URBAN RIBBONS

Yum Yum

2011-09-25T15:53:00.000+02:00

So BCN is still as cool as it gets with its new restaurant Cachitos in Rambla Catalunya, 33. The place is an interior designed masterpiece that mixes tartan lamps with lime green tiles and green house effects. A great place to disconnect from work and stress where you will enjoy the pleasures of Spanish tapas.

Their interpretation of food is inspired in classic recipes that are reinterpreted in modern proposals such as their blue Moët & Chandon sangria (they have 55 different types!!).

cachitosbcn.com

Dress green!

2009-04-26T17:59:00.004+02:00

Whether you are aware of the current events or not, it is pretty hard not to know we are going through an environmental drama, and An Inconvenient Truth is probably the strongest wake up call we have had in a while. Global warming is now a reality to all of us; we find it on the news, on political campaigns, and –what is probably the most influential of them all- it is becoming a celebrity matter. Leonardo DiCaprio and Charlie’s Angels star, Cameron Diaz have already showed their commitment towards this issue and have driven us to worry as well.

The “green movement” has quickly reached today’s Brands ears, which are in return trying to find ways to take action. More and more do consumers expect their purchases to be social and environmentally friendly, and more do they move towards a “conscious consumption”, as Faith Popcorn told WWD. So much, that “eco-friendly” is becoming a selling point in itself.

Here are some brands that do something for the environment, whether it is by using organic cotton, no chemical products, furniture that uses non-toxic varnishes, etc.

Nike, Levi's, GAP, Mango, Camper, Zara, Timberland, H&M, Nature, Kibuc, Skunkfunk, Stella McCartney, "The Beauty of Living Well" (Saks Fifth Avenue), People Tree.

Pass the parcel

2009-01-24T18:28:00.009+01:00

You can't believe how it happened, you had it all planned out, you were going to go for a stroll and you were sure you would find the perfect gift, almost absentmindedly. You come back home (three hours later) and you either bought something you absolutely regret, or you are with bare hands planning how you'll manage to look for something during your after-work hours.

Enough of that!! Here you will find great sites and tips that will help you find (or even craft) the ideal gift.

Inspiring sites/stores:

www.smartbox.com : choose a booklet from a wide range of themes (adventure, spa, hotels, restaurants, etc.) each with several suggestions. All the other person needs to do is choose which one he/she prefers and reserve!

www.lastminute.com : includes different travel ideas and gifts for all occasions.

www.cocinerosdemadrid.com : have a real chef cook for you (service is done in Madrid, Spain)

www.colette.com : for those who like reeeeeeeeeeeally reeeeeeeeeeally cool stuff. (Examples below)

www.kikkerlandshop.com : find designer utilities to have at home.

www.singstargame.com : anybody with a Playstation loves to receive more games, and Singstar is a must!

wii : but then there is also wii... that's a hard decision to make.

www.xaviermor.com : an assortment of the BEST chocolates! Pack it up in one of those classic glass jars with the closing to the side and put a note in the inside, to make it extra special!

www.etsy.com : all things are hand made, ideal for creative friends.

www.asos.com : do shopping for yourself while buying gifts for others.

www.designmuseumshop.com : great, original and unique gifts.

www.fredflare.com : ultimately cute, cute, cute!!!!

Home made treats (the best):

1. Design a personalized route. Whether it's a shopping route, the different places where a movie was shot, the road to a town, a city where a novel was based on... Just don't forget to personalize it with a customized CD (for the drive), pics, cards, brochures, maps, highlights and restaurants!

2. (For family or couple) Home-made breakfast. Wake up extra early and put yourself to actually making some fresh bread or pastry, jam, biscuits, natural orange juice, coffee. Serve it all on your best tray and porcelain!

3. Make a photo album putting together pictures from different friends and family. Then make everybody add comments and drawings of their memories.

4. Make a movie. Get his friends and family to tell stories, make gags, and say all the things the

y love about that person. Include pictures and comments in the video to make it more memorable.

