The Comeback: Katharine Hamnett Slogan Tees

What is old is new again and British designer Katherine Hamnett seems to know that better than most. In the 80's her bold-lettered over-sized logo-ed political T-shirts were a must have staple. Do you remember "Frankie Say War"? Hamnet caused a commotion in the early 80's when meeting with then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wearing her own t-shirt with the slogan "58% DON'T WANT PERSHING", a reference to polls showing public opposition in the United Kingdom against the basing of United States nuclear weapons on Pershing missiles.

She is now re-issuing her classic & timeless slogan tees, at a moment when 80's nostalgia and environmental issues are at peak, on her cool website. The tees are 100% organic cotton and styles range from 1983's Choose Life to 2006's Bring Back God. My favorite might be 1989's Clean Up Or Die, as it couldn't be more au-courant when recycling and pollution should be in everyone's agenda. Love it!

They are £ 40.00 each and available at Katharine Hamnett

Revisiting Boston

Being in Boston always feels like home, specially since I lived in Bean Town for almost as many years as Rihanna is alive. It was nice to be back and be able to view it through the eyes of an outsider again, rediscovering sites & sights that - because of their familiarity - you end up taking for granted once you see it on a daily basis. This same thing happened to me in Rio and it made me appreciate and endear myself even more to the places that were "always there".

Boston is an easy city to move about. You can pretty much walk to most of it's famous spots of interest or simply hop on the T, USA's oldest subway system, and get to wherever you need to be in a matter of a few stops. Many of America's most significant historical moments were set in Boston, and still are to this day. Gay marriage, anyone?

Though through the eyes of most New Yorker's Boston is just too "sleepy" and boring of a college town, the city's lifestyle and lay-out allows to to have a small-town feeling with all the amenities of a major city. The restaurants here are amazing, great cultural life, international grade high-end shopping and excellent quality of living. Oh well, nightlife does suck here, I have to agree, but for how long do you really want to club-hop? You can just jump on an Amtrack and be in NYC in under 4 hours, get your club fix, and return to a where home is. The weather is another set back, specially if the idea of shovelling snow is not your cup of tea. Rents here are almost as high as NYC but at least our trash cans are not year-round displayed in front of our buildings. Apples & oranges, right?

I was glad to be back for a few days but other shores await me...

Egg Bird House @ Design Within Reach

People are not the only creatures that can benefit from a well-designed home. Provide a safe and colorful haven to your winged friends with the Egg Bird House, designed by Jim Schatz. The Egg Bird House is handcrafted of ceramic earthenware that is cast, glazed and fired. The glossy surface prevents squirrels and other intruding critters from getting a grip on the side, providing a safe place for small birds to comfortably nest. The House has a 1.13" entry hole to attract petite species like chickadees and wrens and features a detachable bottom for easy cleaning between tenants.

Available in aqua, green, yellow, red and green. US$150.00 each at DWR

Hang Gliding @ São Conrado Beach - Rio

Last Sunday I went to São Conrado Beach, here in Rio, to check out the famous hang gliding landing spot. This is a very well known destination for this type of extreme sport and in a matter of a half hour you can watch dozens of landings right on the beach, a few feet from you. They actually do land VERY CLOSE to the sunbathers, that can be kind of dangerous in my view, but they seem to be all at peace with it. You can also hire a flight instructor and jump off the tall cliff on the background on a double-flight, smoothly gliding over the gorgeous beach view. Not for me, thanks. There are also many cool parasailers sharing the sky with the gliders and the image of all those colorful giant nylon birds is really amazing. I shot a few very short videos of my time there and posted here for your enjoyment. I did try to edit them together at Youtube but lost my patience after the nth time. On the clips you can see how fast they descend and how close to the people they land on the sand. Very cool!

Sao Conrado Beach @ 7:52 AM Today

I shot this gorgeous picture of hazy Sao Conrado Beach this morning around 7:52 AM. The very peaceful image of an empty beach in the early ours of the day... Enjoy!

Cool Shop in Rio - Alessa

I was in a cab last week, going through Rua Nascimento Silva in Ipanema, when I spotted this really cool place that I wasn't even sure what it was. Maybe an architectural firm or a design studio? I had to find out and went there a couple of days later to check it out. It's belongs to Alessa - a women's clothing label and fashion atelier - by designer Alessandra Migani . Birds of all shapes, sizes and hailing from all continents decorate the facade of their shop and the effect is awe-striking. They are decals that were individually applied to the outside wall, forming a breath-taking collage of pheasants, peacocks, parrots and eagles. Birds were also the inspiration for Alessa's Spring/Summer 2008 collection, featured in many of their new runway pieces.

This is surely one of my favorite shop designs in Rio!

Wild in the City - More Fauna in Rio

I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, lived abroad for almost as many years and returned for regular visits from time-to-time to see family and friends. My family always lived in the city but as a kid we went to parks and nature walks quite often, so I am pretty used to seeing animals in their natural habitat. But I must say that I had never seen so many wild fauna in Rio as I have in the past few weeks. Actually I had never seen monkeys or toucans in the wild anywhere. And I did not go looking for them - it just happens to be there. I feel like I am in that Simpson's episode when they come to Rio and wild monkeys are everywhere!

I went to Jardin Botanico, our beautiful 1808 botanical garden, this past Sunday. I just wanted to chill and "commune" with nature and was awed by the animal life I saw in a matter of 90 minutes there. I first spotted the elegant white egret, that can be found at many watering spots in the city. It was feeding in one the small ponds in the garden - spear-fishing I may say. Then the turtles - OK, no big deal. Soon, I spot high up in the trees a couple of toucans (!), with bright yellow chest feathers. I was like "Oh, my God! Toucans!!" This was really a first for me as I didn't even know we had toucans in Rio de Janeiro. Then the piece-de-resistance came along. Suddenly coming down from the trees, there must have been over a dozen monkeys (Capuchin?), attracted by the noise of the people, probably in expectation of food. They were quite playful and not too afraid of us, getting a little too close for my personal comfort. I tried to film them with my Sony camera and it would have come out great if I had remembered that I am supposed to record in the horizontal position only...

If you tilt your head to the left you can watch a little of my monkey adventure. If in Rio, you must go to Jardin Botanico for a break from "Ipanema Life". I cannot guarantee you will see all these animals there but the odds are quite high for what I experienced this weekend.