparing ourselves to other people’s success, it is not only moneywise that we should compare ourselves. Not one person has the same history, background, and future. Breaking news, bling bling riches are not the balance you’re looking for. Balance doesn’t lie in bills and it doesn’t lie in high-end couture. It does, however, lie in self-achievement.

In everyday life, it is very easy to spot when someone is going through a period of imbalance - for instance with work. How many times do you wake up in the morning, especially when you’re a freelancer, and you want to do the work and hit it out of the park? Yet somehow, in less than 30 seconds, you lead yourself to believe that you are not worthy of the projects that your clients have trusted you with. Imbalance in life, aside from helping sell countless pills and softwares and eyeshadow palettes, causes the biggest wounds. The feelings induced are the way for our body and our conscience to ring the alarm, and let us know that something is not functioning in our day-to-day pattern of living.

Whether it is compulsive eating or toxic relationships, none of these would ever happen, should we put ourselves first in all of our relationships to the world. How can you possibly reach balance, happiness, and most importantly peace if you don’t know where your soul is anchored at any given moment? A state of life awareness - becoming the spectator and the actor of your life - is not a state reachable at every hour of every day. However, it is a state that you can work on over and over again. Just to feel better. Taking the time to peace out and

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IT IS NOT ONLY THE MINDSETS OF PEOPLE ALL AROUND US, IT IS ALL OF THE SUBLIMINAL LITTLE ACTIONS AND COMMERCIALS AND ADVERTISEMENTS THAT JUST LEAD US TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO REACH THE PEAK OF OUR LOVE LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE. IT IS ABOUT US SELECTING WHAT TO BELIEVE. disappear for a while to find your true meaning. Have you ever observed how animals feed themselves? We might be giving them a little bit of help with pre-packaged food and plastic bowls.

Otherwise, they eat until they are full enough, and then go to play. Do animals overeat as much as we do?

Have you noticed it is almost only when humans interfere with nature that we witness animal obesity and various health conditions? Should we let nature run its soothing, calming, long and lengthy course, an imbalance would be a thing of the past, or solely a thing of cultures so advanced that they have forgotten their primitive roots.

I am of the opinion that each and every negative feeling that you might be feeling is linked to imbalance. Introspection appears to be the only legitimate solution to healing yourself. Not many of us are actually able to work on our own ancient unhealed wounds, even when those may appear healed to the world. Our mind and the world are not such a different interface, and everything is connected. Healing requires accepting the fact of letting go. We are always trying to take everything under control and fix everything to heal longdamaged parts of ourselves.

How about we all started minding our own business, tending to our own zones of improvement? Loneliness is one incredible gift that not many know how to savor. If you know how to play the loneliness card to your advantage, you are the king of this world. When you learn to let go of the clinginess and learn true independence - from a partner or family, your small protective sense of control no longer has a reason to be.

How to cure this lack of balance is not an easy question, and yet it is most certainly the secret peace and much better world to live in. Spend the day focusing on your goals, not focusing on if’s, whether’s, what’s or maybe’s. The morning is not a time to be doubting yourself. Doubt can come after you’ve actually provided the work, in the afternoon, at a moment where you can afford a productive minute of doubt.

Don’t start the day breaking yourself down from the moment you open your eyes. It can’t work. If you feed your car with water instead of fuel, you are not going anywhere. The same thing goes with the mindset. We’ve never known of a world where negative + negative + negative all adding up equals positive.

That is exactly the reason why we should be worried about the lack of imbalance that is ruling our entire lives.

It is not only the mindsets of people all around us, it is all of the subliminal little actions and commercials and advertisements that just lead us to believe that we are not good enough to reach the peak of our love life and profes-

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IN THE END, WE ALL HAVE QUITE THE SAME. NOT ONLY SURVIVING BUT EXISTING IN A PLEASANT WAY. IT HAS TO DO WITH YOUR OWN INTEGRITY, AND WITH THE LENGTHS YOU WOULD GO TO PLEASE YOUR EGO - RELYING ONLY ON YOURSELF. sional life. It is about us selecting what to believe.

See, it does not really matter what lengths you will go to in order to be accepted professionally if your work shows imbalance. If you are more focused on the opinions of the people surrounding you than you are doing what you need to do with your life and your art right now, maybe you should reconsider your situation in life, your placement, and where you are anchored in the world at this moment. Why again are the opinions of people more important than yours?

Waiting around, or worse, chasing around for opinions and validation is one of the most downgrading actions you can ever undertake towards yourself. A mix of unsolicited opinions or solicited criticism will make you lose track, and often, you will not know where to go from there.

Overestimating yourself is also a real imbalance that will hinder you from carrying on out with projects that may be dear to you. Neither arrogance nor insecurity will get you anywhere. A healthy balance will.

Take the time to know where you’re at during the day and most generally in life, and listen to yourself. Listen to your body, and to that little voice that we try to shut up. It is actually there

to save us from our darkest moments. Ask yourself regularly if your goal is still the same when you undertake big projects that might make you lose focus from your true goals. If your goals and your actions are not aligned, this imbalance will cause unhappiness, and eat at you crumb by crumb. Honesty towards yourself will also be the best policy, and you can most certainly change your goals, but you cannot lose yourself. Unless you go through a very major shift in your life, it is widely accepted to go through several roads and means to ensure your success. The goal should remain the same at all costs, which means that for your success and ultimate happiness, you have carefully crafted a life pattern that drags you upward and helps you expand into the lovely creature you are. That’s the key, keep the goal, and find different ways to score. When I am writing about this “ultimate goal”, in the end, we all have quite the same. Not only surviving but existing in a pleasant way. It has nothing to do with money or relationships. It has to do with your own integrity, and with the lengths you would go to please your ego - relying only on yourself.

