Dear Carioca chasers & cachaca shakers,
My reports on the latest edition of Fashion Rio are up on A Shaded View:
Fashion Rio part 1: Bossa Nova album art exhibit
Fashion Rio part 3: ABIT lunch in Santa Teresa
Fashion Rio part 4: La Isla Bonita Extra, Mayan knitwear, haute Venusian thrift
Beijos,
Glenn Belverio
Dear Mile-High Millies,
From the beaches of Brazil and Phuket to the delightful dystopia of Red China to remants of the German Democratic Republic, it was another year of exciting global adventures. (Unfortunately I didn't get to see Diane Pernet this year....but hopefully in 2012!) Here are some of my highlights from 2011.
In February, I was invited to Madrid to cover Cibeles Fashion Week for Diane Pernet....(my early morning view from my suite at the Puerta America Hotel.)
My suite at the Puerta America was designed by Jean Nouvel and featured Japanese-style sliding screens made of heavy glass that are printed with photos by Araki.
Madrid is better known for the energy and party-hard attitude of its people, but there's also some pretty Moorish architecture to look at.
In April I jetted down to Brazil's equatorial north coast, to Fortaleza, which boasts some of the country's most beautiful beaches with the cleanest water.
A typical beach dish, this northern Brazil specialty features creamy shrimp served in a pumpkin shell from a pumpkin grown at a nearby farm.
In May I was booked the long way to Singapore (through Frankurt--ugh!) but it was worth it just so we could try the (overpriced) famous Singapore Slings at the flagship of the legendary colonialist Raffles hotel empire. I made new friends, including Kristen Lum and Alice McInerney who both live in Beijing.
Singapore is glutted with luxury shopping malls but because I don't like to shop, I sought out the city's temples. This Burmese Buddhist temple had a psychedelic vibe.
Of course no trip to Singapore is complete without dinner at Jumbo Seafood so you can stuff yourself with chili crab.
After Singapore, I took a jaunt up to China to visit some friends in Beijing, including Beijing Design Week creative director, Aric Chen, who was my host in Dongcheng District. Here's a shot of the vast main courtyard of the Forbidden City.
I was thrilled to be able to climb and hike along the Great Wall of China in a remote area, completely free of tourists.
Beijing's drag shows are a curious affair: The queens put on earnest, satire-free vignettes that pay homage to classical Chinese motifs as closeted, and probably married, Communist Party cadres attempt to bed the queens and every other local gay boy in the joint.
Me with one of the performers outside the club. She and her pals tried to drag me up on stage but I was having none of it.
Later in the year, in September, I passed through Berlin (thanks to the lovely organizers of MQ Vienna Fashion Week) to visit my friends Isabel and Vaginal Davis, and to take a little history tour.
We had a late dinner with the inimitable Dr. Vaginal Davis at a 24-hour cafe in Charlottenberg.
I was mad for the monumental Stalinist ghost town that is Karl-Marx-Allee...
"Sensurround sound in a two-inch wall....I was waiting for the Communist call. I'm looking over the Wall--and they're looking at me!"
Full moon rising by the former-GDR's iconic TV tower.
Me and pop Poe somewhere in a deserted gallery on Karl-Marx-Allee...
After Berlin, I flew to Vienna for fashion week....and had some time to wander around the cobblestoned streets of Spittelberg...
I love Austrian food and this savory goulash made with chunks of beef, kielbasa, boiled potatoes, a fried egg, pickle and a rich sauce did not disappoint.
In Vienna, I also wandered around the lovely gardens of Belvedere Palace.
It warmed my heart to see traditional, un-ironic Austrian folk clothing in the shop windows of Vienna's trendy shopping area. Take that, globalization! (Don't tell me that they only sell it for the tourists--I don't wanna know.)
I stayed in the suite that Katy Perry lives in at Le Meridien when she's in Vienna. Lucky for me she was out of town, because the room had a large patio with a glamorous 19th-century view!
After jetting back to NYC from Vienna, I was back on another trans-continental flight three days later, Beijing-bound. After my trip to China's capital in May, I wanted more of this fascinating ancient-futuristic metropolis. Here's the view from the oh-so-chi-chi Capital M restaurant on the edge of Tiananmen Square. From left: The Arrow Tower, Qianmen Gate and Chairman Mao's Tomb. This was our view during a rather boozy Boys-in-the-Band gathering, fueled by "Glamour Cocktails", with Beijing's #1 dandy, Jeffrey Ying, and our friend Adam. The Russian hostess, who had the charming disposition of a Siberian prison guard (not that there's anything wrong with that), tried to give us the bum's rush in melody due to Capital M's ridiculously early (2am) last call. Nevertheless, we lingered past 3.
A few days later, our merry troupe made an ill-advised journey to the Summer Palace, which was overrun by Chinese tourists on holiday. We sought refuge in the luxe lobby of the Aman Summer Palace Resort for harmonious cocktails and zen gossip. Pictured here: Jeffrey Ying and Nancy Stout.
