Winter in Amsterdam Through Romantic Lenses

Have you ever been to Amsterdam?

... a tiny city where people are free and happy. So tiny, you can go everywhere by foot or bike... and there are bikes everywhere!

Also bridges; a feature that makes the city slightly romantic and very pleasant.

To have an idea about this unique city, I want to share a few of my pictures with you.

As you can see I've been having fun with my photo hobby. My life have been so busy, I haven't had time to look for news in fashion or design, but I think sharing beautiful pictures can also make everybody that reads my blog happy. If you disagree, please let me know!

By the way, for who is wondering who is the blond girl in a few of the pictures, she is my good friend Rafaela from Brazil. As I am the photographer, I don't appear in most pictures, but just in case you wanted to see my face, I am sharing this one on the right. ;)

Sweet Pics from a Happy Weekend

The past few days have been full of nice things... sweet, beautiful and inspiring moments. While so many people decided to have fun in a loud and colorful carnival here in Brazil, I opted for a calm and dreamy weekend.

Isn't it so great when we get days like those dreams we never want to end?

Obs.: Unfortunately the pictures are not really good quality. I had to do my best with my old camera, which convinced me to get a new small camera as soon as possible, because it's definitely not possible to take the big one everywhere.

Lana Del Rey: What's all the Hype?

One of the biggest novelties in the fashion, music and entertainment industry is the singer Lana Del Rey. Her album reached second position in the Billbord chart (losing only for Adele), she covered the British Vogue, her song "Video Games" has been the most blogged and so far it has more than 24 million views in youtube. Critics have been filling the internet with the biggest controversy since Lady Gaga!

Now the big question... Why did she get such attention?

Hype no 1: "Lana Del Rey is a manufactured artist"

Lana Del Rey was born named Elizabeth Grant, a New Yorker from a wealthy family, which suddenly decided to change her name  and title herself "gangsta Nancy Sinatra". One of her quotes about that "I spend eight years writing gorgeous songs and someone in a meeting says 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra' and that's that. It's Brutal."

Fact 1: at first Del Rey decided to lie to the media and say she grew up poor. She said to the Interview magazine "I'm sorry, but I was living in a trailer park for a few years. I didn't even have enough money to buy Cocoa Puffs". Then later she admitted she belongs to a higher than average family, but she insists her parents never financially pushed her musical success.

Fact 2: Lana affirms that David Lynch is one main influence for her so popular video "Video Games".

Fact 3: Her appearance in the program "Saturday Night Live" was very disappointing, as the singer clearly couldn't reach the low or high notes.

Let's face all the facts now, which bring us to one conclusion: Elizabeth Grant was transformed by the record label into Lana Del Rey, the new (gangsta) Nancy Sinatra: vintage style and a lippy beauty + an obscure and romantic music + big names as influence = the perfect formula to please all fashionistas and hipsters out there.


Hype no 2: Lana Del Rey is the coolest new artist

People are not forced to blog about someone. In this exact moment I am spending my time writing about Lana Del Rey because I want to. If her video was the most blogged last year, it's because she has been pleasing a big slice the bloggers out there.

Lana's style is something completely different from everything else in the music business lately. It's a gap of fresh air for the fans of vintage style that were tired of Amy Winehouse inspired artists.

Manufactured or not, who this days don't have an influence from the record label in what has to be said and what is done? Does anyone believe that Adele and Katie Perry decided by themselves to wear 50's hair and black eyeliner?

There are rumors saying that Lana had a plastic surgery to get such big lips. We all know that every beautiful female artist ends up getting a little bitchness from the media. Lana could not scape from that... even more because she is suppose to please a public that values music first, and normally appreciate artists that have no such appeal on their looks.

In the end, if you like her or not, Lana Del Rey is the pop artist of the moment. So pick your position and get used to where you stand, because it looks like Del Rey's hype won't fade away so soon.

The 10 Most Elegant Cities

Where should you go if you look for elegance and sophistication? Where you breath class and see the most elegant people? Does elegance only exist in rich places?

Personally, being rich does not mean being elegant. This list will be about places that inspire elegance in many different forms. Surely the theme is subjective, so what could be elegant for me, might be not as elegant for you, so I choose 10 cities that stand out in at least one item in this subject. The same cities might have it's dirty sides, but no one could disagree about where it's elegance belongs.

Mumbai 

If you judge by the western point of view, you might disagree about adding this city into the 10 most elegant in the world. But this is the Southern Asian style, with princess and princes dreams, mesmerizing weddings, gold costumes and magic fairy tales. 

Mumbai is the city of Bollywood movies, where their stars live and belong. Being a star in India, means being worshiped like royalty. Aishawarya Rae is almost a queen in her home country.

In daily life women wear those majestic saaris, glamurous make up, hand tattoos, and in their weddings they do it all again, but even more impressive - shawls, gold, bright stones and lively Bollywood dance.

Indian culture is so rich and unaffected by globalization. Let's hope this country will develop very soon and make all this Bollywood fantasy part of every Indian person's life.

