Vintage Clothing goes POP-UP!

If you think it, do it.  Anything is possible with a little bit of creativity, motivation and initiation.  The concept of a pop-up store is exactly the perfect way to display innovation and creativity in the most spontaneous way possible.  It is this concept of the pop-up store, previously mentioned in one of my posts that grabs the attention of the curious wanderer.  A pop-up store encompasses everything from eclecticism to surprise and ideally masters the idea of spontaneity and innovation.

In a city like Madrid, the idea of a pop-up store is what spreads inspiration.  Just as the word goes "pop-up" is something that stems from an idea, is made into a reality and within a short amount of time goes away.  The pop-up store may go away, physically speaking, but what remains is an explosion of new ideas and new ways in which to present something, whether it be art, music, fashion or design.  After having some experience with art history and the art world, who knows, maybe pop-up will soon become pop-upism a movement based on pure creativity and spontaneity...

So...what would be a real-life example of this pop-up store?!

Just this past Friday, my friends and I decided to venture out to a pop-up store, this one being a total dedication to vintage clothing from three of the world´s most retro cities: LONDON...PARIS...BERLIN

Two young and hip graduated fashion students, Alejandra Catalán and Constanza Balsameda were the masters behind CATSSAC pop-up store.  They themselves traveled to the three locations to find the treasures, present them together in a very aesthetically colorful way, and make them available and ready for the  curious vintage-fashionista shoppers :).  From jackets to belts to whimsical head pieces to cocktail dresses and funky purses, CATSSAC seemed more like a girl´s dream of a big dress up room than a reality.  The store was "up" only on Friday from 11:30-21:00.  The girls told me that next time they will hope to have their store available for a longer amount of time, but at least it holds true to the idea of "get it while it´s hot!"

Stay in tune for the next pop-up events from Alejandra and Constanza!

Check out Alejandra´s very own blog:

http://www.catssac.com/

The Incubator of Creation, Innovation, and Optismism

French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said “For the world is movement, and you cannot be stationary in your attitude toward something that is moving.”

There is a difference between someone who observes and someone who just looks.  An observer tends to see things differently from a “looker.” Observant people discover interesting and inspiring things because deep within kindles a desire or a certain motivation to feed their knowledge.  It is almost like a subconscious magnetic force that draws them to discover these new and creative concepts...SO to understand the quote above we cannot be “stationary” people in a world where things are constantly being invented, created, recycled and redesigned.

utopic_US Usina de Transformación Creativa

Usina de Transformación Creativa literally means creative processing plant in English.

1. What is this utopic_US?

A company open to many different types of multidisciplinary creative professionals who are committed to the achievement of their dreams.  Motivation, democracy, enthusiasm, creativity, innovation, OPTIMISM, and open mindedness are some of the many important characteristics each individual has.  The creative people involved in this project are dedicated to the development of not only a physical space of action and inspiration, but also dedicated to the incubation of ideas and innovation made to transport the physical onlooker to a reality never seen before.

2. Close your eyes and imagine...

You walk into a space where aspiring artists, designers, chefs, actors, DJs, and musicians are all together in one giant magical room...All of them have different talents, but all of them share one thing: creativity.  The physical area?  Like an enormous exhibition space, a museum where the art can actually be physically handled, a lounge with live music,  a vintage walk-in dress up closet, a bar with authentic wines and tapas....A multi-sensory space with micro utopias made into a reality by the collaborators who want to change the typical ways of doing business and forms of communication.  All of them together concentrate on the importante of being active, being part of something together, believing in something common, and producing work in the most electic way possible.

In the words of the creators utopic_US is a generator of new energies, a hybrid space that reunites the characterisitics of a laboratory, training center, study, living room and kitchen where a variety of ingredients are mixed and experimented in many different ways...

WHEN: First Sunday of every month 12-20h

WHERE: Calle Concepción Jerónima 22

COST: 1 EURO

ADVICE: Be an observer and don´t miss the next utopic_Sunday event!

Pop-Up Store

A "pop-up store" is: unique, spontaneous, fun, interesting, innovative, cool, a moment, just what you need...

Are you a lover of retro-vintage furniture, must-have knick knacks or rare eclectic pieces of art?  Madrid In Love presents its fourth edition of its pop-up store this Christmas season with a unique collection of discovered treasures found as a result of various trips and adventuring throughout Europe.  This short-lasting store includes aged wooden pieces, dispainted iron, floating bicycles, metal letters, and many other type of objects for the out of the box type of client with a love for things out of context.  Authentic pieces can also be found by anonymous and well known designers of limited edition or series production.

Staying true to its name and idea of spontaneity, the Pop-Up Store only lasts for two weeks.  Don´t need furniture? Then hop on down to find some creative Christmas decorations that will surely give your house a splendid holiday pop-up touch.

Where: 

The old factory Hermanos la Marca on Calle Fernando VI, 10

When: 

December 1-14, Monday-Saturday from 11:00-20:30

Tastes like sophistication

Being classy never goes out of style.

Seems to me that now-a-days art can be found not only on a canvas but in the kitchen, on the street, or in a brand that masters the art of the expresso.  Precisely, Nespresso is the brand that represents this sort of peculiar way of describing and discovering a different type of art.  The product itself, the rich, bold, exotic taste of the coffee reflects the brand values.  Values where the brand represents the sophisticated, elegant, and ambitious human being in today´s day and age.

Apart from the face of George Clooney or the strong taste of a coffee bean grown, roasted, and delicately shipped from Brazil, Nespresso has a variety of shops in which the product itself can be enjoyed (without charge) or purchased to have in one´s home.  The interior of the shop echoes a Romanesque type style of architecture juxtaposed with Nespresso´s´s own touch of modernity.  A step into the store transcends you into this sort of surreal, cosmopolitan, sophisticated world.  Think of the ancient Roman baths filled with the many diverse matte colors and sharp architectonic aspects of the shop that so characterize the Nespresso image.

In Madrid two of my favorite Nespresso shops can be found on Calle José Ortega y Gasset and Calle Velázquez.  

Madrid´s FASHION´S NIGHT OUT

The red carpets, the clicking of heels, bow ties, cocktails, private parties, class, style, elegance...

These few words describe Madrid´s very own Fashion´s Night Out, a global event that takes place in only the most international and fashionable cities in the world. Recognized as being the most posh neighborhood of Madrid, Barrio Salamanca plays host to this incredible event every year. Already at noon time, the lights, stages, and private parties begin to be set up.  At around 8 o´clock at night after la merienda, the people of Madrid begin to strut their most prized outfits on the streets of Madrid.  All parties take place within the shops animated with music, fashionable people, and fruity mixed drinks.  At around 1 o´clock in the morning the shops begin to close while the social butterflies of the night continue on with the festivities...A night that takes place only one time a year, but certainly something not to be missed.