I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and for me, Beijing's opening ceremony and architecture made 2008 the Olympics to end all Olympics. So it was imperative that we visited the site of the much-ballyhooed stadiums in the north end of the city.
Detail of the "Water Cube", or National Aquatics Center. It brought back fond memories of all the sizzling-hot swimmers in skimpy Speedos.
I was over the moon for the futuristic design of the Bird's Nest interior.
View inside the Bird's Nest Stadium. The pattern of the white seats, sprinkled among the red ones, is meant to evoke flocks of birds taking flight.
Beautiful, clean design.
Nancy talked Jeffrey and I into taking the notorious Bullet Train out to the city of Tianjin which, as you can see, was smothered in a ghastly shroud of acrid smog that day. Take a deep breath and smell the empire that conspires to rule the world!
Somehow through the haze we found one of Tianjin's most (in)famous sites: an odd-ball "museum" made out of thousands of broken plates and vases, allegedly from the Tang and Qing Dynasties. (Emphasis on allegedly.)
In November, Diane Pernet sent me to Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of MIFA to attend Malaysia International Fashion Week.
Macaque monkeys run rampant at the Batu Caves.
View of the Prime Minister's office from Putra Mosque in Malaysia's federal district, Putrajaya.
After Malaysia, I enjoyed some downtime on the private white-sand beach at Amanpuri Resort in Phuket, Thailand.
"Night of the Iguana" is evoked at the hilltop CC Bloom's Hotel in Phuket.
Thanks for taking this trip with me.
Love,
Glenn Belverio
Dear Readers,
My reports on my recent trip to Southeast Asia are up on A Shaded View on Fashion:
My roundup of Malaysia International Fashion Week
My trip to Putrajaya, Malaysia's planned city
My stay at Amanpuri Resort in Phuket, Thailand
My "Night of the Iguana" holiday at CC Bloom's Hotel in Phuket
Love,
Glenn Belverio
Putrajaya
Batu Caves resident
Black-slate-lined pool at Amanpuri
Me poolside at CC Bloom's
Above: Opening Ceremony for Beijing Design Week at the China Millennium Monument
Dear Readers,
Here is a roundup of stories on my recent trip to Beijing:
Beijing Design Week Opening Night in Dashilar Alley
The surreal Opening Ceremony for BJDW at the Millennium Monument
Beijing Design Week at 751-D Park
Wuhao Pop-Up Teahouse in Dashilar Alley for BJDW
Me at the Wuhao Pop-Up Teahouse during Beijing Design Week in Dashilar Alley
The bizarro China House in Tianjin
Above: Inside the Forbidden City
Dear Readers,
Here is a roundup of all of my stories on Beijing from my recent trip in May on A Shaded View on Fashion:
Greetings from Behind the Bamboo Curtain
A Postmodern Maoist Moment at 798 Art District
Hiking on the Huanghuacheng Section of the Great Wall
North Korean Cuisine & Showgirl Couture
A Visit to Wuhao Curated Shop in an Historical Chinese Garden
Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City & the Beijing Subway
The Hutong of Beijing, the Bell & Drum Towers, Lama & Confucius Temples
My Last Night & Morning in Beijing featuring a Beijing Drag Show
The delightfully desolate "Yellow Flower Fortress" section of the Great Wall of China
Me, a kiwi martini and the Beijing night.
Later,
Glenn Belverio
Dear Readers,
My reports on fashion week in Fortaleza are up on A Shaded View on Fashion:
Beijos,
Glenn Belverio
Dear Transatlantic Tammies,
2010 was a winning year for global galloping and I have the god Mercury (and many government and fashion & textile sponsors) to thank for a series of successful jaunts. Here are some of my highlights from over 7 international locales.
Everyone knows that Rio de Janeiro is my favorite beach destination and I was blessed to be there for my birthday back in January.
It was my third time in Rio and I finally made it out to Niteroi with my pals Carole and Arjun to see Oscar Niemeyer's Contemporary Art Museum up close and personal. We were not disappointed despite wandering around lost in the 100F unshaded sun for hours trying to find the museum.
A view inside Gaudi's sublime Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Food writer Mark Bittman of the NY Times claims the best sandwich he's ever eaten is made at Cafe Viena on La Rambla in Barcelona. He was correct. The rich, fatty ham from the black-hooved pigs raised near Seville and the perfectly baked baguette were heaven.
While in Rome at the end of January, I drifted aimlessly along the banks of the Tiber like Tennessee Williams' Mrs. Stone.
Lunch with my dear friend, the Calabrian fashion writer Nunzia Garoffolo at our favorite spot in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere.
After Rome, I hopped down to Valencia in the south of Spain to take in some sunshine and the sight of Santiago Calatrava's eerily futuristic architecture.
Valencia is a quiet but elegant city.
The (alleged) Holy Grail in the Cathedral of Valencia
During Valencia Fashion Week I had the pleasure of meeting the divine Rossy de Palma.