The reality of the action in life is that needs to be done. Yet when we stand in front of the canvas that is life, so many people stop and stare at the blank of their creativity, and at the space that they cannot feel anymore, since they are paralyzed by anxiety. They keep forgetting one very important question, if not the most important: what am I here to create today?

The lack of balance is very much an illness of our era. I dare you to go in nature and find one animal or plant or stone or fish that does not know how to properly care for their own needs without any risk of excess as humans do. When life happens and starts shooting its shots - or rather, throwing pretty acid lemons in our face, if you don’t have your sense of balance figured out, the rough patch becomes rougher. Start by taking control of every small thing that you can possibly control. That starts with the amount of sleep you allow yourself every night, the quantity of pure water that slips through your veins, and the wholesomeness of the nutrients that you pile up inside your body. The little details are what make it all up, and an entire human being’s life will showcase at the end if the path taken was successful or not.

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in the spotlight

ROBIN JACOBS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PRESENTED BY THE FASHION GROUP INTERNATIONAL OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Riam fugias doluptat. Ga. Et vel int est perum repe molum laborpore comnimi ncidend eseque ex explique veris mos dessint facia sit doluptam estisi offictum quiscia spient et omnimagnam nonserero moloren ditaquisimus voloribus escipsum adi doluptae et quame inus sequossim qui offic te lamusae sunt ent quas de as preptaturit WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE MIAMI BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE? The president and CEO of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce (MBCC), Jerry Libbin, asked me to go to lunch with him. During that lunch, he spoke passionately about the Miami Beach Chamber Education Foundation. He told me about all of the amazing work that the Foundation does to benefit the children in our Miami Beach Public Schools. Additionally, he asked me what my goals were for my companies. When I finished telling him about my goals, he immediately suggested that I get involved. Jerry told me that he knew of my prior community leadership roles, and that the Chamber would be very fortunate to have a community leader like myself become involved on the Chamber Board of Governors. It is very hard to say no to Jerry, and that was how it all began! I am truly proud to be the fourth woman in the Chamber’s 100-year history to chair the chamber. I have been so fortunate to have been mentored by many of the past chairs and leadership of the Board, including Commissioner Joy Malakoff and Michael Goldberg.

DURING THE CHALLENGING PANDEMIC YEAR, HOW DID YOU AND THE MBCC SUPPORT THE MIAMI BEACH BUSINESS COMMUNITY? There is no question that this was the most challenging year for all of our businesses, but I am so proud of the work that our staff did and how well we worked with the Mayor and City Manager’s offices to assist our businesses in a multitude of ways. The first thing that the staff did was create the Coronavirus Business Relief Guide. This was a website that was maintained and updated daily.

The Guide gave important information on grants that were available, how to apply for PPP funding, job openings, as well as information on where to get vaccine shots and where to get tested. The Chamber worked with Commissioner Steven Meiner to open the first testing site on Miami Beach. In addition, we disseminated information to the community on a weekly basis about ongoing programs like the food distribution programs that Commissioner David Richardson organized. Although we suspended all in-person programming, we immediately converted all of our programming to virtual either with GoToMeeting or with Zoom. One of the Vice-Chairs of the board, Richard Segal, had a fabulous idea to establish a weekly program that would help people to stay connected to the city. This is now a weekly Facebook live program - Chamber Chat with Mayor Dan Gelber, that Jerry Libbin and I are privileged to host. It affords our members an insider‘s perspective on what Mayor Gelber and his team are thinking on some of the most pressing issues facing our city. It is so successful that other mayors who have been guests on the platform have started it for their constituents as well! I truly appreciate the efforts of Mayor Gelber’s chief of staff, Michelle Berger, Adrian Chamberlin, and Samantha Leon. Additionally, I would like to thank the incredible team

I BELIEVE THAT TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER, YOU MUST ALWAYS BE THOROUGHLY PREPARED BUT ALSO FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO CHANGE COURSE WHEN NECESSARY

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MIAMI BEACH IS ALWAYS WORKING TO ENHANCE LIFE IN THIS ALREADY VIBRANT CITY, AND I THINK THE FUTURE WILL BE VERY EXCITING at the Chamber for facilitating the Chamber chat every week. Additionally, we organized meetings with the SBA to teach business leaders how to apply for loans. We were also asked by our City Manager to use the Chamber’s clout to organize meetings with business leaders from every industry and to discuss the best ideas on how each sector could reopen safely. We formed a task force that I co-chaired with Emilio Estefan and Lyle Stern with over 50 business leaders. Together, we worked through the difficult issues of exactly what would be needed to reopen safely for customers, as well as staff. We created committees representing hoteliers, restaurateurs, gyms and salons, and general retail.

I am proud to say that when we submitted our final recommendations to Jimmy Morales, who was the City Manager at the time, he incorporated almost every single one of our recommendations. Mayor Dan Gelber then requested that the Chamber assemble a task force of religious leaders to discuss and create recommendations for the faith-based organizations in our community. It was important that our religious leaders share their input and let us know how they felt they could safely open their institutions. I am very proud to have chaired that task force as well, and of the collaborative work that we did together.

In response to Mayor Gelber’s request that the Chamber works with the business community to create incentives to motivate individuals to take the vaccine, the Chamber created a program called ”Shots for Shots.” The program was conceived by my daughter Martha Jacobs, a senior at the University of Florida who had interned at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Team lead

by Jerry Libbin at the chamber did a Herculean job of implementing this program. The program was featured on Good Morning America and other media outlets. The Chamber worked with restaurants and bars that offered a free drink and/or discounts to anyone of age that presented a card from the vaccination site at 17th and Convention Center Drive.