Stockholm

Going from Indian dreamy and shiny elegance, into real and discrete Swedish elegance, Stockholm has the most outstanding Scandinavian charm. I must say it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.

Old buildings, swans on the river crossing the city,  charming stores, huge monuments and  the polite and fashionable Swedish people that have an impeccable discrete look. It is necessary to take a boat to go from one place to another which, for me, adds even more intensity to the elegance and unique feeling of the city.

During Christmas time it should be one of the most interesting places to visit. A huge Christmas tree stands in the middle of the city, Santas are sold all over the markets and small gadget stores, the whole city is pure light... the night comes early, and the Christmas lamps are early on.

If you look for Scandinavian and Christmas elegance, plan your next trip to Stockholm and your wishes will surely be fulfilled.

Prague

If you look for mysterious elegance, this is your place. Prague has many bridges, old monuments and Gothic churches. The night could look like a scene from a film noir or even an old vampire horror. During the day it's old colors fade out the sinister side and bring a typical Eastern European charm. Between all beautiful capitals such as Warsaw, Moscow and Budapest, Prague is the outstanding one in elegance.

 

 Walk along the river, visit one of the coffee shops hidden between small streets, see historical architectures in the center of the city, are a few of the things you can do to explore Prague's mysterious appeal.

Vienna 

 

 Vienna must be the place in Europe where I saw the highest amount of well dressed people by square meter (although I know during the summer it is not the same). Wondering around the city and you may see all this stylish young and old people walking near those monuments of extreme beauty.

Vienna has the typical mainland Europe classic appeal. There you can get great chocolate, wine and coffee, appreciate an opera musical in their famous Opera Hall that has been visited by many celebrities and pop icons, such as Paris Hilton and Dita Von Teese.

Vienna well represents the aristocratic charm of the german speaking cities, and pleases really well those who appreciate this quality.

Madrid

Beautiful Madrid has the most important fashion scene in Spain, therefore the best dressed Spanish.

Full of monarchic monuments, It is the home of the Spanish Royal family. It has also been considered by the Monocale magazine the 10th most livable city in the world and it has the 3rd highest GDP in the European Union. 

All this splendor and economic success is reflected on it's streets and elegance of it's habitants. Madrid is the royal and posh side of the Mediterranean Europe. It attracts fashion victims, students and fans of southern European culture and history.

Madrid is really something, as it beats Barcelona in our list - which is another outstanding elegant city.  

Buenos Aires

 The South American elegance in it's best is definitely found in Buenos Aires. The European architecture and traditions match the beautiful tango dancing in the squares of the Argentinean city, which offers great food, wine and a sensual Latin charm. 

Such as Mumbai, Venice or Paris, Buenos Aires is also elegant because of it's culture and it's people. Tango is the music of seduction and elegance, and you can see the beauty of this dance in any tango bar in the squares of Buenos Aires, where the Argentinean proudly exhibit their abilities.

Full of European architecture, you might feel as if you were in Spain or Portugal. Try  the unique taste of an Argentinean steak with an Argentinean red wine, and find yourself back in South America.

Montreal
 

The Canadian city used to be a French colony, and it kept much of the charm the French like to add to their belongs. Nowadays Montreal is the jewelry of North America, with a contrast of architectures blending all into a romantic atmosphere.

Considered by UNESCO a City of Design  (together with Buenos Aires and Berlin), Montreal is famous for it's diversity. Also considered Canada's cultural capital by the Monocle magazine.

So if you are in North America, and you want to have a break from the "ready to wear" and you look for something more "pret a porter", find Montreal and you will be pleased.






London

The most eccentric, intriguing and exciting elegance should be found in London. A place where street fashion can be fashionistas dreams coming true. Oxford Street, Regent Street, Canarby Street, Bond Street, Harvey Nichols, Harrolds, Topshop, all those places reflect the fashion crazyness that is London.

The historical architecture is a mask which hides a city that is hungry for the new. Music, art, ideas... a lot of what happens in the world today starts in London and I believe the most vanguardist people in the world live over there. 

It has also it's dirty sides, but even the dirty side of London has it's elegance; as Benjamin Disraeli said "London is a modern Babylon".

 

Venice 

Definitely one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world, It's elegance relies exactly there: fantasy and romance. 

Known for it's old architecture, the streets of water, the boats, it's carnival; all together creates the feeling of being in another world: a beautiful magical world. 

I love Venice and I think most people that have been there feel the same about this wonderful place. I could have chosen also Milan to fill up the gap of elegance in our list, that belonged to one of the most artistic countries in the world, but I choose Venice for it's unique type of charm. Elegance is also attractiveness, and definitely this city seduces every person (and couples!) that steps in it's land.

Paris

Think about a city that you knew from the beginning you would find in the list; I'm sure you thought Paris straight away! Would anyone disagree about that?

Paris is the city of love, art, beauty, sensuality... it's one place where elegance is most valued than anywhere else. The language, the food, clothing designers, the art, history, everything in France bring our mind into the same direction.

I mentioned before that London has the most vanguardist people in the world. The most elegant definitely live in Paris.