5. Indoor travelling. Choose a country and decorate the whole house accordingly, dress up and learn some words and prepare a classic meal of the place.

6. Write a fairytale. If you are creative try writing your own fairytale where the birthday person is the main character. You can make drawing too!

7. Treasure hunt. Organise a treasure hunt with questions and games for everybody!

8. Design a calendar. Add pictures and include comments on different days to cheer his/her everyday up!

The History of Costume finds home in Versailles

2009-01-14T16:30:00.004+01:00

You may want to start going through films such as Marie Antoinette and Elizabeth, because starting March 31st and until June 28th, Versailles will be hosting "Fastes de Cour et cérémonies royales" (Luxury courts and royal ceremonies).

The exhibition will include garments from prestigious associations such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Louvre, Galliera and the Decorative Arts Association, as well as from private collections. The result is a complete collection of more than 200 garments showing royal lifestyle in the XVII and XVIII going from 1650 to 1800.

"Fastes de Court cérémonies royales" - March 31 to June 28 2009 - Versailles Palace, rooms: Afrique et Crimée - every day except Monday - From 9am to 5.30pm, and, starting April 1st, from 9am to 6.30pm

Café Parisienne

2008-11-30T18:55:00.052+01:00

So if you loooove fashion then Paris is an absolute must. I mean, Italians have style, Brits have mix-n-matching, Americans have free-styling, but the French; they have charme.

With patrons such as Louis XIV, creator of luxury as a commercial concept (read The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean), Aristide Boucicaut, founder of the first mall "Le Bon Marché", Charles Frederick Worth inventor of haute couture,

and the emergence of great visionaries such as Paul Poiret, it is no wonder that Paris is today capital of the fashion industry.

:::The city:::

You will find Paris is divided into 20 different neighborhoods, or what they call "arrondissements", and they all curl up into a circle -the first being the nucleus-. Everything about Paris is a leap into creativity, so I am sure

you will be tempted to see all of it; here I will mention those "not to be missed areas", and uh, totally shopping involved!

1ère arrondissement

Route 1 (more alternative-ish: independent desig

ners, small boutiques). The 1ère (also shown in roman numbers: I...IV...X...XX) is the heart of the city, and our starting point will be the Louvre on rue Rivoli (remember this street, it crosses most of Paris along the river and will serve as a point of reference). If you haven't already seen it, you can take the opportunity now, otherwise go up rue Croix des Petits Champs and rue de Valois. This area has a selection of delicate, small shops, always respecting the buildings old architecture. Walk your way up until you meet Place des Victoires (2ème arrondissement) and carry on r

eading!!

Route 2 (more classic-ish: umparket areas, runway brands). Take rue Saint Honoré and walk away from the Louvre. You will find that the further you walk the more high-end boutiques you find. Keep walking and make sure not to miss Place Vendôme (up a block on rue Castiglione) and number 31 on rue Cambon (crosses rue Saint Honoré). The first is a secluded plaza holding the crème de la crème in jewelry (Ca

rtier, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Buccelatti...) and the second is the address to Chanel's flagship store and offices (a home of creations)!

If you carry on a little more, you will soon find yourself in one of the more famed streets in high fashion: rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Ski

p to "8ème arrondissement" if you want to know more about

this street.

DON'T MISS

- Louis Vuitton offices (u-huh!! if you stay long enough during Paris Fashion Week you might even get a sneak peek of Marc Jacobs!!) - 2

, rue du Pont Neuf

- Kenzo - 1, rue Pont Neuf

- Kong (bar/restaurant featured in Sex and the City -the series-) - 1, rue de Pont Neuf

- Les Arts Décoratifs (must visit: Musée de la Mode and boutique!) - 107, rue Rivoli

- Café Marly (restaurant in the Louvre, very chic!) - 93, rue Rivoli

- Galeries du Palais Royal (artisan gallery) - 2, Place Colette

- Angélina (de-licious tea shop) - 226, rue Rivoli

- ChaCha

(club, very "in" at the moment) - 47, rue Berger

- La librerie de la mode (store specialized o

n fashion magazines) - 52, rue Croix des Petits Champs

- Colette (one of the three main trendsetter stores in the world) - 213, rue Saint-Honoré