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AS ONE OF THE TOP LEADERS IN THE MIAMI BEACH BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WHAT IS YOUR METHOD FOR LEADING EXECUTIVES? I believe in preparation with a capital P. Jerry Libbin, and I worked very well together at the Chamber. He is a true professional and understands his role with both Lay leadership as well as his staff. We are in constant communication; I would say that we generally speak at least 4-5 times per day to make sure that we are always on the same page. I believe that to be an effective leader, you must always be thoroughly prepared but also flexible enough to change course when necessary.

YOU ARE INVOLVED IN VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS; WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PROJECTS? I have been serving now for three years as the Chair of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, and I must say that I am incredibly proud of the work that our 501c3 charity, The Miami Beach Chamber Education Foundation, does.

We collaborate with five neighboring municipalities, Miami Beach, North Bay Village, Surfside, Bal Harbour, and Bay Harbor Islands, to provide both nurses and mental health counselors in each of the eight public schools within our Miami Beach feeder pattern. The Foundation serves as a fiduciary and does not take one penny for administering these programs.

This past year, our Board learned that there are about 50 children enrolled in our public schools that are technically homeless. We were shocked to learn that there are children living in cars or couch surfing, trying to find a place to sleep each night. I suggested to the Chamber staff that we create a cookbook and ask our local celebrity chefs to put one of their favorite recipes in the book.

Danny Diaz, our Vice President of Marketing, took that ball and ran with it. We have over 40 Chefs that have contributed to the book, Chefs Care and we have already raised over $30,000 to support a program called Project Upstart, which is run by our amazing Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho. The Chamber also provides tuition scholarships to high school seniors and holds a recognition luncheon each year to salute the outstanding teacher from each one of our eight public schools.

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AS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF 305CANDLES, TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION WHEN CREATING THE SCENTS THAT DEFINE THE MIAMI BEACH BRAND. 305 is my exemplary love letter to Miami Beach. I cofounded 305Candles, with two extraordinary partners who share my love for our city and want to share it with the world. 305Candles is a culmination of our passion for all things Miami. We proudly manufacture our products in South Florida. Both tourists and locals use our candles

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and diffusers to keep a piece of paradise in their homes.

We aim to captivate your senses with unique scents that are inspired by our beautiful city. Cafecito is a premium blend of roasted coffee beans, vanilla, and cocoa that will lift your spirits! Deco Dreams is a smooth mix of mandarin, honeydew, and coriander that helps you relax and escape from the everyday grind. Dive into our fragrances, and we promise that you will not regret it. Welcome to Miami!

am co-owner of several companies in the beauty and fashion industries, including LuxeCuffs™. It is an accessory that will transform your outfit instantly. I am so fortunate to have two gifted partners, Gracy Weberman, a leader in the Business community, and Tammy Apostol, who is an incredibly talented and renowned fashion designer. I attend over 250 events a year and speak at many of those events, and I always feel the most comfortable and confident dressed in TA Couture! Two of my latest ventures have launched in the past few months: 305Candles and my book BeAware that I co-authored with two brilliant authors, Brenda Moxley and Melisa Neuman. Our book was recently released on Amazon. Keep an eye out for our next venture, 305Perfume, which until now has only been available by special order.

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, WHAT OTHER COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH AND/OR INVESTED IN? HAVE YOU ESTABLISHED ANY OTHER BUSINESSES? I have served as COO of the Miami Beach Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Center, which I co-founded with my husband, noted Plastic Surgeon Dr. Baruch Jacobs, who has been referred to by the New York Times as “ as the Plastic Surgeon who keeps Miami Beach Beautiful.” Currently, I

BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF MIAMI BEACH, WHERE DO YOU SEE IT HEADING? Miami Beach holds a special place in my heart. I have raised four wonderful children and founded multiple successful businesses here. I have treasured the last thirty years as a Miami Beach resident and am excited for what the future holds! We are so fortunate to already have incredible cultural institutions in Miami Beach, such as the New World Center, Miami City Ballet, Bass Art Museum, and The Jewish Museum. The Betsy Hotel also has amazing cultural offerings. The new Art Deco Cultural District (formerly known as the MXE), as envisioned by Mayor Gelber, further expands the cultural richness of our city.

There are many other fantastic projects also underway which are sure to enhance our already beautiful city. As the Vice-Chair of the 41st Street Mayors blue-ribbon panel, I am very excited about the plans that are underway to restore the beautiful gateway to Miami Beach - 41st Street. North Beach, Lincoln Road, and Washington Avenue are other areas in which improvements are planned.

The past two years have demonstrated just how resilient Miami Beach is. We have seen the relocation of many businesses and families to Miami Beach. We are so excited to welcome these new members of our community!

In order to attract even more businesses to Miami Beach, the city recently unveiled a package of incentives that include a job creation incentive program for new-to-market or existing companies in targeted industries as well as incentives such as expedited plan review and building permit approval in 10 business days. In short, Miami Beach is always working to enhance life in this already vibrant city, and I think the future will be very exciting in the 305.

The Fashion Group International is a global, non-profit, professional organization with 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, beauty and home. The FGI mission is to be the pre-eminent authority on the business of fashion and design and to help its members become more effective in their careers. To do this, FGI provides insights on major trends in person, online and in print; access to business professionals and a gateway to the influence fashion plays in the marketplace. For more information on membership visit FGI.ORG

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cinema couture

SUICIDE SQUAD T H E I N FA M O U S B L A C K O P S T E A M I S B A C K O N C E A G A I N

BY CHRISTEN GATES WALL

P H OTO C O U RT E S Y WA R N E R B RO S. E N T E RTA I N M E N T I N C

A

SERIOUS ARTISTIC CHALLENGE was undertaken by Director James Gunn and costume designer Kate Hawley when they sign on to the latest DC Universe project, The Suicide Squad (2021). The audience’s expectations are at the highest point. Fans of the DC Universe expect an homage to original artwork in the comics, cinema fans want to watch the same beloved characters do it all again, but better, in some undefinable way. The studio expects a return on its

