THANK YOU THANK YOU to everybody who stopped by our Ropa Vieja Clothing Swap to drop their clothes off, stayed for strawberry mojitos, and found some new stuff for themselves to bring back. We really really luv you! Shouts to Raisa Mar @ Terrae and Adrian @ Sara Bassan Alta Costura for all your help. We were bad with the camera on Saturday, but here are a few pictures if you missed out… after the jump.
If you haven’t already heard, MiraModaPTY is hosting its first official event this Saturday. It’s called ROPA VIEJA, and it’s a clothing/accessory swap. Come to Terrae with a bag full of clothes you think deserve a second life. Think: that shirt that’s not quite your color, the dress that never fit quite right and those shorts that straight-up aren’t your size. We will separate everything into cute piles and you can take what you like from other people’s stuffs. The result will be a trimmed down closet, some free new clothes and happiness.
To get y’all hyped for Saturday, here’s sneak peak pixx of stuff that’s been hiding in the back of our closets we will be giving away at Ropa Vieja. If any of it catches your eye, get there early to scoop it up!
Send along pictures of your ropa vieja and any questions to MiraModa507@gmail.com.
Harajuku Girl Red Jelly platforms, fits size 6.5-7.5
Egyptian cotton screen-print t-shirt
Guess high-waist jean shorts
white crochet summer dress
lacy & one of our favs. come in person to check it out.
if you’re feeling mod-hippie-chic…
or just need some simple flats, sz 6.
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Liz Moreno is a blogger, a stylist, a new member of the Miss Moss team, and an all-around sweetheart. She’s worked for the last year styling fashion shoots for Stage magazine, check one of the shoots here and styles lookbooks for Cupcake’s Shop and Design. Which, by the way, you need to check out – Liz can style the colorfully exhilarating or the perfectly moody (kind of like the outfit she’s wearing above. Liz learned some tricks of image consulting from the Instituto Marangoni in Milan, where she went to school in 2010. She followed it up with a program in fashion styling at The School of Style in L.A. We pulled Liz out of the Miss Moss offices last week and chatted over ice coffee.
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MAIRENA BRIONES: WHO’S THAT GIRL? We met up with Mairena Briones, the super-beautiful and talented PTY-based graphic designer and DJ for some empanadas and coffee to talk about her work and the evolution of Panama City’s cultural scene. Mairena is the creative mind behind LateralPTY, Panama’s alternative print-turned-digital publication. She’s studied in both Costa Rica and Spain and has years of professional experience (she was a producer and creative director at Blank Magazine, and also a graphic designer for the Panamanian agency Aji Pintao). She considers herself “an eclectica — I work freelancing, art direction, branding, everything.”
REC’s & ROPA VIEJA
MM: So we want to tell you a little about an event we’re doing on June 9th at Terrae. It’s a clothing trade called Ropa Vieja, where everyone brings their old clothes, we organize it and then you can take what you like. So what do you have lingering in the back of your closet?
MB: I like things a lot. I’m not a coleccionista, but I like things. I have so many pieces of jewelry, so many little things. I have a lot of accessories that I don’t use that much now, but I still have because I think it’s coming back.
MM: We ask everyone about their recommendations in Panama City, so, anything that you would recommend in Panama City?
MB: I love Via Argentina. I think it [has a] very not-Panama style, in that people live there, but there are [also] a lot of coffee shops, like in Mexico City or Buenos Aires. You can feel the soul of the city. I love walking around, here [in Panama] you don’t see that so much. The classic stores like Espacio Vintage, La Botica. You should definitely put in Sak’s.
MM: [Redacted 10 minute story of Eve buying a full red linen suit for under $5 and Christina getting a $400 silk blazer for $8.] Oh my god we love Sak’s. And Dorian’s.
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We headed over to Casco this week to talk to Lloyd and Kevin Keene, the brothers behind the indispensable Villa Agustina, the cultural space/party destination where you probably spend most of your weekend nights (and maybe mornings). The Keenes are also a prominent Panamanian DJ duo — Check out the K.E.E.N.E soundcloud here. The owner of the Villa Agustina space, Maria, has allowed the Keenes to throw parties there since 2010 and all of Panama City should thank her for it. She also let us open up the big blue doors Tuesday morning and chat inside with the Keene brothers.
Lloyd showed up first with an oatmilk, oatmeal cookies and lots of cool stories. (Notable but not included: his dad once built a car from scratch. It took 12 years.) Kevin came just before we had to head home for work but we got to talk a little while speeding down the Cinta Costera.
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Charlaine Thomas is a diseñadora industrial from Panama City. We talked to Charlaine about her necklaces on Festival Abierto’s first day but sadly only had snack money with us. We then obviously thought about nothing but necklaces all day. On the second day we went back and were disappointed to not see her at the same spot. Then, while we were sitting on the hill above the stage eating sandwiches, Charlaine walked up with a basket full of jewelry. Perfect. If you just need one of these necklaces or bracelets (we definitely did) email her at charlainethomas@gmail.com.
Jennifer, a social media volunteer at this weekend’s Festival Abierto in Parque Omar.
Jacqueline Brandwayn is a Panama-based Colombian-born artist whose recent show “Beautiful: A celebration of being a woman” premiered at Espacio Panama last week. We liked it lots. (See some photos here.) Brandwayn has made her mark on Panama (particularly on Casco Viejo, where she has her studio) both literally and metaphorically. Besides being a painter, Jacqueline is a street artist, whose distinctive leg stencil graffiti is visible all over Casco. Jacqueline has a background in graphic design and photography, the latter of which she studied at Emerson College along with advertising. During the week, Brandwayn designs the accessory line for Converse. (Jacqueline, how do you do it?!)
We visited Jacqueline’s studio last weekend at the Santa Familia community center in Casco. It’s a beautiful space and so close to the ocean that “When is the tide is high you can listen to the breaking of the waves,” Jacqueline said. We first spoke in her current workspace, then moved to her old studio upstairs, where there was (and still is) no door. “One time I came in at night and there were seven crackheads hanging out.” She moved downstairs.
Those awesome little legs are a necklace Adrian's boyfriend made from Adrian's old toys.
Adrian Carrillo López is a vestaurista from Panama. You can check out some of his styling work here. He’s also a part of the P.I.M.P. collective or Producciones Independientes de Moda de Panama. He also designs for Panamanian designer Sara Bassan.
When did you start working for Sara Bassan? I started when I was about 18. I met Jamie Luna who was doing what I do now. He showed me how to draw. I used to do it like manga, with big eyes. He showed me how to make it like fashion design. When Jamie left her, she called me. She’s a great boss – she leaves me time to do other projects.
What’s her clothing like? Los diseños de Sarita son por una mujer sofisticada. It’s expensive but it’s not really expensive if you see the quality of how it’s made. It’s un servicio muy personalizado. The clients come in y yo diseño varias opciones. Sometimes people say to me, “oh, so then it’s your work.” But no, yo diseño bajo del estilo de la marca de ella.
Do you eventually want to have your own line? Yeah, actually yo voy a empezar pronto con t-shirts.
What’s your own style like? Yo me considera como hippie de la moda. Creo que es el propósito de la moda de disfrutarte, de expresarte. Es porque me pongo cosas como esto [the necklaces]. Hah, basicamente esta es como puedo describirme. I like what the Sartorialist does, he goes to Fashion Week and takes pictures of the audience, more than the high fashion. Because a member of the audience takes inspiration from the runway y eso informa su propio estilo, according to their life and their clima. To me that’s what is the most important part of fashion. Making it your own.
Diego Bowie performing “Defuse Magnifique” at Tantalo Hotel’s opening, March 15th.
“It’s live art. It’s a matter of time. It happens in the moment and will never happen again. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about performance art,” Diego Bowie said near the end of last weekend’s class on the medium. Create Invest sponsored the event and provided key supplies like paper, pens and after-class juice boxes.
So I’ll begin the imperfect process of describing what really ought to be experienced.
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MIRAMODA 