- Longchamp - 404, rue St-Honoré

- Chanel offices - 31, rue Cambon

2ème arrondissement

You should now be on Place des Victoires. Take a look at it, there are some very nice shops here (i.e. Kenzo shop and offices), then take a turn towards rue des Petits Champs until it crosses rue Vivienne where you will find what the French call a passage or galerie. I already mentioned Galerie du Palais Royal (this is the biggest one), but there are 18 others distributed along the city. They have all been

restructured and you will find they are mostly used by independent designers. Go in and take a look at their artisan stores and second hand bookshops, but don't leave without taking a break in the delicious tea shop "A priori thé"!

After yo

ur break, go back to Place des Victoires and walk opposite on rue Etienne Marcel. This is a commercial street with shops such as Comme des Garçons, Diesel, Replay, Levi's, and some designer shops; Yamamoto for Adidas and Paul&Joe. Walk straight on and take rue Tiquetonne, famous for its Vintage and young designer stores. Then walk up rue Montorgueil, and admire the open air market (closed Mondays). Turn left on rue Mandar and left again on rue Montmartre for more unique shopping!

DON'T MISS

- A priori thé (tea shop) - 35 Galerie Vivienne

- Mora (anything you need for baking, it's impressive!) -13, rue Montmartre

- Mokuba (beeeeeeautiful ribbons, even has branches in NY and Tokyo) - 8, rue Montmartre

- Stohrer (BEST cake shop EVER, even the Queen of England has visited!)- 51, rue Montorgueil

- Anthony Peto (handmade hats for men, very classy!) - 56, rue Tiqueto

nne

- Osteria Ruggera (Italian restaurant, run by a real Italian family) - 35, rue Tiquetonne

- Kiliwatch (vintage clothing, it's huuuuge) - 64, rue Tiquetonne

- Mi Cayito (delicious Cuban restaurant, the waitors are SO friendly!) - 10, rue Marie Stuart

- Passage du Grand Cerf (a beautiful passage with jewelry shops and young designer creations) - between rue St. Denis and rue Dussoubs

... if interested, click here for more info on Paris passages and galeries

4ème arrondissement

This area is what the french call "Le Marais" (don't ask me why). It is the old quarter and where all the cool youngsters want to live. The petite ville is contained within bl. de Sébastopol, bd. St. Denis, bd. du Temple (later becomes bd. des Filles du Calvaire) and rue Rivoli. I suggest you let yourself go because, whether it's the shops, coffee bars, buildings or people playing music, it is all worth seeing. Just make sure you don't miss Place des Vosges (a real cult in the bobo* lifestyle), rue Vieille du Temple, r

ue des Archives and rue Rambuteau. You can then follow rue Rivoli to reach Place de la Bastille where you will find loads of

night bars and budget rest's.After that make your way back down bd. Henry IV and cross over the bridge that takes you into Île St. Louis. This is a small island located on the river Seine.

DON'T MISS

- Georges (pricy but with views of Paris's rooftops) - 6th floor on Pompidou Centre

- Garrice (lovely shoe shop) - 30, rue Rivoli and 26, rue Saint-Antoine

- Boulangerie Malienau (yummy cakes!) - 18, rue Vieille du Temple

- The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore (English bookshop) - 22

, rue Saint Paul

- Maje (floaty romantic clothing) - 9, rue des Blanc Manteaux

- American Apparel - 41, rue du Temple

- Jamin Puech (bags) - 68, rue Vieille du Temple

- Maison Européene de la Photographie - 5/7, rue de Fourcy

- Antik Batik - 18, rue de Turennes

- Ma Bourgogne (restaurant) - 19, Place des Vosges

- Les Philosophes (cafe, restaurant) - 28, rue Vieille du Temple

- Maison Berthillon (their crêpes are definitely worth the calories) - 31, rue St. Louis-en-L'Île