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investment, despite COVID. What kind of artist would be brave enough to face this outrageous artistic battle for glory? Enter James Gunn, renegade director from St. Louis, Missouri. James already has a history of surprising the public. Recall his major career-defining film, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

Like Suicide Squad, Guardians was funny and irreverent. It’s filled with trademarks of his own style like the use of pop music to engrave visual artistry into our memory. Try to hum “Hey, hey,

come and get your love” by RedBone without thinking of a little dancing tree named Groot. To understand how The Suicide Squad earned a 91% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating compared to the poor 26% review of the first Suicide Squad (2016), we can review the role of wardrobe design. In the public’s eye, the Joker’s lover, lead actress Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie, is remembered for her outrageous outfits. They have become a popular sexy Halloween costume. It became

popular even though it was decisively different from the artwork in the comic books. Chinese-born American director Cathy Yan shifted Harley Quinn’s wardrobe into a lottery of different looks in the film Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020). With a considerably smaller budget - $84 million for Birds of Prey compared to $170 million for The Suicide Squad (2021) – Cathy gives Harley Quinn a personality of her own. Her busy wardrobe is a like-it or love-it for fans. Sources say the fun and colorful looks were inspired by Jeremy Scott’s luxury brand Moschino.

This leaves Costume Designer Kate with the honor of making new artistic choices. Reflet, that her responsibility is to the entire cast, not just Harley Quinn. In the film, the greatest costume designers move the story forward by showing the audience something personal about the character.

However, the costumes can’t deviate from the thematic imagery of the rest of the film, otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. The designer must convince the audience that each wardrobe decision was a choice made by the individual character. Jewelry, shoes, and superhero costumes. In the world the Director has built, the character wakes up that morning and picks their outfit. Those details, just like the performance of the actors, make the story real so we want to continue to watch.

What did Kate, the costume designer, do differently? She gave the characters freedom. It’s easiest to see when looking at Harley Quinn. She was in an abusive relationship with the Joker. They even dressed alike. Harley had a chaotic phase as she tested new looks after her breakup with the Joker in the movie Birds of Prey. Now, this character chooses her own style, a red and black jester-inspired superhero suit. The aesthetic is a nod to her court jester persona in the original show Batman: The Animated Series.

The full-coverage bodysuit is more tactical than the looks from her previous movies. The leather Task Force X three-piece set is skintight with a corset heart-shaped top. The script on the back of her protective leather jacket reads “Live Fast, Die Clown.” It

B OT H PA G E S P H OTO C R E D I T S : JESSICA MIGLIO/™ & © DC COMICs N E X T PA G E P H OTO C R E D I T S : JESSICA MIGLIO/™ & © DC COMICs O N T H E B OT TO M w : WO R L DW I D E P R E M I E R E - P H OTO B Y E R I C C H A R B O N N E AU

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symbolizes how she has formed her identity. She is no longer dependent on the Joker and no longer confused by heartbreak. Other characters make their own wardrobe choices in the film. Rick Flagg played by Jole Kinnaman is normally in a military uniform.

He chooses a bright yellow T, nicely showing off his tattooed biceps. A cartoon Ultra Bunny in the center of the shirt is on its way to be immortalized in pop culture. Meanwhile, Peacemaker, played by John Cena, chooses to keep his own macho superhero costume throughout the entire film, adding to the humor. In cinema legacy, this film will propel both the director and costume designer’s careers even though the worldwide box office numbers, as of August 18th, don’t even make up for the spent budget. When a film and its characters are cherished, they are mimicked and recycled. That’s why artists keep reinventing the DC Universe.

The next team of filmmakers will face another immense creative challenge to continue the story. When you look at the stepping blocks between it all, we see how much creativity it takes to leave a memorable impression on the world. Every film, even a blockbuster superhero movie, is about artistic choice. Let’s see where our choices lead us.

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what do the stars say

LIBRA 23 SEPTEMBER - 22 OCTOBER

BY MANISH ARORA

Your career path takes some unexpected turns this month. The month is one of benefits and challenges. Accept the former with an open hand and take on the latter with steady persistence and you will finish in better condition than you started. This is an important time for getting in touch with your emotional needs (and wants), even if they are often exaggerated. It’s a good time for healthy self-focus, but also quite enjoyable for reaching out. You’ll be after true intimacy on all levels, and you won’t stop until you have it. Favorable Dates: Oct 5, 6, 14, 15, 23, 24. Favorable Colors: Red & Green.

SCORPIO 23 OCTOBER – 21 NOVEMBER Your finances require some creative planning during this month. Your relationship is stable, but family concerns are an issue all month long. If you are single, you may very well be pursuing that special someone. You might have some inspiring and stimulating conversations in your social network or interesting follow-up news. Networking or group activities can be satisfying and engaging, especially the exchange of ideas. Thinking, writing, journaling, or ruminating can get you in better touch with your inner needs, wants, and motivations. You can make a new beginning, leaving old patterns behind. Favorable Dates: Oct 3, 6, 12, 19, 23, 27.

Favorable Colors: Red & Green.

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SAGITTARIUS 22 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER Your competitive, enterprising nature comes to the fore, and you readily throw yourself into pursuing your goals. This can be a time of increased activity in your career, but you may also feel a strong desire to take the lead and act independently. There may be benefit from joint financial arrangements.

There may be a strong demarcation point or a cyclical change with family monies. A cycle may both begin and end as you divest yourself of old arrangements or encumbrances before you move on to the new. Favorable Dates: Oct 3, 5, 12, 14, 21, 23. Favorable Colors: Red & White.

