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.

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)

Fresh, not Frozen: BA, Entre Ríos and Tucumán have ramped up U.S. blueberry exports with LAN Cargo.

Global demand for strawberries and blueberries has been on the rise, which is good news for the three Argentine provinces that produce the bulk o’ the berries: Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Tucumán. And while Argentina is South America’s third largest exporter of strawberries (after Brazil and Chile), she’s moved up to number two (behind Chile) on the blueberry chart. Agronomy engineer Daniel Kirschbaum told La Gaceta that blueberry demand is up thanks to the fruit’s many nutritional and aesthetic qualities. Kirschbaum, an INTA director and University of Florida IFAS graduate, says blueberry production is creating both jobs and foreign investment in Argentina with greater quantities now being exported at more competitive prices. Argentina’s competitive edge is also a success story in logistics for both Tucumán and LAN Cargo. “Thanks to the agreement with LAN we could open to U.S. markets, since the export duration is only 20 hours,” said Tucumán Governor José Alperovich. LAN Cargo General Manager Carlos Larraín says his company is now “the bridge between the fruit harvested in Tucumán and served one day later on the tables of Americans.”

FreshPlaza.com published the export numbers, while the Buenos Aires Herald has a more in-depth piece on “The Blueberry Route” between Tucumán and Miami. ThePacker.com says Tucumán and Concordia have just come through the coldest August on record, so the route may ramp up a little slower this year. “Argentina is going to be a little bit delayed,” says Dave Bowe of Dave’s Specialty Imports. “They’ve had some freeze damage, so supplies are going to be down a little bit. But overall, the weather has not been conducive.”

For more information on Argentina agribusiness opportunities, see our archives and download the new edition of InvestBA Privada.

Stay in BA or follow the Movida Esteña? Argentines and foreign buyers alike are asking the question.

More Argentines are crossing the river to invest in Uruguay real estate. While this headline from Mirador Nacional (MN) highlights the obvious, it also digs deeper with a cost per square foot comparison of Uruguay destinations with some of Buenos Aires’ most expensive neighborhoods. But first, MN points to the oft-cited $1.5 billion in Uruguay closings over the past 18 months number and breaks it down by region: $700 million in Punta del Este, $120 million in José Ignacio & Garzón and $40 million in La Barra. And while an estimated 60% of Punta del Este buyers are from Argentina, the remaining 40% is a rich cultural mix from Brazil, Canada, Chile, the E.U. and increasingly the United States. Financial, legal and political stability are three factors in Uruguay’s favor as are competitive real estate prices. The average new construction cost in Punta del Este is $288/SF which compares favorably with $250/SF in Las Cañitas, $278/SF in Palermo Soho, $325/SF in Recoleta and $342/SF in Puerto Madero, according to Reporte Inmobiliario. Recent sales in Punta del Este include a 2/2 apartment in La Mansa for $341,000, a 3/2 in La Brava for $286,000 and a furnished 2/2 on Roosevelt Avenue for $245,000. Still, the comments section of the article reveals Punta del Este isn’t for everyone. “Why invest in a place that is only active one month each year?,” writes Lucia, and Carolina opines, “It’s too small and stressful in summertime.” For these ladies, emerging destinos uruguayos like Punta Colorada, San Francisco or Playa Verde might be a better fit. (Full article in Spanish)

For more news and information on local real estate markets, search our archives and download the new edition of InvestBA Privada.

Small investors at the Real Estate Expo were looking for safer investment alternatives than a $200k 911 Carrera.

Ten days have passed since Expo Real Estate Argentina 2010 (Did you see our video?), which gave Clarín sufficient time to absorb all the information presented and formulate some conclusions of their own. Most notable was the fact small investors were really the stars of the event, significantly outnumbering large brokers, developers or architecture firms. “We’re not talking about people with huge international support or institutional funds backing them,” said one attendee, “We’re talking about individual investors looking for a safe alternative for investing their capital.” Just one small problem, Clarín opines. The small real estate investor walking the floor of the Exhibition Hall is as likely to influence the direction of the local market (in terms of product and pricing), as a small shareholder attending the Annual Meeting of a large publicly-traded company (with the possible exception of Berkshire Hathaway). Small real estate investors have concerns, needs and great ideas; yet, the push-push-push marketing by the local development community leaves them out in the cold. Don’t believe us? Try finding a local broker or developer with a blog, twitter account, or any type of social media plugin soliciting feedback.

Instead, our inboxes are cascading with broker e-mails with subject lines like INCREIBLE PROPIEDAD! or PARA INVERSORES! and the requisite 5MB attachments which we never open. As one very astute broker told Clarín, “The new way of operating should be less about having a big Rolodex and more about reading the market and having the capacity to segment your clients.” Which is exactly what we do @InvestBA. We blog in several languages, we promote lifestyle, we solicit feedback daily, and we know exactly which of our international clients would be interested in what types of real estate opportunities in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Uruguay. In short, Clarín characterized the presence and demands of the small investor as “nuevos desafíos,” but we view them as “nuevas oportunidades.” (Buyers, Sellers)

Javier Luna sits down for an exclusive interview with VanityBA in the upcoming issue of Privada.

Javier Luna began his career at the age of 19, working in a small hair salon in Buenos Aires. He perfected his craft while working in some of the fashion capitals of Europe, including Paris (where he was awarded second prize by Intercoiffeur International), Milan and London. Now back in Buenos Aires, at the helm of Javier Luna Hair Design, Luna sat down with VanityBA to discuss his philosophy and future plans.

In his chic, airy salon in Palermo, Luna told us about his soon-to-open salons in Tortugas Open Mall and Puerto Madero and the development of his hair care line. Although Luna has styled the hair of some of the world’s most famous women, including Penelope Cruz and Cindy Crawford, and has been featured in magazines like Cosmopolitan and Luz, he treats even new clients like old friends, giving them his undivided attention and making a visit to his salon as unique as the new haircut you will inevitably leave with.

For the full interview with Javier Luna, sign up for the October issue of InvestBA Privada out this Friday.

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.

When Cueto Met Amaro: In the works for 7 years, the Latam merger will shake up the regional landscape.

When Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM, two of Latin America’s most efficient and profitable carriers, announced plans to combine operations, the headlines trumpeted the superlatives: the region’s largest fleet, 115 destinations in 23 countries, $8.5 billion valuation, $400 million in annual cost savings, and the list goes on. But the combined operations and creation of Latam Airlines Group (LAG) trumpeted in the global financial press has been downplayed here in Argentina, and Carlos Manzoni of La Nación tells us why. “The merger will be a blow to Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR), because Aerolíneas will have to compete with (Latam) in the two most important routes they have: Chile and Brazil. They are going to lose market share when they should be gaining ground.” If Argentina decides to makes life more difficult for Latam, Manzoni says, the new carrier can retaliate in a few different ways. TAM could stifle the flow of Brazilian tourists to Bariloche during ski season by routing flights to Valle Nevado in Chile instead. Likewise, LAN could opt to shut down trans-Atlantic service from Ezeiza to Europe, and channel those flights in and out of São Paulo instead. Either way, it will be a new airline landscape where Latam dominates as the big continental carrier, while small regional airlines like Gol and Pluna continue to gain market share exploiting the low-cost niche.

In closing, Manzoni says the courtship between the Cueto (LAN) and Amaro (TAM) families has been ongoing since 2003. Now that the nuptials are pending, let’s see if old regional flames try to spoil the honeymoon. (Full article in Spanish)

Alejandro Parisi sits down for a one-on-one interview in the upcoming edition of InvestBA Privada.

Buenos Aires, which is in the middle of a “cultural arts renaissance,” has one of the world’s most fascinating and progressive art scenes. The vibrant and energetic city is home to some of the most interesting art festivals in the world (such as the contemporary art fair, arteBA) and, not surprisingly a huge number of brilliant artists.  Last month, we met with Alejandro Parisi, a painter who falls directly into this category.  Although trained in the figurative style, Parisi, has slowly but surely moved towards abstraction during his career. In his large canvases, he explores color and the change in light, working to push the boundaries of painting.

After four years of working on his last series, “Floating Colors,” Parisi’s exploration has taken him in a new direction, one which has proven to be not only personally fulfilling, but critically acclaimed as well. In 2010, his works “Ecos” and “Eros” were awarded prizes at the Salón Anual Nacional de Santa Fe and Salón Nacional de Artes Visuales, respectively.

For the full interview with Parisi and more images of his work, subscribe to our premium newsletter, InvestBA Privada, out September 3.

Banco Ciudad's new headquarters will be a sustainable, distinctive addition to the Parque Patricios barrio.

The future just got a little brighter and greener for Banco de la Ciudad, but the green has more to do with architecture than quarterly profits. The Buenos Aires-based bank has been planning a corporate headquarters relocation to the resurgent Parque Patricios neighborhood for some time. After careful evaluation of the 15 proposals by a prestigious panel of local architects, the Bank finally announced the winner of the design contest: London-based Foster + Partners. David Summerfield, one of the firm’s design directors, described the importance of the project and the victory: “The project is Foster + Partners first office development in Argentina and we are looking forward to further developing our designs for Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires. The plans will create a sustainable, distinctive headquarters for the bank, while drawing on the site’s industrial past to reinforce the unique character of the neighborhood.” The new building will incorporate a variety of sustainable features and should achieve LEED Silver accreditation upon completion. Banco Ciudad president Federico Sturzenegger says the new building will allow his company to streamline operations and reduce both risks and costs associated with operations currently spread out across eight facilities. The announcement is another positive step for the redevelopment of Parque Patricios where the City of Buenos Aires is investing in a Tech District as well as extending the H Line of the Subte. Neighborhood residents should also benefit culturally considering Banco Ciudad’s commitment to the arts and support for annual events like arteBA.