Marcelo Senra

Marcelo Senra and five other local designers will debut collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC.

On Thursday, September 16 at 2pm, the Argentina Group Show will take place at Lincoln Center in New York as part of the 2011 Spring/Summer Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, one of the premier fashion events in the world.  María Pryor, Pablo Ramírez, Marcelo Senra, Laura Valenzuela, Evangelina Bomparola and La Dolfina will each present seven looks during the runway show, giving them the opportunity to show their design aesthetic on fashion’s biggest stage.  Pryor has shown at Buenos Aires and Miami Fashion Weeks, winning numerous awards along the way and becoming a favorite of celebrities. Ramírez studied fashion design in Buenos Aires before honing his craft in Paris.  Since returning to Buenos Aires, his chic, austere designs have won adulation from some of fashion’s biggest names.  Marcelo Senra, fresh off his acclaimed showing at Buenos Aires Fashion Week, is bring his exotic, ethereal style to New York.  Valenzuela, who, like her peers, has been the recipient of many awards, will present her intricate, feminine designs for the first time at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week having being chosen by the Argentina Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Evangelina Bomparola‘s simple, bold and wearable pieces are defined by the quality, elegance, and exclusivity that serve as the cornerstone of her collections. Polo legend Adolfo Cambiasso and his wife, model Maria Vázquez, are behind the line La Dolfina, a brand “motivated by the most authentic elements of the Argentine polo.” With classic, well-made basics, La Dolfina will provide a glimpse of true Argentine polo style.

For more on the best of Buenos Aires fashion, design and luxury living, download the new edition of InvestBA Privada.

Galerias Pacifico in Buenos Aires

Let Us Pay: A Brazilian tourist recently took this photo of Buenos Aires shopping cathedral, Galerías Pacifico.

It was 90 years ago when the phrase “Rich as an Argentine” was coined in Paris. Flush with new-found export wealth, the country’s elite would travel to European capitals for shopping sprees of clothing, fabrics and antiques. By the end of the century, the wealthy were still going abroad in full acquisition mode; however, destinations closer to home—Miami, Punta del Este and Florianópolis—became the playgrounds of choice. Now, only ten years into the new century, and it seems Brazil’s nouveau riche have become the Western Hemisphere’s new shopaholic celebre. The influx of Brazilian tourists to Argentina is well documented here, but Reuters’ Stuart Grudgings digs deeper into the suitcases of returning cariocas and finds they purchased just about “everything” while on vacay in BA.  ”Backed by a booming economy, record job creation and a strong currency, Brazilian consumers are taking wing as they go on a spending spree…Brazilian tourists spent $8.6 billion abroad in the first seven months of 2010, a 56 percent rise on the year before,” writes Grudgings. At one point, he interviews a 54-year-old Brazilian tourist accompanied by twenty of her closest friends at a Buenos Aires galleria and asks what they are buying. “Everything,” she replies. The current Brazilian buying frenzy is fueled by economic strength, availability of cheap credit and exorbitant import tariffs back home. It’s worth noting Argentines face similar tariffs on electronic goods which explains Argentina and Brazil’s #1 and #2 ranking on the global iPod index. (Full article)

Conrad Punta del Este

Punta, Baby, Punta! Argentina & Uruguay are home to high-end casinos like the Conrad Punta del Este.

If the famous scene from Swingers where Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn drive through the Nevada desert had a South American equivalent, it would probably be Buenos Aires or São Paulo businessmen leaving their offices on Friday and flying chartered jets to Punta del Este for a full night of blackjack or roulette. The scene is played out every weekend at high-end casinos like the Conrad and speaks to regional wealth and the tremendous upside for the gaming sector, not only in Argentina and Uruguay, but in several key Latin American countries. Travel and tourism in the region is forecast to hit $200 billion this year, and a new report from Research & Markets says Latin Americans spend $10 billion on gaming and gambling annually. High Internet and mobile phone penetration rates coupled with strong economic growth are two of the factors favoring Argentina, where legal gaming activities generate upwards of $4.5 billion annually. Uruguay’s gaming sector should also continue to grow thanks to the Mujica administration’s pro-foreign investment stance which will encourage more casino projects in Montevideo, Punta del Este and even interior towns like Fray Bentos. Argentina’s El Diario de las Pampas says local casinos are also growing thanks to women who enjoy playing the slots, or tragamonedas. In the online gaming sector, Argentina was a regional pioneer with the first legal site launching in 2006 and several sites today offering online lottery (Quini 6, Quiniela) and sports gambling.

Tamara Di Tella's Tangolates

Having taken BA in a body sculpting storm, Tamara Di Tella's Tangolates method is now going global.

Pilates is the fitness regimen famous for sculpting the bodies of some of the world’s fittest celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow. Tango is the passionate dance that originated in the melting pot that is Buenos Aires in the early 1900s and is now synonymous with Argentina’s capital city. In 2004, Tamara Di Tella, owner of a successful chain of Pilates studios throughout Argentina, realized that Pilates and Tango had a great deal in common, including the basic principles of concentration, focus on the core, emphasis on balance and posture, and fluidity of motion.  It was then that she began to develop her new method, which she dubbed Tangolates.  Although Tangolates incorporates the principles of both Pilates and Tango, the method is much more than a simple fusion of the two practices, with hundreds of moves and a groundbreaking apparatus created by Di Tella. In addition, Tangolates incorporates the much needed aerobic element that is missing in Pilates, making it a much more complete workout and form of weight loss.

BA may be the most picturesque setting for practicing Tangolates, but—realizing the untapped potential in foreign markets—the Di Tella Method is going global. Licenses for the Tamara Di Tella Method are available for $2,500 USD including a book, manual, 8 DVD set and apparatus.

For more on Tangolates franchise opportunities, send your inquiry to franchise@investba.com. And look for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Tamara Di Tella in the upcoming issue of InvestBA Privada.

Desiderata

Prêt-à-BA: Desiderata helps kick off Day One of BAFWeek 2010 here in Buenos Aires. (Photo: Diego Bigolin)

The 2010 edition of BAFWeek is well underway, and the first two days have featured a wide variety of unique designs and Spring/Summer 2010/11 collections. First up was the Semillero UBA, the sixth annual presentation of designs by rising fashion stars from the University of Buenos Aires.  Desiderata showed a variety of wearable, well-tailored pieces, while vibrant colors (especially pinks and purples) and florals abounded at Juana de Arco. A live band played as models paraded down the runway at Wanama in the casual, wearable separates the brand is known for. The day wrapped up with Grupo 134‘s designs for men with predominantly gray silhouettes.

Day 2 started off with a packed house at the jungle-influenced runway at Rapsodia, where the collection mixed vibrant patterns and colors with fringe and sequins. Next came the gorgeous Middle-Eastern -inspired collection from Marcelo Senra, where models were dressed in flowing gowns and beautifully detailed head scarves. A monochrome palate prevailed at Kostüme, where the structured black and white garments were offset by the models’ dramatic salmon lips. Blacks and whites dominated the Uma show as well, albeit in a much more feminine way, with short skirts and blazers accented by playful oversized bows that served as headpieces. The final show of the night celebrated the 10th anniversary of menswear line Hermanos Estebecorena. Models came down the runway wearing shorts and lightweight jackets in khakis and army greens with the occasional punch of black or navy.

BAFWeek wraps up tonight at La Rural. Be sure to check back for our coverage of Day 3 and a complete overview of the event both here and in the upcoming issue of InvestBA Privada.

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