P H OTO C R E D I T S AC C E S S O R I E S QU E E N S B E E FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R M E NA L O M BA R D MODEL O LG A D U B ROV I NA FA S H I O N S T Y L I S T NATA S H A TA BU N OVA M A K E - U P A RT I S T J E S Ú S M O L I NA S T Y L I N G A S S I S TA N T A N G É L I QU E S A L C E D O P H OTO G R A P H E R NATA S H A TA BU N OVA P RO D U C T I O N A S S I S TA N T GIU BRANDÃO A RT D I R E C TO R F L Á V I O I RYO DA

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CAPRICORN 22 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY You have more courage to get something off the ground, and you’re up for a challenge. You’re keeping things fresh and stimulating your own creativity by making small changes. Travel with work may be in the works, and if you are single, you may meet someone special through work or a group you belong to. Be careful though, as some connections will pass as quickly as they came if they rely on impulse.

There may be a shift with spiritual values or understanding. You may be at the end of an old cycle of beliefs. Favorable Dates: Oct 3, 8, 12, 17, 21, 26.

Favorable Colors: Red & Blue.

AQUARIUS 20 JANUARY – 18 FEBRUARY This can be a good time for taking in a show, throwing yourself into a creative project and sharing time with others. You’ll want to take solid action towards realizing your goals and making improvements. This can also be a time of increased professional responsibilities. Sharing your feelings or intimate matters can be fun and rewarding. Singles may be drawn to experience something passionate and intense. Some of you will be driven to find what it is that makes you tick. Others may want to seek pleasure at all costs. Favorable Dates: Oct 2, 3, 11, 12, 20, 21. Favorable Colors: Red & White.

PISCES 19 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH Entirely new endeavors may be on the horizon, but for now, you’ll be in a better place if you focus on projects already in motion. In fact, you might find some gems from the past that you can now approach in a new way.

The recycling of projects and ideas can be extraordinarily successful now.

Social or romantic opportunities may be found through associates, group associations, friends, and networking.

A question of accountability or commitment involving a friend or business goal can be in focus. Favorable Dates: Oct 1, 3, 10, 12, 19, 21. Favorable Colors: Blue & White.

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ARIES 21 MARCH – 19 APRIL You can break on old pattern and set something new in motion at a deeply personal level. Develop friendships or associations that help to carry through your plans. Break free from controlling or controlled determination about who and what you are supposed to be. There may be education, learning or travel, bringing powerful encounters in the realm of the mind or on the road. The period brings with it the chance to either become closer to your current partner or to find someone new who’ll be in your life for some time to come. Favorable Dates: Oct 1, 3, 10, 12, 19, 21. Favorable Colors: White & Yellow.

CANCER 21 JUNE – 22 JULY You may be following a ‘long term’ plan or carrying an important task through to the end. You may carve a path for yourself or set out in a new direction. You would be relying on your instincts and your own inner guidance. Develop a sense of ‘knowing’ what you have to do and just get on and do it. This marks a significant cyclical change that can send you forward into a new era of your life. You may deal with people with whom you’ve been involved in the past with regard to communications, publishing, communications or business ideas. Favorable Dates: Oct 3, 7, 12, 16, 21, 25. Favorable Colors: Blue & White.

TAURUS 20 APRIL – 20 MAY This is a time of action for you, and high emotion. Your home life may be wearing on you. Put your focus into your favorite pastime because you will certainly have lots of physical energy. Serious endeavor and dealings with authoritative bodies or people are your milestones. Some of you may take on new partnership duties while others may have to carry burdens alone because partners or associates step back or choose a new direction.

Your responsibilities to those with whom you’re emotionally involved may be high. Favorable Dates: Oct 2, 7, 11, 16, 20, 25. Favorable Colors: White & Green.

LEO 23 JULY - 22 AUGUST There may be important developments or unexpected events with the pursuit of your own hopes and wishes.

There will be important communications or connections that come from overseas or from people of foreign birth or cultures. Money may come from overseas links or business ventures. Intense or powerful experiences may come as a consequence of such connections. Beginnings and endings may come out of the intensity. Long outstanding matters may come to completion unexpectedly. There may be an opportunity of some kind that will affect or alter the state of your relationship. Favorable Dates: Oct 2, 7, 11, 16, 20, 25. Favorable Colors: Red & White.

GEMINI 21 MAY – 20 JUNE There may be a rise in status for some, one that will ask for more than you’ve had to give before. There are rewards for sustained effort in doing what’s required or setting new directions.

Though there is an emphasis on completing old or outstanding matters, this period nonetheless marks the start of an era. You will need to pay attention to partners and close associates.

There may be misunderstandings or even hot words with your nearest and dearest. Take the familiar diplomatic role and work your way through any concerns that your partner may have.

Favorable Dates: Oct 2, 6, 11, 15, 20, 24.

Favorable Colors: Purple & Yellow.

LIBRA 23 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER Your desires to communicate and connect are notable now. You enjoy a pleasing level of busy-ness. The routine may feel too staid and boring, so it’s time to liven things up a little by branching out and connecting with people and information. This period will bring an enrichment of current direction as you seek to know and understand more of what you do. You may decide to study or increase the dimension of your knowledge as you move from one level of wisdom to the next. Favorable Dates: Oct 2, 6, 11, 15, 21, 23. Favorable Colors: Blue & Black.

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naked souls

VULGAR DISPLAY OF POSITIVITY

BY VIRGINIA MAYER

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HE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO mind when I heard Lizzo was: Talent. Then I saw her playing the flute and I understood she is a real artist. I had so much respect for her. At the beginning she was just an artist. A fat artist, for sure. But her shape was irrelevant to me. Then she started uploading these grotesque videos of herself twerking on social media and I disconnected. The woman has the right to do whatever she wants, and I have the right to find it obscene. My problem (and real argument against what she’s doing) initiated when she started calling her hunger for approval: “Body positivity”.