5ème&6ème arrondissement

From rue

St. Louis-en-lÎle make your way towards rue du Cloître Notre Dame so that you reach the second island in Paris, Île de la Cité. Take a stroll and then walk down rue de la Cité (exiting the island) until you reach bd. Saint Michel, where the famous Quartier Latin (or Latin Quarter) begins. It is a main meeting point for young people and a great place to sit down for an apéritif. Turn right on bd. Saint Germain and walk down rue Bonaparte, then carry down rue de Buci (lovely market and bookstores), rue Dauphine, rue de Sèvres and rue St. Sulpice.

DON'T MISS

- Café de Flore (meeting place for intellectuals) -172, bd. Saint Germain

- Ladurée (famous for its Macarrons, you will find exquisite pastries!) - 21, rue Bonaparte

- Francis Klein (original glasses and accessories) - 30, rue Bonaparte

- A.P.C. - 3, rue du Fleurus

- Pont des Arts (place for young people to hang out at night. Picnic and music!) - bridge coming down from rue du Louvre

- Bon Marché (one of the first malls ever built) - 24, rue de Sèvres

- Shakespeare and Company (lovely bookshop) - 37, rue de la Bûcherie

- Yves Saint Laurent - 12, place St Sulspice

- Isabel Marant (very french, cool without trying) - 1, rue

Jacob

- Son

ia Rykiel - 175, bd Saint Germain

- Christian Dior - 16, rue de l'Abbaye

8ème arrondissement

If you followed the first itinerary, you should now be walking through rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré; home to some of the best brands: Christian Laboutin, Christian Dior, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Givenchy, YSL, and of course, Hermès. The street is small, so don't worry about rushing!

When done, go down av. de Marigny until it crosses wit

h the Champs-Élysées and make your way up. The Champs-Élysées are very commercial and crowded, so I suggest you turn left on av. Montaigne; one of the most important streets in high fashion. Chanel, Christian Dior (since 1940), Louis Vuitton, Chloé, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta, Blumarine...

If you are fortunate enough to buy anything on this street, keep shopping! If not, you can window shop (it's really nice just to look at) and then follow me on to my last walk.

DON'T MISS

- Hermès (besides being one of the largest stores, it is also famous for its extravagant shop windows, designed by Leïla Menchari) - 24, rue du Faubourg-St-Ho

noré

- Versa

ce - 62, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré

- Lanvin - 22, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré

- Bottega Veneta - 14, rue du Faoubourg-St-Honoré

- Christian Louboutin (best in stiletto's... easily recognized for their red soles) - 68, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré

- L'Eclaireur - 8, rue Boissy d'Anglas

- LE 66 (concept store) - 66, Champs Élysées

- Louis Vuitton (their biggest store, 1,500m2)- 101, Av. des Champs-Élysées

- Blumarine (their selection of flaired, palet toned garments a

re the best) - 56, Avenue Montaigne

- Chloé - 44, Av. Montaigne

- Christian Dior (house to its four lines: women and jewels collection designed by John Galliano, - 25, rue Royale

- Le Baron (club) - Place des Étas Unis (16ème arrondissement)

9ème arrondissement

Now all you are missing is the "Madeleine"! To get here, all you need to do is take the number 6 metro line on Alma Morceau (if you are still on av.

Montaigne) and get off on Chausée d'Antin La Fayette. When you come out you will first find the Galeries Lafayette

(very crowded) closely followed by Printemps (another mall very much like Lafayette). When you have seen both malls, walk down bd. des Italiens and make your way through the Opera, bd. des Capucines, bd. de la Madeleine and the Madeleine Church. This is one of the more commercial areas but still worth seeing for the richness of its architecture and variety of styles.

DON'T MISS

- Repetto (originally a shop for ballet dancers is now specialised in ballerina shoes for street wear. VERY CUTE) - 22, rue de la Paix

- Fauchon (best chocolates in Paris!) - 26, Place de la Madeleine

- Galeries Lafayette - 40, boulevard Haussmann

- Printemps - 64, boulevard Haussmann

- Buddha Bar - 8, rue Boissy d'Anglas

...OTHER....