In February I was back in Rio at the invitation of ABIT to attend Carnaval.
It's almost impossible to describe the mind-blowing sensory overload of the Samba School parades in the Sambadrome, the center of the Carnaval celebrations.
Mexican artist Gabriel Ibarzabal and I were shanghaied into marching with one of the Samba Schools. It took us awhile before we realized that we were dressed as the internet!
Me in Ipanema.
In March, I flew over to Los Angeles to meet up with my pal Michael Schmidt. Before we set off for Palm Springs, we had a requisite pig-out at In-N-Out Burger.
Schmidt in his '71 Camaro cruising past the famous windmills in the desert.
Joshua Tree
The sun set as we sipped organic margaritas by the Ace Hotel Palm Springs pool.
I was back in Rome in July and checked out the Zaha Hadid-designed MAXXI Museum. This gigantic skeleton sculpture is by the late artist Gino De Dominicis.
Me (center) with my Italian friends Rinaldo Rocco and Nunzia at the Bernini Fountain in Rome.
Diane Pernet and I were invited by Alex Murray-leslie of Chicks on Speed to an over-the-top Fashion Paella lunch by the sea in Barcelona. It was the paella to end all paellas.
Thousands of eccentric Elisava University students and revelers spill off Las Ramblas in Barcelona during a guerrilla performance event organized by Alex Murray-leslie who is a professor at the school.
A gaily painted apartment building in Madrid.
Lunch in Madrid. Spain is absolutely my favorite food destination.
Shopping at the psychedelic punk mall in Madrid.
A concession stand in the Museum Quartier in Vienna.
One of Otto Muehl's perverse paintings at the Leopold Museum in Vienna.
Ad for a theatrical production in Vienna. I think it was a comedy.
Vienna is a frothy fairytale facade concealing dark secrets.
Thanks for taking this trip with me.
Ciao,
Glenn Belverio
La Sagrada Familia in January 2010. Photo: Glenn Belverio
Dear Readers,
It's been 128 years since the first brick of Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia was laid and the church has finally been consecrated by a pope. A few days ago, the walls of the one of the world's strangest cathedrals were anointed with chrism oil and incense was burned at the altar. Pope Benedict XVI praised Gaudi (who died when he was hit by a tram in 1926) by saying the architect "brilliantly helped to build our human consciousness, anchored in the world yet open to God, enlightened and sanctified by Christ."
The church has been in a perpetual state of construction for decades and is almost always surrounded by towering cranes and scaffolding. Architects and builders are usually busy pouring cement and hammering away on the main floor but despite all their hard work, La Sagrada Familia is not expected to be finished until 2026, the centenary anniversary of Gaudi's death.
The writer George Orwell was not a big fan of the massive oddity. In 1937 he remarked, "For the first time since I had been in Barcelona I went to have a look at the cathedral -- a modern cathedral, and one of the most hideous buildings in the world... Unlike most of the churches in Barcelona it was not damaged during the revolution -- it was spared because of its 'artistic value,' people said. I think the Anarchists showed bad taste in not blowing it up when they had the chance."
Like much of Gaudi's work, I love the cathedral for its homage to Nature (I've always regarded La Sagrada Familia as more pagan than Christian) and for its eccentricity. Here are some snaps I took of the church during my numerous visits to Barcelona over the past three years.
Me (far right) with friends on the church's bridge during 080 Barcelona Fashion
Ciao,
Glenn Belverio
Dear Readers,
The rest of my Madrid reports are up on A Shaded View on Fashion:
Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 pt 2
Photo essay on Zaha Hadid's design for the Puerta America Hotel
Besos,
Glenn Belverio
Photo: Gervasio Batista
Dear Readers,
Everyone who knows me knows that Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is one of my favorite obsessions and that Oscar Niemeyer is my favorite architect. So I'm very excited to hear about the Brasilia photo exhibit at 1500 Gallery which runs from September 9 through November 27, 2010.
Photo: Gervasio Batista
Photo: Nicolau Drey
Here is some info on the exhibit:
Brasilia, a group exhibition of vintage photographs celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the capital of Brazil, will be on view at 1500 Gallery September 9-November 27, 2010. Curated by Brazilian photographer Murillo Meirelles, the exhibition will include images that show Brasilia being planned, constructed and inaugurated from 1958-1960. There will be an opening reception on Wednesday, September 15 from 6-8 pm. 1500 Gallery is located at 511 W 25th St. #607, New York, NY. A city planned and built from scratch in the very center of the country, Brasilia replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in 1960. The architectural, figurative and photojournalistic images in the Brasilia exhibition highlight the idealism of Juscelino Kubitschek’s socialist government and its team of visionary urban planners, architects and landscape designers including Lucio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx. The nine images in the exhibition include a portrait of Oscar Niemeyer, pictures of workers cutting steel and laying beams, an aerial view of the Esplanade under construction, and several images of the National Congress.
Beijos,
Glenn Belverio