I am sick of seeing the vulgar display of her ass. I too am a fat woman.

I too live in a world where fat women are not the major preference, but I had to learn the world doesn’t have to accept me. I have to accept myself. And, let me get this out of the way REAL QUICK: “Body positivity” is not begging for approval while

displaying your almost naked body publicly and in the most vulgar way. It’s disgusting and isn’t “female empowerment” either. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black, brown, yellow, white, or a mix of any color. Why do I or anyone else need to see their asses? What for? It doesn’t make a difference if it’s a massive ass with cellulite and stretch marks like Lizzo’s (or my own), a supposedly perfect ass like Ratajkowski’s, a disturbingly fake ass like Kim K. or Kylie’s, or a skinny ass like Miley’s. It’s all the same.

It’s thirsty, cheap, tacky, unpleasant and unnecessary. It’s pathetic, because it’s obvious all they’re trying to do is remain “sexy” and relevant. The supposed “Body positivity” is just a way to justify the vulgarity.

Displaying your almost naked body with these hypersexual vibes isn’t feminism. It’s just this pseudo, contemporary “feminism” that doesn’t help any female but just gives penises material to jerk off to. It only perpetuates the notion that women are pieces of meat for masculine gratification. Cass Elliot didn’t need to get naked and twerk for the world to know she was talented. Neither did Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Carnie Wilson, or Kathy Bates.

Lizzo is just desperately screaming for approval. “If I’m shining everybody gonna shine”*: Girl, every time I see your pathetic attempts, I lose light. Don’t fool yourself, body positivity is being able to blend in this world with whatever shape you have. I could stop eating frosting with a spoon and spending all my days sitting in a chair in front of my computer. I’ve chosen not to. I go to pool parties in Miami with my friends in the fashion world and their model friends with perfect butts, perfect boobs, impeccable skin and wasp-waists and -yes- for a minute there I wish I had a shape more like that one, but then I remind myself that I don’t do the effort, and that I have the body I’ve chosen. So, I take my clothes off and get in the pool wearing my perfectly comfortable bathing suit, I have fun and I love myself. If there’s someone staring with disgust, well, why the hell should I care If they’re not the ones paying for my student loans? I don’t need anyone’s approval. I only need my own approval and I have that.

“Spendin’ all your time tryna break a woman down”**: When all women think alike, they’re no longer women, they’re a herd of cattle. A woman like me, publicly ex-

pressing her thoughts about other women isn’t “breaking women down”. There’s a much larger issue here and I blame all these pathetic attention and approval-seeking women followed by millions and millions of people.

Imagine the emptiness within, when that so-called happiness comes from receiving approval from strangers. But they have to please everyone. They have to. UGH. “Realer shit is goin’ on, baby, take a look around”***: We destroyed the world, everywhere you look at is in chaos, the end feels too close and meanwhile these women keep feeding the vapid female stigma which mandates you have to be “sexy” for everyone to see. Interesting, because the sexiest I feel is when I’m completely naked and riding a man. It’s then that I feel like the last woman on earth. I know what I want, and I know how to get it. I approve my body and feel free. When did intimacy and sexuality become public? Why? Lizzo is just hurt by society and desperately trying to fit in. Girl, you didn’t have to make that effort, the effort was in your art: Your MUSIC. But then, just take a look at all the female entertainers, they’re all selling sex, selling “perfect”. Goddamn… now even Billie Eilish is exhibiting her tits. They’re all so pathetic and it’s so obvious. But society doesn’t see that. And when a woman like me complains, then she’s a “hater”. Bitch, I’m full of love. All this overweight is love. I’m no hater, I’m just painfully aware. And sometimes I wish I was just another piece of brainless meat among the herd.

I do believe in Lizzo’s “body positivity” when she stands in the red carpet wearing a spectacular gown; tight, loose, short, long, with her fat arms -like my own- for everyone to see. When she occupies her space withing the entertainment industry just like any other female with any other shape and color does, without hiding her fat body.

And I believe in her “body positivity” when she’s on stage wearing a leotard and exposing her fat thighs and big belly -like my own. That -to me- is a spectacular and powerful black goddess. That is inspiring, that makes me love myself more, that really makes me shine. I don’t think it’s only skinny women who have the right to wear revealing clothes. If you don’t like the fat girl, don’t look at her.

Simple. If Lizzo really believed in her so called “body positivity” message, she wouldn’t be crying in public because the internet calls her FAT.

* J U I C E LY R I C S, B Y L I Z Z O * * RU M O R S LY R I C S, B Y L I Z Z O * * * RU M O R S LY R I C S, B Y L I Z Z O

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emerging words

DEPTHS OF FROM THE

ENNUI I WA S 2 6 Y E A R S O L D T H E F I R S T T I M E A B B A M O L E S T E D M E

My name is Marina Luz de Santos Jadwiga Fernandez-Wozniak, but everyone just calls me Jaddie.

Even my parents doubted their sanity after a couple of years of introducing me. But as I grew up and later professionally, everyone knew me by my father’s pet name for me. I love all my names, even the weird ones, but I always felt special knowing that my father just decided one day to stop with the cavalcade of names and said I looked like a “Jaddie.” I am sure he had no idea what he was saying except that he was getting super confused trying to grab my attention as a baby.

