Unveiling Strong Women

I’m surrounded by so many strong women in my life. I have fighters of life, warriors, bright writers, beautiful females that deserve an ovation bend. They have so much to give! My mother is one of them, I’ve never seen someone battling with such grace and smile on her sweating face.

Melissa and I went to a film mystére session at a film theater in Berlin. We have entered the big, dark room, it was full of crowds, no one knew which film we would watch, the whole audience was wondering in their whispers, two friends sitting behind us, one of them commented in German in which my sister translated “I think this movie will be a shitty one” the other acknowledged it with a “hum..”

After commercials the screen finally revealed a man reading in his office, he was on his 60’s, a woman was there with him, the woman that would be soon the caretaker of his wife. They were talking and suddenly his wife comes drunken and smoking, stumbling over the furniture interrupting the meeting. When I saw Meryl Streep I knew it was August: Osage County (2013) by John Wells. The film was even better that I had imagined. The story of a family of mostly women battling for life in the most ungrateful conditions. There are stories that connect itself with others, secrets that are carried with such bitterness yet in prol of love and for the sake of the beloved ones. The character of Meryl  - Violet is brutal! A woman that bears regrets in her heart and a sour-bitter-tongue, a mother of three daughters that carries the weight of her husband suicide and her health fragility, hiding dark secrets. I could only think “How could this woman bear so much? How could she take it that long? How can someone take, acknowledge and hide from everyone the fact that your husband impregnated your fatty sister with a boy that happens to be madly in love with your 30 something year-old daughter? Oh and that she’s as well in love with him! Let’s not forget!”

The dramas dèroulent until an explosion. Julia Robers character – Barbara is also an iron lady, she is not afraid to speak up and shout at her mother Violet, and stop her cruel word attacks to the rest of her family, she’s not even scared to call her bitch to stop her of telling a secret she kept for years to her daughter Ivy who’s the one that is in love with her own brother without knowing. She has balls! : I thought!

These women get so fucked up in order to maintain the conventional functionality. Wow bravo!

It was great to see these women, all in their own way to fight back through life's upcoming tough situations like marriage, children, teenage-hood, family's importance, careers, grief and sorrow etc.

Another great character on the big screen is Gloria played by Paulina Garcia from Gloria (2012) by Sebastian Leilo. A mid 50’s year-old women independent, she has raised her kids with good traits and character, she has a solid career that maintains her busy, she goes to Yoga and exists. One night she finds herself all alone in her living room, she’s divorced so she doesn’t have anyone to comfort her loneliness. What to do? She dresses up and goes to a dancing club for seniors to dance. She is flirty, sexy, humorous, and a beautiful creature. There she is radiant dancing with men. Who were the ones who told that life finishes before 50 (I’ve heard from youngsters)? Or that you must lead a quiet and respectful life, have settled down with someone years ago, taking care of your children, watching Tv or gardening to spend the time…. For Gloria No! She goes dancing in clubs, she has one night stands with strangers at some beach in Chile, she smokes pot to relieve tension, she falls in love with a man, she lives a new romance, her heart gets broken and she rises for revenge with style.

She lives, she screams, she cries, she makes love passionément, she gets lost, she finds herself, she makes discoveries, she learns, she still learns a lot from life. She’s human.

I loved her because of her wild spirit, not because she is an old woman who turned to be a badass, but because she is a full woman with such a young spirit, a fresh soul that desires to live, she doesn’t give up of life just because she isn’t 20 anymore. She will always dance with such fervor and devour life no matter her age. She’s awesome!

Women keep being bright, soulful, passionate, beautiful, inspiring, rebellious and fighters of life!

Publicação de Patricia Sall Lam Toro.

The Revolution of the African Print

There has been for a while in the fashion industry, the intro of the African Print. It came ravaging and vibrant, screaming colors all over and it has even hit Haute Couture like a revolution! 

When I look to all these kinds of designs I get goose-bumps, they are so colorfully dramatic and electric that I can feel it on my skin! From South Africa to North Africa, Central, East and West, the whole Africa is in motion, it is great to see this kind of movement in the fashion Industry, innovative and creative fashion art. Plus, Spring and Summer are coming soon, I’ll definitely try something like these!

It gives me the impression that the African print is all about “African feel with global appeal” as designer Bongiwe Walaza says. 

Ethical and sustainable fashion is “á la mode”, one can find a variety of organic and hand craft clothing and accessories in new labels like ETHIKA, Loza Máleombho, MIA, MODAHINK, DELLA that recently had a colaboration with VANS. 

Designers & labels such as Adama Paris, Taibo Bacar, Gavin Rajah, Stefania Morland, David Tlale, Khothatso Tsotetsi, Tart, Karp, Angie Masike, Lazuli, Khosi Nkosi, Grapevine, Shana, Thula Sindi, RUALD RHEEDER, Danielle Margaux, and so many more are conqueering the world with their amazing designs.

There is even acessories and small pieces of furniture where the african print stands

The African Print has already attacked all the fashion capitals within fashion weeks in London, Berlin, Paris, Milano, New York, Tokyo etc, it came to stay! It is flourishing and developping widely in the world and we can't wait to see it around!