Rio de Janeiro - hot fashion capital

The biggest fitness center in the world
Ipanema Beach, which stretches between the notorious Copacabana and prestigious Leblonoma, many call it the largest outdoor gym with the largest swimming pool - the Atlantic, in which fewer and fewer visitors swim due to sea pollution. The whole Rio de Janeiro is a huge cathedral where its inhabitants idolize beautiful tanned bodies and sculpt themselves in countless body beauty chapels through torture on trainers and with the help of cosmetic surgery Carioce (residents of Rio de Janeiro). Although Rio is probably the most undressed urban center in the world, due to its free-spiritedness, where only "dental floss" and two micro-triangle bikini swimsuits remain hidden from the eyes (surprisingly, the whiteness that the sun does not reach is considered incredibly sexy), it is also becoming the capital of Brazil and South American fashions. Ipanema became a trademark for new trends in the fifties and sixties, when bossa nova was born on its streets. Since then, this overpopulated piece between the sea and the Lagoa salt lake has determined what is "in" and what is "out" in the country. The first pregnant woman in a bikini was an actress Leila Diniz, who put her body on display in the 1970s, in the 1980s the first man posed in the sun in a bikini, for a short time in the 1980s at Ipanema, women ditched their swimsuit tops, but mini-triangles soon found their place on women's curves again, and at the end of the eighties, it was in Ipanema that the enthusiasm for the minimalist bikini bottom, also called "dental floss", began.

Shopping passion
The main shopping street in Ipanema is Rua Visconde de Piraja, and the streets that cross it are also interesting. Garcia D'Avila Street is a paradise for jewelry lovers, although most of us can only observe the art of goldsmiths from afar. Also the streets in nearby Leblon, in addition to Rua Ataulfo de Paiva, Rua Dias Ferreira and many others, offer fashion surprises. Some of the brands originating from Ipanema, such as Farm, Chocolate and Richard's, have become real fashion hits with stores all over the country, and most of the renowned fashion designers also have their stores and boutiques on the streets of the most prestigious part of Rio, which stretches right along the beaches of Ipanema, Leblon, Sao Conrado and Barra da Tijuca.

Colorful and bold fashion
Brazil's most famous fashion designers present their collections every year at Fashion Week Fashion Rio, which took place again this year in Marina da Gloria between January 7 and 12. During the week, 46 Brazilian fashion designers showed their autumn and winter collections, among which we mention only a few: Maria Bonita Extra - The brand was founded in 1990 and focuses on a young female audience between the ages of 25 and 30 who swear by femininity, quality and creativity. Colcci - From 1986 to today, the fashion brand for fashion-loving youth has grown into the largest franchise chain in the country with more than 200 stores. Among young people, the brand is popular mainly because of its boldness and originality, which breaks the monotony of the urban style of dressing. She likes Mac – The Mara Mac brand is a constant in the dictionary of fashion-conscious Cariocas, as it offers elegant women's fashion for all ages.

To the beach!
Cariocas didn't invent the bikini, but they perfected the mini-swimwear. Every year, something new appears right on the beaches of Rio, which spreads to the best boutiques of New York, London and Paris in the same summer. The reason for the world primacy in the field of bikinis is simple. Cariocas spend most of the long, hot summer in swimwear, and since they naturally don't wear the same bikinis all the time, their closets are full of a wide variety of models, colors and patterns of these popular cloths, which they buy in extremely well-stocked bikini boutiques. That's why buying a swimsuit in Rio is a must! And since the swimsuits are really very mini, just like in the bikini boutiques, there is also a big crowd in the beauty salons, where they offer the famous Brazilian depilation, which has become a very special tourist attraction in recent years. Salinas is certainly the most famous name among Brazilian swimwear providers, there are still very popular brands Boom, Rosa Chá and Lenny, and at Garota de Ipanema you can buy legendary bikinis in the colors of the Brazilian flag. Waxing is (for now) reserved for men, and the offer of men's swimwear, which in Brazil is called sungas, is also very varied. Sungas are swimwear with a wide hem, a kind of tight-fitting boxer shorts that boys wear under longer surfer pants. The most famous brand of men's swimwear is Blue Man. Since we don't go everywhere in swimwear, and the summer is hot, relaxed street fashion, represented mainly by Brazilian brands, is also very popular. Sandpiper, Osklen and Cavendish.

Bling, bling
First, the good news: among the 150 most expensive cities in the world, Rio ranked only 135th, which means that it is worth shopping there. Indeed, while walking through the streets of Ipanema, Leblona or Copacabana or through huge shopping centers such as Barra Shopping with more than 600 stores or Rio Sul Shopping Mall, we can find beautiful fashion creations at very reasonable prices, and we can think of a very special souvenir from Brazil, which will probably "drain" us for a considerable amount of euros. Precious stones are one of Brazil's greatest treasures. The largest Brazilian jeweler is the H. Stern concern, which is based on the main street of Ipanema, Rua Visconde de Pirajá, and in the immediate vicinity, its biggest competitor, the Amsterdam Sauer company, is fighting for the attention of wealthy customers. Both offer a tour of their jewelry stores, and at H. Stern you can also see the entire process of creating jewelry artwork. Another prestigious jeweler is the Nathan company, and the fame of the young generation of goldsmiths was brought to the world by Antonio Bernardo. In addition to jewelry, Brazil is also one of the superpowers in the field of exporting shoes and leather goods, and a bag or shoes made of crocodile skin, for which we deducted a fortune in Europe, probably came from one of the Brazilian crocodile farms. Those of you who cringed at the last sentence, don't throw your plane ticket in the bin! The ecologically conscious can buy products made from biologically produced cotton and natural rubber from Amazonian rubber trees at the Amazon Life boutique at just the same price as lovers of exotic shoes. The leading designer of women's handbags is Glorinha Paranaguá, and interesting fashion accessories made of plastic are offered by the designer Gilson Martins. Shoes represent a very special chapter of Brazilian fashion. Although the list of shoe stores is endless, Carioca is most often seen in the plastic flip-flops that have become a global hit. In our country, the prices of Havaianas flip-flops are around 30 euros, in Rio we will pay a little more than 10 euros for them, and you can buy them in almost every newspaper shop on the street. But why waste money, if the best fashion accessory in the most beautiful city in the world is a plastic flip flop?! We just have to choose the pattern and color that suits us best. Models with sequins are especially popular this year. Let it shine!