S H O RT S TO RY B Y A L F O N S O D E H OYO S - AC O S TA

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P RO D U C E R & FA S H I O N S T Y L I S T J E A N P I E R R E G O D I N E AU X

P H OTO G R A P H E R NATA S H A TA BU N OVA

MODEL W I O L A G A I DA

FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R S T H E RO O M X J UA N C A S T I L L O J O RG E LU I S I G L E S I A S M U S K U S

P RO D U C T I O N A S S I S TA N T JAC M AU RO

H A I R & M A K E - U P A RT I S T M AC A R E NA DA R S I E

A RT D I R E C TO R F L Á V I O I RYO DA

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I

WENT TO SCHOOL IN THE MIDWEST and graduated in marketing and since I avoided getting blind drunk every weekend my grades were good enough so that I immediately went to work for a global clothing brand as a Merchandising Manager. Corporations are supposed to be the bedrock of meritocracy. Who cares what you look like as long as you perform? Right?

Eh… Um…. Yeah. It matters, trust me.

My best friend, Natalia, who worked at the same company as I did, always pointed out that if I really believed in a level playing field, I wouldn’t wear my blonde hair (yes, it’s real) down in a bed-tousled look or delight in wearing all kinds of funky and fun outfits. But who am I kidding? I love clothes and I work in the fashion industry; I have to represent!!

The year that Abba touched me, was when Natalia and I traveled to Brazil to help the Brazilian branch readjust their merchandising strategy to focus on a more balanced mix of clothes. It had been a moment since I felt so connected with a project or work in general. I really liked my Brazilian coworkers and I must admit previously I was so bored and I hadn’t worked this enthusiastically in a couple of years. In the Brazil project I was leading an anxious and sleep-deprived team to create a new merchandising strategy and I loved it. My bosses were extremely happy with my work. I was constantly looking forward to work which was insane of course. But? My sunny and positive attitude deserved another couture piece, don’t you think so too?!?

Well, one weekend I went out to dinner with Natalia. Natalia can be very restrained and at times she can be described as a grandma in bloomers, but she is also a very dedicated, loyal, and no-nonsense person. At first, I hesitated to take her out to this shady beach party I had heard about because she might not approve. Well, I shouldn’t have worried; Natalia, that

evening, was as adventurous as a nun on molly which was frightening as well as a relief.

After dinner we headed to the underground party on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. You may not know this but roaming around as unescorted single women in South America is still dodgy and festivities start around midnight and are terribly busy until dawn. Since these types of parties have a reputation for being remarkably seedy, I called Roger, a waiter friend, to accompany us and prevent any tear-filled scenes.

Roger had always tried flirting with me at his restaurant, and I thought he was sweet, horny as fuck but still very sweet. I would have asked Paulo, the guy I really liked, to come with us but he is a serious, quiet guy and I didn’t think he would be comfortable hanging with me and Natalia at the beach party. Roger on the other hand is abnormally friendly and outgoing. Just off

pay at a central location near the bar. It is quite ingenious, since there are four gorilla-men at the front door which would prevent you from sneaking off without displaying your final paid bill.

Although slightly nervous I might get soiled, I proudly gave them my name “Jane Smith!!” and stepped into the fray.

Don’t judge.

As we walked in, I quickly noticed there were male and female prostitutes and absolutely hideous patrons hanging around the patio on the other side of the wall. Of course, I am not sure I can call the concentration camp-like courtyard a patio, but let’s be generous. We arrived too early since we were clearly the first customers that were actually expected to pay for their drinks, so I was slightly unsure about the scene.

But as time went on, the place filled with the biggest collection of strange people this side of a Carnival sideshow. Around this time a feisty older drag queen in a matching bra, panties and backpack started to wiggle her surprisingly firm ass on stage.

She had a beautiful wig with a headband pulling it back in a hideous parody of Marlo Thomas in “That Girl.” She was pouting and shaking all over the place.

God loves her, she was a hoot. There were also all these cute boys and girls hanging around waiting for someone to kiss and pay for drinks and abnormal acts of sexuality. It was an open sex-fair with debauched locals and wide-eyed foreigners shopping for love amongst the ragged flowers of Brazil. It was fascinating and appalling at the same time. Of course, I ordered a gin and tonic and sat back to watch. I must admit the whole situation should have been slightly grotesque but clearly, I had gone beyond depravity and was actually enjoying the whole experience.

At first, we drank and watched the parade walk by. The main room was a long, brick rectangle painted a moldy shade of red and with faux wood paneling under a chair rail. There were all

JUST OFF THE BEACH HE TOOK US TO THIS BAR CALLED “UNTIL YOU ARE THERE”. DON’T ASK ME WHAT THAT NAME MEANS, MY ONLY THOUGHT WAS THAT THE OWNER IS PARTICULARLY PHILOSOPHICAL OR JUST A CRANK HOOKED ON METH. the beach he took us to this bar called “Until You Are There.” Don’t ask me what that name means, my only thought was that the owner is particularly philosophical or just a crank hooked on meth.

Of course, the bar was in a demilitarized zone and contained some of the most heinous décor since Dachau. The front entrance was a solid concrete wall with razor-barbed wire encircling the top. Over the door lintel a bright red neon sign hung spelling out the absurd bar name. When you first approach the place, the bouncers ask for your name and they hand you a tally sheet. The bar used this sheet to identify you and later account for all the cheap hootch and Red Bull that you drink. At the end of the evening, you

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I GUESS WHO WOULDN’T LIKE SOMEONE HANDSOME AND RICH SWOOPING IN AND SHOWERING US WITH GOBS OF MONEY AND GREAT SEX? BUT COME ON… NOT FUCKING LIKELY.

these compact discs nailed to the wall and a stage near the bar with tragic hanging decorations. Natalia was belly-laughing just imagining some of the merchandising princesses we knew from work in this shithole.

