Explosive fashion news: Alexandre Herchcovitch replaces Amir Slama at the helm of Rosa Chá

Can't say I saw this one coming.... Brazil's main daily paper, Folha de São Paulo, said today that Alexandre Herchcovitch is taking over the position of creative director at Rosa Chá, which was always held by the swimwear brand's founder Amir Slama.

Slama founded Rosa Chá in 93 and managed to set itself apart from the pack, in a country known for an abundance of great swimwear brands. He turned Rosa Chá into the hottest brand in the country and famous models donned his designs on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and countless fashion editorials. He had recently sold Rosa Chá to conglomerate Marisol, and rumours say the new owners weren't happy with the sales.

Slama steps down in June, but Herchcovitch's first collection for Rosa Chá will only be unveiled next year. It will be very fun to see what edgy Herchcovitch does with the brand, best known for its ultra-sexy, ornament heavy suits and bikinis.

It's not like Herchcovitch (pictured below) needed any more on his plate.



His eponymous brand has taken off abroad and he continues to be among Brazil's most admired and talented designers. His website is very cool and full of videos of his past collections.

To read the story in Portuguese (or, rather, an excerpt), please click here.

More São Paulo fashion and shopping on this blog:

• Marc Jacobs rocks the São Paulo fashion world and opens a flagship in town
• Pollignanno al Mare opens a store in the Shopping Iguatemi
  
• São Paulo Fashion Week: what is it?
• Rua Oscar Freire, in the Jardins district, has the best shopping
• The best beachwear: Lenny, Rosa Chá, Cia. Marítima
• Is/bella, Pelu, Jo de Mer and other Baixo Jardins finds
• Beach Couture: luxe beachwear in the Jardins district
• Christian Louboutin opens store in the Shopping Iguatemi mall
• Daslu, the Barneys New York of São Paulo: high luxe
• Who is Eliana Tranchesi, the owner of Daslu
• Eliana Tranchesi's daughter and friends start the label 284
  
• The flagship of Rio brand Farm, in Vila Madalena: a "living" lowrise designed by hyped architecture firm Triptyque

Raquel Zimmermann, one of Brazil's top models, struts the catwalk for Animale

The 2009 São Paulo Fashion Week is about to start, and the big news is that Raquel Zimmerman - one of Brazil's top models - will strut the catwalk exclusively for the Rio brand Animale, on January 21.

Raquel is riding a wave of popularity with the world's top designers: she recently shot many high-profile campaigns, such as Marc Jacobs, with photos by Juergen Teller; Fendi, with photos by Karl Lagerfeld; Hugo Boss, with photos by Mario Sorrenti; De Beers Forever Mark, with photos by Mikael Jansson; Oscar de La Renta, with photos by Craig McDean and Sisheido with photos by Nick Knight.

Raquel has also just shot with Mario Testino in a New York studio, but that work is still being kept under wraps. .

Last but not least, she's the only Brazilian on Vogue America's 2008 best-dressed list.

Hot.

The best of Oscar Freire, in the Jardins district of São Paulo

São Paulo’s rich and famous live, eat, get their hair done and shop in the Jardins district. Its glizziest street is Oscar Freire, which runs West and cuts right through the heart of this microcosm of luxury. Many high-end boutiques have set up shop here in the last few years, including the artsy Melissa flagship shoestore (pictured above), where different artists regularly re-do the façade-cum-art-installation.

Start a stroll at Clube Chocolate — a hot megastore opened in 2004 —where luxe fashions share the spolight with the décor. The modern and light-drenched space (designed by Brazil’s architect-of-the-moment Isay Weinfeld) is decked out with white sand, palms and wavy mosaics. Style-conscious clients flock here for jeans by Citizens of Humanity and other designer duds.

You can have a dressed-up lunch at the boutique’s restaurant, or, for an authentic (and very casual) paulistano experience, head East to Frevo, the city’s most famous diner. Its sundaes, fries and beiruths - delicious roast beef, melted cheese and tomato on pita sandwiches - are legendary. It’s only a few doors down from the huge H.Stern store (the famous Brazilian jeweler favoured by Hollywood starlets, whose spokesperson is actress Ashley Judd).

