A Shaded View on Fashion

Celebrating 150 years, Café Tortoni is to Buenos Aires what Café de Flore is to Paris — contemptuous service included. In the company of the bronze head of Pirandello I had frutillas al marsala. Were it d'Annunzio the conversation would've been better.

This year el Mundial de Baile is held in a very special venue for the first time ever — Harrods. The same Harrods I used to take my mother shopping in Knightsbridge, hoping she would get me something too. Opened in 1912, this Harrods remains the first and only foreign branch ever established.

Closed for the past twenty years, Harrods reopened its doors for the championship only.

Today was the opening milonga of the championship, which will last the whole week and count with the participation of 406 couples from over 20 countries. Below right, DJ Osvaldo Natucci and MC Omar Viola kept this milonga muy concurrida. Yet no matter how full the dance floor, couples move anti-clock wise and never touch one another.

In the mood for more, I charmed the ladies from the press office in order to join the cocktail party being held in a private room. They were so helpful and kind I truly wish all fashion weeks were this not-in-the-list friendly.

Above, Japan's current champions, Hiroshi & Kyoko Yamao (tango salon), and Tomoko & Eiichiro Nakai (tango escenario). In fact there's been a big Tango revival here in Argentina ever since they realized the Japanese knew more about it than the Argentinians themselves.

These two ladies sure know more about Tango than I do. Mariana and Florencia teach Tango worldwide. Mariana even invited me to Norway, where her classes will be held next. A bit far but you never know — Oslo might even have a fashion week.

In Argentina the Devil doesn't wear Prada.

The evening continued in another milonga, Club Gricel. This old fashioned club in San Cristobal was the perfect spot to start feeling deeply "shaded" about leaving BA.

Although the fashion shows were far from being of any relevance to Europeans, I believe Argentina is a promising land which might one day even match its former glory. The current political and economic state of affairs is holding back a nation that otherwise would certainly have a lot more to offer from a fashion perspective. With so much beauty, history and culture, Buenos Aires has everything to become another fashion capital of the world — if only there weren't so many zeros separating it from its predestined fate.

Life is not be measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The End,