- Café de l'Homme (posh restaurant/lounge bar with full view to the Eiffel tower. Worth visiting in summer at night) - 17, place du Trocadero (16ème arrondisement)

- Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Galliera - 10 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie (16ème arrondissement). Open from 10-18h. except Mondays.

- Flea Market (there are several, but this is probably the best on

e. Beware of pickpockets!) - 30 avenue d

e la Porte de Clignancourt. Open Saturday and Sunday 9.30-18h

- La Maison de Baccarat (Known for its quality glass, this museum offers a selection of some of their best designs. It also offers a spectacular restaurant, "Le Cristal Room")

*Bobo: parisian term used to describe a social group found in Paris. The term is a composition of the words "Bourgeois" and "Bohème" and relates to the upper class youngsters in Paris living a bohemian life style.

FIND

YOUR WAY AROUND PARIS SHOPS (scanned from the magazine Where - P

aris - January 2009)

MY fairytale... or something like that

2008-11-23T19:19:00.006+01:00

New door, new life! ... a little bit about me

I guess these past months could be described as... vibrant?! ch-ch-changing?! Here's a petit summary (2008-2009):

1. Time's up: I leave my job at Getty Images after working for a year and a half in search to accomplish an ever growing passion: FASHION. Not a piece of cake decision I'ld say... four whole months of site searching, parent-convincing, €€ calculating (including banks...so boring and even more so irritatingly necessary)!

2. It's decided: BCN-Paris (Vueling) and no return ticket on the horizon. La cité de la mode is awaiting, and I'm ready for it. I get there in the month if July, the weather is great, and, contrary to what everybody had advised, les Parisiens are really welcoming!

3. Marangoni downer: the course turns out to be quite disappointing... guess it's focused to pre-universitarians. But that's ok, there's no need for a course, Paris in itself is THE course. Design seems to be popping from all over the place, whether it is haute couture (in a level I had not yet seen in Barcelona), prêt-à-porter, or independent designers, fashion is everywhere.

4. No longer a tourist: my decision is more clear than ever, I want to stay in Paris. And again, more parent convincing, serious €€ calculating (Paris is sooooo expensive), flat searching (I will eventually find the most beautiful flat EVER!!) , bureocracy, consulat, and job searching (with a level of french that is just not up to the standards).

5. The Mango experience: I find a job as shop assistant in Mango, yeeeey! It's fashion related (which is what I wanted), and, let's face it, it's money in the pocket! I work for a month, finally a bit of structure! The managers seem so happy with me, I learn how they manage results, sales objectives, merchandising, managing clients... I am loving the city and how every little detail is taken care of. Tacky? No honey, you got the wrong city, here everything is just CHIC.

6. Au revoir: after a month, the not-so-beloved crisis is starting to make effect and so, it is time for me to go home.

7. Back home: my mum picks me up in the airport and we drive our way back home singing at the top of our voices "Girls just wanna have fun". Everythins is the same, I feel as though I've only been away for a couple of days. I am happy to be home, I feel enrichened and stronger, and overall I don't regret a thing.

8. New room: after a couple of days resting, I have this urge to design my room for the new me, because you never know when it will be time to leave again. I finished today, all that's left is this picture of the old door. Who knows, I might find those flyers again in the shape of a recycled notebook.

Coming up... all my shop discoveries from Paris!

Starting Point

2008-11-23T17:50:00.009+01:00

You might be wondering what this is about, Urban Ribbons. Let's just say it is a collection of anything that is inspiring; defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as "something that exerts an animating, enlivening or exalting influence on". So what could you possibly be animated, enlivened or exaltated with? In my case, it's fashion (DEFINITELY), cornershop boutiques -around the world!!-, design gadgets, exhibitions, interior decoration, tea shops where they serve great chocolate fudge... so basically anything that makes you rush inside.