Above: My photo of the Sagrada Familia. Everyone wants to know my secret photographic process but I'm not telling…
Dear Shaded Viewers,
I'm in Rome at the moment, enjoying a glass of Chianti Classico at my hotel across the street from the Temple of Venus, but am hopping a plane at the crack of dawn to jet off to sunny (I hope!) Valencia for some more Mediterranean fashion…but before I head off again to what is more or less Spain, here are my highlights from 080 Barcelona Fashion which took place last week. As always, I love the fact that Barcelona fashion is supported by the Socialist government of Catalonia and it is promoted by the Department d'Innovacio, Universitats i Empresa of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
SONG ZIO
It was a pleasure to see the latest collection by Korean designer Song Zio on the catwalks of Barcelona. I met Song in Seoul last year when I saw his show at Korean Fashion Week and visited his Atelier with Dominic Sio of Stimuli magazine. Song was strong for fall 2010 and was inspired by "courage and heroism, influenced by neo-avant-garde architecture.
Song Zio backstage with his boys.
Me (right) with cute Mexican journalist & visual artist Gabriel Ibarzabal.
Gabriel had a hot date with a bocadillo in the 080 cafe.
Miriam Ponsa was one of the 3 winners of the Barcelona Fashion Award (the other 2 were Jan Iu Mes & Karlotalaspalas). The Catalan designer (who is originally from Manresa) comes from a family with a long textile tradition that goes back to the early 19th century. I loved her modern take on rural chic.
I really enjoyed the view at one of the menswear shows…
I really liked the hats and shimmery fabrics at Tramando
MANUEL BOLANO
One of my favorite Catalan designers, the 26-year old Manual Bolano (he was born in Barcelona but brought up in Galicia) brought down the house with this over-the-top Victorian babydoll fantasy. "I remember a bear. A little teddy bear in carmel colour. A cold, grey winter morning on a trip to the Castros Gallegos. My mother, dressed in wool and silk in pink, was holding my hand and I wondered, 'Why does everything have to be pink?'"
Anh Tuan Pham of Hintmag.com. During a break from the catwalks, we visited the Sagrada Familia….
…and then lunch at Cafe Viena on La Ramba for what NYT food critic Mark Bittman calls "the best sandwich I've ever eaten." We had to find out for ourselves.
The sandwich is basically the best baguette you've ever had with with rich fatty fragrant jamon–from the best black-hoofed pigs near Seville, it's about $75 a pound–with a tiny bit of tomato as dressing. Bittman is right–it is divoon.
Anh Tuan and I also split one of the new bocadillos on the menu: a pressed sandwich of pork, cheddar cheese and roasted green peppers. Delish!
More fashion? After being somewhat disappointed by Cardona Bonache's winning collection when I attended 080 last September, I ended up loving what they did with the prize money. Clean, modern (in a Jil Sander '90s kind of modern–does that still count as modern?) & focused. Check it out:
Gabriel during dinner at our fab hotel, Hotel 1898 (this is not an obligated plug: Hotel 1898 has terrific, efficient service and the rooms are very comfortable. The decor is a bit Ralph Lauren nautical and it basically works).
Me tucking into some duck but I preferred the white asparagus mousse appetizer.
Ice skaters at the Brandery, the massive fashion trade show held in conjunction with 080.
Thanks for reading.
Love,