Later, much to my complete surprise when I came back from the bathroom, I saw Natalia was hitting on Roger, for which I had been hoping. Actually, if I am completely transparent, Natalia made out with Roger, to the point where I was fearful she was going to eat him. She was leaving a somewhat nauseating layer of spit all over Roger, but he certainly did not seem to mind as his hand was latched on to Natalia’s ass like Moses clutching the Ten Commandments. Nonetheless, it did warm my heart that Natalia was finally paying attention to a guy. I would say “any guy”, but we all have standards, especially Natalia. I never totally understood her contemptuous attitude towards meeting guys and dating. Natalia was always yearning to date a guy her age that was just as smart but weirdly more successful than her. Why? I asked her.

Why? It seemed a ridiculous conceit since finding a guy smarter than Natalia was as likely as both of us getting hit by a meteor. Taking a step back, we all know that regardless of how progressive our parents might or might not

be, contemporary society still molds us into these Disney princess wannabes waiting for some Prince Charming. I probably should find this thought totally appalling but it’s hard to constantly push against global expectations.

I guess who wouldn’t like someone handsome and rich swooping in and showering us with gobs of money and great sex? But come on… not fucking likely.

Finally, we left the bar and got to the beach. Once we were at the party, I looked across the scabrous and filthy sand and standing there in a supernatural glow was one of the most peculiar sights I have ever seen. A tall, voluptuous, perfect Abba drag lookalike, with thick long blonde hair cut in a sassy bob, was prancing in the dance area dressed in pristine white.

She was wearing a beautiful, full blouse and pants that were snug without being slutty. Naturally, I had to get closer and as I approached her with a drink in hand, I noticed she was using thick slabs of foundation vainly trying to hide a most unfortunate complexion. The Abba queen was flirtatiously batting her makeup encrusted eyes at another drag queen who was dressed in a red, sequined pantsuit that screamed Tammy Faye. With dramatic flair, Abba spun towards Tammy Faye and grabbed her

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in an amorous clutch, and they started tonguing each other. Now far be it from me to pass judgement, but I was, it just seemed unhygienic and frankly it was going to ruin the foundation job.

Just when I started to turn away and give them privacy, they both, as if in a dream, turned and stared at me. I stood there motionless and at that very moment I felt as if Abba and Tammy Faye really saw Jaddie and understood me. I just knew that they could see through my shield of professional confidence into my deep romantic insecurities and even into the slight sadness that I felt since I was emotionally alone this evening. They smiled beatifically at me, separated, and encircled me as they started gyrating and dancing in a hypnotic frenzy. I felt connected to them spiritually as I also started to hop and bounce. I just knew that I was communing with Abba and could sense her warmth and love projecting towards me as we disassociated from the chaos around us. Around and around, we went, when finally, Abba fiercely grabbed and massaged my left boob.

Realizing that I was about to urinate or laugh, I quickly disentangled myself and promptly splattered onto the polluted, grainy sands of Copacabana. A hand reached out and touched my elbow, which caused me to finally snap, and scream in a fit of disillusioned rage.

As I looked up to see my potential defiler, it was Paulo. Paulo!!! It was the guy I was missing all evening. There he was, my own Prince Charming… but with a slightly frumpy and trashy looking Snow White at his side. What the fuck??!? Here I was, splayed on the beach, hysterical, bathed in sticky gin and a sandy handprint on my chest and Paulo, the guy I wanted so much to impress and be with, was at this par-

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HE WAS SPEECHLESS, NOT SURPRISING, AND AS I GLARED AT HIM AND SNOW PUTRID, I HAVE TO ADMIT THERE WAS THIS FLASH OF JEALOUSY THAT SPIKED OUT OF MY COLD, BLACK HEART. ty with another girl. I threw his hand off and like a drunken heffa lurched back up on my hoofs. He was speechless, not surprising, and as I glared at him and Snow Putrid, I have to admit there was this flash of jealousy that spiked out of my cold, black heart. He gulped and immediately introduced me to his sister Fernanda. In a dignified manner, total self-delusion, I grimaced sweetly and tried to explain that I was here with some friends.

As my body started trembling, I excused myself and quickly returned to my people. Of course, sweet Paulo showed up about ten minutes later, wanting to know if I was hurt. He also wanted to tell me how happy he was to see me since he had wanted to be with me that evening, but Fernanda insisted that he accompany her and some of her friends. I pulled myself together, tried to forget that I mentally insulted his sister, and apologized for embarrassing myself with Abba in front of his friends. Paulo just laughed and told me how free and alive I looked dancing. It was sweet of Paulo to say that, and I decided to go along with the banter and quit self-flagellating.

Seriously, how successful can anyone be trying to avoid embarrassing themselves in this Cirque du Bizarre. Paulo and his group ended up hanging out with me, Roger, and Natalia. He even

held my sticky hand.

Around five in the morning Natalia noticed that the clientele had definitely lowered in quality. Now this last statement may seem absurd given the already perilously low standards. But I kid you not, I looked around and the place was mostly filled with an assortment of horrors that have provided me nightmares for days on end. I quickly gave a kiss to Paulo and his poor maligned sister and led my troops out of Dante’s Inferno and into a waiting taxi.

At the hotel Natalia and Roger gave zero fucks about the fare and scooted to her room. Sigh.

But I can’t fool you; I loved the whole fucked-up experience. The only issue was that Natalia and I had to wake up the next day on Sunday to continue our work. I took the only step that was possible and continued sipping gin in a cup trying to ensure that my hangover would only take into effect after the workday ended.

Well later that Sunday I was sitting on the terrace of an open-air restaurant in a very chic neighborhood under absurdly beautiful Jacaranda trees watching the Cariocas walk by. I was waiting for Paulo and hoping that Abba and Tammy Faye were as happy and content as I was at that moment, wherever they were. Although I may call the police if she grabs my boob again.

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D O P E TAV I O , S T U D M U F F I N N Y C A N D O T H E R A R T I S T S A R E AVA I L A B L E AT

PAT R I C I A F I E L D . C O M