But the hippest part of Oscar Freire is the Western edge, which is where some of São Paulo’s new generation of fashion designers – all, coincidentally, gorgeous and stylish girls - have opened boutiques.

Newly coined the Baixo Jardins (or Lower Jardins), this area is becoming the city’s fashion hotbed. That’s where, for example, brunette stunner and ex-model Cris Barros, for example, has her eponymous boutique. She designs gowns often spotted on hot Brazilian soap stars, like Malu Mader, when they walk the red carpet.

Only steps away, you can browse glamorous beachwear at Jo de Mer, which has a loyal following thanks to its flattering fit. Owner and designer Amália Spinardi, a doe-eyed blonde and previous fashion editor at Elle Brazil, sends regular shipments of her glam bikinis to boutiques in Manhattan and East Hampton.

A third must-see is Pollignanno al Mare, opened by well-heeled sisters Juliana and Fernanda Piva de Alburquerque. The beauties sell sexy shoes and sandals of their own design, as well as accessories.

Clube Chocolate: Rua Oscar Freire, 913, tel. (11) 3084-1500
Cris Barros : rua Oscar Freire, 295, tel. (55) 11 3082-3621
Frevo: Rua Oscar Freire, 603, tel. (55) 11 3082-3434
H. Stern: Rua Oscar Freire, 652, tel. (55) 113068-8082
Jo de Mer: Rua Oscar Freire, 329A, tel. (55) 11 3081-4232
Pollignanno al Mare: Rua Oscar Freire, 154, tel. (55) 11 3062-5046

The fashion weeks of São Paulo and Rio

While January in Brazil is high summer, and prime time to lounge on the beach as most locals do, that’s also when fashionistas flock to Rio and São Paulo for two back-to-back Fashion Weeks.

Although Fashion Rio has been gathering strength and momentum in the past few seasons, The São Paulo Fashion Week wins both in size and importance (that’s where a young Gisele Bundchen first made headlines in 1997, and Kate Moss strutted the catwalk in a thong, in 1999). It’s no surprise Rio’s hottest designer, Isabela Capeto (whose hand-embroidered dresses with lace and sequin apliqués are sold at Colette in Paris (13 rue Saint-Honoré, tel. 33 1 5535-3390) and Brown’s of London (24-27 South Molton Street, tel. 44 0 20 7514-0016)) chooses to show at the São Paulo Fashion Week, although her flagship remains in Rio (Rua Dias Ferreira, 45, Leblon, tel. 55-21-2540-5232).

At the São Paulo event, closed to press and guests, the spotlight is always stolen by Alexandre Herchcovitch, the John Galliano of Brazil. He started his career dressing transvestites and today shows in New York each season at Bryant Park and sells his underground-gone-haute collections at 15 stores in Tokyo alone, and exclusive boutiques like L.A.’s Fred Segal (8100 Melrose Avenue, tel. (323) 655-3734). But you’ll only find the full collection – and sometimes even the man himself - at his São Paulo flagship (rua Haddock Lobo 1151, Jardins, tel. 55-11-3063-2888).

The top Brazilian swimwear brands: Rosa Chá, Lenny, Cia. Marítima

Forget the barely-there string bikini stereotype: Brazilians now like show little skin and plenty of covered-up ensembles at the beach. The new look, which pairs high-waisted bottoms with tops dressy enough to pass for evening wear, is bound to migrate from Ipanema to the Hamptons and beyond, since leading Brazilian swimwear designers – Rosa Chá and Lenny among them – now show their collections not only in São Paulo’s fashion week but also at the Bryant Park tents in New York.

The new Brazilian bikinis come with tops either flowy and voluminous, gathered halter-style at the neck (like the Lenny bikini, at left), or feature long, criss-crossing wide straps tied at the back or on one side. Other times they’re form-fitting and adorned with sculpture-like pieces of metal or acryllic. Winning one-pieces are all-white (like the heavily-draped Lenny number Nicole Kidman sported in a Vanity Fair spread) or done in bright solids, with dramatic detailing like heavy draping, bands of sequins on the hips, wood pieces sewn onto the bodice or a scattering of assymetrical cutouts (some look more like wearable art than something you’d want to take a dip in.






