Academic Troll

LIF Week 13: Young Designers

05/17/2013

Alessandra Petersen LIF Week 13 photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

For those who have already got an overdose of fashion in my blog: I promise, this is the last post of this year's Lima fashion week! Next week there are going to be fresh topics, including a new Entrepreneuring Expats interview.

But now, ending this week with these photos from Young Designers show at LIF Week 13. Above you can see the collection of Alessandra Petersen...

And here below, men's wear from the collection of Yirko Sivirich:

Yirko Sivirich at LIF Week 13, photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

The jacket here above is super stylish...but what else do I see? Is the good old "birckenstock with socks" -style fashionable now? Having worked many years in the academia, my eyes are so used to this combination, but now it's on the catwalk!

Yirko Sivirich at LIF Week 13, photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

Itala Testino, LIF Week 13, photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

Above and below, summerly and feminine dresses of Itala Testino.

Itala Testino, LIF Week 13, photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

Wishing you a nice weekend!

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Lima Fashion Week 2013: Offstage

05/15/2013

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Models, designers and collections are of course the stars of a fashion week, but it is also interesting to observe what happens offstage.

There you can observe the audience...

LIF Week 13 audience photo©Juan Martin Cabrejos

The photographers doing their job...

Photographer at LIF Week 13 photo©Juan Martin Cabrejos

...or you can even catch a sight of a rare bird: an Academic Troll running from one show to another!

Academic Troll at LIF Week photo©Juan Martin Cabrejos

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Lima Fashion Week 2013: Sumy Kujon

05/13/2013

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Sumy Kujon was one of the designers who presented their collection at Lima Fashion Week in April.
Her collection, "Nómade" was inspired by tropical rainforests and Amazonian tribes, and it combines local materials, Peruvian baby alpaca with Asian fabrics: silk and bamboo. The designer herself has Chinese origins and just a few months earlier her collection opened the fashion week in Hong Kong.

Without further descriptions, I'll let the photos talk for themselves...

Sumy Kujon, LIF Week 13 photo©Juan Martin Cabrejos

Sumy Kujon collection at LIF Week 13 photo©Juan Martin Cabrejos

I love the detail in the shoes in this last photo...All the models were wearing shoes from Steve Maddens.

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Treats from Huaraz

05/08/2013

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Yesterday I met with a fellow expat who lives in Huaraz. I am not going to reveal more about this person, as you can soon read her interview here in 'Entrepreneuring Expats' series.

Instead I would like to show what food products I ordered from Huaraz...

Ham and cheese from Huaraz

Above on the left: jamón huaracino (also known as jamón serrano, but not to be confused with the Spanish jamón serrano) and on the right side, queso andino: mild and semi-firm yellow cheese from the Peruvian mountains.

The ham is not cut very attractively in this photo, ideally it would be cut in very thin slices, prosciutto style...

Queso andino and jamón huaracino

You can find these products in some markets in Lima too, but the prices are far more expensive -
so if you are going to Huaraz, don't forget to visit the local food markets...

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Noche en Blanco

05/06/2013

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I spent last weekend (again) working intensively, but still had quite a nice fin de semana. And why not?
My dissertation advanced many, many pages, and in addition, on Friday I got beautiful flowers...

And on Saturday night I closed my books and turned off the computer to enjoy some culture. Noche en blanco cultural event took place this year in Barranco neighbourhood. From 7pm until 5am the streets, parks and galleries of Barranco were invaded by different kinds of artistic projects: exhibitions, installations, concerts...All together 24 Peruvian and 10 international artists were present.

We started our itinerary at MAC (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo) and followed the crowd all the way to the park of Barranco. I probably did not see all the performances (some of the galleries, for example, were so packed that you could see absolutely nothing), but I must say my favorite was Finnish flute artist Ulla Suokko -and I'm not saying this only because she is my compatriot! I've had already previously had chance to hear Ulla at the Finnish Embassy reception, but this time I think her performance was more impressive, in open air, combining different instruments.

I did not have my camera with me, but if you want to see some photos of the event you can find them here.

My quick review of the event:
+ Barranco with many galleries and bars is a great neighbourhood for such an event
+ At least at the beginning of the evening (I stayed only until midnight) people were behaving and I did not see many people visibly drunk
+ Great cultural initiative -many people who normally would not go to museums and galleries had a chance to see some art work

- Far too many people, everywhere. I guess you can't avoid this...
- Pickpockets were out and operating, too, as I heard.
- All the prices went up: a beer can that normally costs 2,5 soles in a bodega was now suddenly 3.5!

That's it...now we can start guessing which neighbourhood will host the event next year: Surco or San Isidro?

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Back to Social Life!

04/28/2013

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Past months I have been quite actively working on my academic (and also some non-academic) writing projects, in order to be an academic and not just a troll. Unfortunately, intensive writing sessions can be socially isolating, because you need to avoid too many distractions.

