One Stop Shop

Some things just never cease to amaze us. In my case, it’s beach shopping. Mind you I’ve been going to beaches here in Brazil all my life, but every time I come back, I find myself amazed at what people are selling. It gets bigger, fancier, and more diverse every time.

The trend now is people coming all the way from the North and Northeast parts of Brazil to do business here in the South during the summer. Now, if you’ve ever looked at the map of Brazil, you’ll see how far that trip can be. And yet here they are, with a big smile on their faces and full disposition to walk these beaches from end to end, all day, every day. Man, there must be some serious money in beach sales, am I missing something here??

Now, get ready for the list, and probably not the full one, of things being sold at Ingleses Beach in Florianópolis today. There’s the usual: sunglasses, sunscreen and tanning lotions, hats, jewelry, henna tattoos (is that a common one in the rest of the world?), art work, souvenirs, sandalwood, handbags, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines… the list goes on.

My favorite beach salesman! He's got a different costume on every day!!

My favorites  of course, are the ones to do with swimwear: sarongs, cover-ups, dresses, beach towels and, to my surprise, full on bathing suits!!

Swimsuits anyone??

At first I was like: how the heck are people supposed to try these on? Some of these people don’t even carry a mirror! So, I decided to pay close attention when these sales were happening. Here’s what I found out:

•      They carry several (and by that I mean more than you can imagine) different prints and patterns, but of few types of swimsuits. For example, there’s 3 or 4 different types of tops, and those are sized small, medium, and large. This may seem restricting, but the truth is we’re already at the beach and wearing a swimsuit, so we know which one of the shapes offered fits us best, and what our size normally is.                                   

• For women especially, if the cup size is right, then we could probably make the rest work. And that measure can be done without having to go into a dressing room. It’s one of those situations where the eye can tell pretty well. So that leaves you only to select which color, print or pattern you like best.

 

•      If you’re looking for something to match what you already have, then all you have to do is put them against what you’re wearing. You may even decide you like more than one, and when that happens you can start the bargaining!

• Finally, not to say that it’s impossible, but most people I’ve seen here are not at the beach by themselves. There’s at least one more person there, ready and waiting to give you an opinion. To my delight, most of the people were right to encourage their friends. Although there was no fitting room, the swimsuits actually looked quite good!

So in the end, here are my 2 cents: most women hate going into the dressing room to try on swimsuits, correct? I think it's safe to assume the answer to that is "hell, yeah!!" 

Well then, next time you’re at the beach, why not take a risk and try this new shopping experience? You may surprise yourself! Not only are you skipping that dreadful full-length mirror at every angle, but you’re also helping those seasonal workers. Sounds like a win-win to me!!

Happy Holidays!

While in Rio, I attended the wedding of one of my family members. Those occasions are always a lot of fun, and because I have such a big family, it’s one of those rare occasions where we actually are all together. I love those gatherings… since I live so far away, some of my family members I really only get to see in these occasions, so I was feeling truly blessed.

I was a bridesmaid, so I got to walk down the aisle with my oldest cousin, on my mom’s side at least. While waiting for the bride to arrive (if you’ve been to Rio, you’ve seen the traffic jams it generates, especially on a rainy day), we were chatting and catching up. Between talking about work and life in general, I got a really sweet compliment. My cousin looked at me and said: “you know, I can’t believe I get to walk next to such a beautiful woman. But then I think: oh my God! She’s my cousin! And not only that, she’s my youngest cousin!!” 

Like I said, I love family gatherings!

I thought I’d share with you all a video of one of the new Brazilian traditions, at least in Rio de Janeiro. There was no “first dance as a married couple”, or "waltz with the parents"… That’s all in the past! Now bride and groom put on a real show for their guests, dressing up in costumes and even enacting small skits. And the newlywed’s first dance? Well, why don’t you see for yourself!!

Newlywed's First Dance

Although samba is as Brazilian as can be, it was never really a thing to bring the percussion groups into private parties. These groups usually have their own rehearsals, which people pay to get in and listen to. Only recently have these groups started being called to private functions, and providing newly weds and guests with an accurate taste of Brazilian Carnaval. It was absolutely amazing!

Now, I know my opinion may not convince you, due to the fact that I am Brazilian, but don’t dismiss me just yet. My brother-in-law, a born and raised Canadian, loved the percussion show so much he actually went up on stage and danced to the rhythm of the drums until the very end! And, was upset it didn’t last long enough!!! 

:) I rest my case!

Anyway, all that to say that tradition is what we make it. We were all having such a good time on stage, that THAT has become the new tradition: all of us dancing together, with honourable mention to my brother-in-law.

Hope you all take this Holiday Season to create traditions of your own.

A Very Merry Christmas from Oh My Swimsuit. May your stockings be filled with gorgeous swimsuits!!