Cover-ups, too, are anything but casual. Think shimmering slip worn with a wide belt, or trapeze-shaped one-shoulder dress with patches of bold color. Or flowing cover-up skirt, as shown at right, from Rosa Chá's summer 09 collection. It’s beachwear that goes from pool to evening cocktails to moonlit dinner: why not?










Cia. Maritima

Track&Field Shopping Iguatemi
Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima , 2232 Piso 1
São Paulo
Tel: (11)3816-3663

Track&Field Oscar Freire
R. Oscar Freire, 959/961
Jardins
São Paulo
Tel: (11)3062-4457

Rosa Chá
boutiques in Rio:
Rosa Chá Fashion Mall
Estrada da Gávea, 899, loja 221F
tel. (21) 2422-3744

Rosa Chá Barra
Barra Shopping
Av. das Américas, 4666
tel. (21) 3089-1052

boutiques in São Paulo

Rosa Chá Iguatemi
Shopping Iguatemi
Av. Faria Lima, 2232
tel. (11) 3032-3078

Rosa Chá Morumbi
Shopping Morumbi
tel. (11) 5182-5125

Lenny

Lenny boutiques in Rio:

Lenny boutiques in São Paulo:

A história da gastronomia brasileira

Trois peuples, une cuisine

   C’est par hasard que l’amiral portugais Pedro Álvares Cabral a découvert le Brésil en 1500. Sa flotte avait mission de chercher des épices en Inde, mais dû à un manque de vents favorables, il avait fallu changer de cap. Soudainement les caravelles se trouvèrent devant une terre inconnue et magnifique. Ils jettèrent l’ancre dans la petite baie de Porto Seguro. La découverte fut ainsi décrite: “Cette terre est de toutes parts forte et belle et tellement généreuse que, quiconque voulant en profiter, en tirerait n’importe quoi”.

    Les premiers colons ont acheté des esclaves noirs de l’Afrique pour planter de la canne à sucre – la première richesse du Brésil. Les patrons prennaient des maîtresses noires ou indiennes, auxquelles ils faisaient de petits métis. Ces enfants grandirent nourris d’une cuisine d’ores et déjà brésilienne. Si un jour ils mangeaient du poisson et des bananes, le lendemain le menu était portugais.

    Notre gastronomie résulte de ce mélange blanc-noir-indien. L’utilisation de l’huile d’olive et du riz, ainsi que les confiseries, sont un héritage des portugais. Sans les noires on n’aurait jamais la fameuse feijoada, ni tant d’autres  plats parfumés à l’huile de dendê, une palme africaine. Et les indiennes furent les premières à pêcher dans les rivières, à cueillir des fruits et des piments dans la forêt et à macérer le manioc.

    Les premiers arrivés ont appris avec les indiens à ajouter la farine de manioc dans presque tout: sur du poisson, du sirop de canne, de la viande sechée, etc. À mesure que des terres plus au Sud étaient explorées, de nouvelles sortes de plantations y ont été introduites, surtout celles du maïs et du café.

     Après l’abolition de l’esclavage, en 1888, une quantité d’immigrants arrivèrent de l’Europe et du Moyen Orient, à la recherche de fortune. Ils apportaient leurs traditions culinaires respectives et se répandirent partout, mais principalement dans le Sud et à São Paulo, le grand melting pot du pays. Au long du XX^e siècle, des restaurants spécialisés en toutes sortes de cuisine s’y multipliaient.

    Et alors, vers les annés 90, la gastronomie brésilienne vit une redécouverte. La pitanga, la goyave et d’autres délices natives, qui avaient longtemps été  éclipsées par tout ce qui venait d’ailleurs, furent rédimés. Des chefs de renom, tel Morena Leite, en utilisant des ingrédients natifs oubliés, les ont remis à leur place d’honneur. Et c’est ainsi que nous revisitons, aujourd’hui, nos origines d’il y a plus de 500 ans.