But then again, if you don't want to go stir crazy, sometimes you have to take a pause, leave your computer and go to see some other human beings. For me, this week I have been reconnecting with the humanity, and actually had so many social events that I almost feel dizzy.

Thursday evening I met some fellow Finnish ladies who live Peru, with their special guests from Finland. We had dinner in San Isidro in a café called Paseo Colon. We had met there before, and everybody liked the food and the atmosphere of the place, so it was our meeting point again. I had a Baja Fish Sandwich, because I could not decide if I want to eat something light and healthy or go junk food -this felt like a compromise. It came with coleslaw, avocado and tartar sauce, and was served with homemade fries. Very good, except that I would have prefered real hamburger bread instead of pan françes, which is quite dry. The desserts in that place are huge and very delicious!

On Friday, we were invited to Keiko's and Makoto's sunny terrace in their appartment in Barranco to enjoy a Japanese lunch: a fresh salad...

...and some tofu-filled fried triangles....

...and some fish: this is toyo (tope shark) covered with some miso-based sauce. Delicious!

tope shark, Japanese style

The sun was so hot, that finally we had to move inside to finish the meal with some cold matcha tea. And it is autumn here!

The socialization continued on Saturday, when our friend Diana had a birthday party at the Arab Club. The club serves probably the best Middle Eastern food in Lima -and you can enjoy it by the pool, which is a great plus.

Birthday girl...©Juan Martin Cabrejos

The table is set...photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

Nice detail

The menu included various mezzes: hummus, pita bread, salad, falafels, kefta, stuffed bell peppers and zucchinis...
Followed, of course, by a birthday cake:

After this long weekend of relaxation with friends and good food, I'm recharged and can go back to my files and articles with renewed energy.

Hope you had a good weekend too!

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LIF Week 2013: Claudia Jiménez

04/26/2013

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I'm back with more Lima Fashion Week 2013 -this time I present Claudia Jiménez show!

I was very curious about this one, as it was one of the names I recognized having seen her designs in some Peruvian magazines. This year's collection is called Fleur de Femme, with many sophisticated details: pearls, sparkling materials, ballerina dresses, black lace bolero type jackets...the color scheme varied from metallic tones to soft pink, including black and white. Even the make up was sparkling, and I particularly liked the models' breaded hairstyles. The accessories came from a brand called Black Velvet.

Claudia Jiménez at LIF Week, Photo ©Juan Martin Cabrejos

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How to go native in Lima?

04/20/2013

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I have not yet finished with my Lima Fashion week coverage, there is more glamour, more contemporary design and more beautiful models coming up! But I have to give the photographer some time to work on photos -he was complaining that I posted last photos prematurely -oops! The photo quality also suffered from the fact that their size had to be considerably reduced before I could post them on the site.

Anyways, as a weekend post, I want to share this funny guide how to be local in Lima. It is from a website called Lima es linda, and the original text is in Spanish. I'm resuming here in English the five tips that can help you to "go native" in Big Lime (freely translated by moi-même):

1) A true limeño does not complain if there's no sun. Sun, in general, appears in Lima from November 'til March, but the sun is never too far. Every off-season ray of light is a reason to rejoice. And a weekend trip to the sierra near Lima will remind you that the sun has never gone too far.

2) A true limeño does not order a ceviche in the night. He knows that if you get fish in the evening, it is a) not fresh b) it has been frozen -neither one of these is good. So ceviche at lunch time only. And Inca Cola is the best drink to accompany a spicy ceviche.

3) A true limeño does not step into a taxi without first negotiating the price. And he knows the average price for each route to not to be cheated. TIP: Try to negotiate 30% off from the taxi driver's price. (ps. Read my post about Lima taxi drivers here)

4) A true limeño knows that you get out from a combi bus "con pie derecho" -right foot first. No explanation -it's just the way it is.

5) A true limeño calls people he does not know "broder", "flaco", "hermano" or "choche". "Señor" is reserved for elderly people only. TIP: At the market, you call the sales person "casero"

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!!

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Lima Fashion Week 2013: Ani Alvarez Calderón

04/16/2013

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Peruvian designer Ani Alvarez Calderón brought on stage very sophisticated and dramatic looks.

Dresses were mainly black, white and red outfits with some subtle ethnic details -apparently the collection was inspired by the region of Puno, region known for its Fiesta de la Candelaria -festival. In addition, some models were wearing intriguing veils and turbans, which gave a mystic touch to the collection.

Here are some of the best looks from the show:

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Lima Fashion Week 2013: Ilaria

04/15/2013

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Peru is one of the top silver producing countries in the world, and Ilaria is a leading Peruvian silver jewellery brand.

Ilaria's show at LIF Week was built around the theme of 'Magic night in Venice': models were wearing carneval masks, and the Italo pop soundtrack created a light and happy atmosphere. Hey mambo!

The new collection featured some heavy earrings, cuff bracelets and elaborated necklaces combining silver with other materials, such as Murano glass. Models were mainly dressed in dramatic black and white, and wearing shoes from Lola.

Here are some of the pieces that caught my eye at the collection: