The Tees From Ipanema At Carioca Salt

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     80s, Brazil, Brazilian, Carioca Salt, Cariocasalt.com, Duran Duran, Ipanema, Rio, Rio Duran Duran, beach, beach t-shirts, beach tees, beachwear, eighties, retro tees, summer t-shirts

Cool, sultry, sexy, vibrant, tropically sophisticated, shimmying to a chilled out samba beat on Ipanema Beach, what more could you ask for? I’ve never personally been jealous of a t-shirt before, but if, and this is a big “if”, if I was to be reincarnated and I had to come back as an inanimate object, i’d like it to be as one of Carioca Salt’s smooth and sophisticated tees, especially if its modelled by one of the models (female) in their ever so sexy video featured at their website www.cariocasalt.com.

I have always had a thing for Brazil, if I wasn’t such a workaholic without a bean in the bank I’m sure I’d be heading off there every year, the fact is if you have a significant other and a pot belly in development, you will probably develop something of a complex, people were never designed to be that beautiful, but just about everyone you find strolling, parading, playing or lounging on a beach in Rio looks like they’ve just come off the front cover of a magazine.

Most likely inspired, if not left totally agog by the sights and sounds of Rio, Adam Dunning, a business and legal wizard with a fair bit of experience in the UK media, decided to leave the security of his BBC and tabloid career behind and set out on a fashion adventure. Just one year ago, whilst sitting on the famed and aforementioned Ipanema Beach, Adam Dunning vowed to himself to create his own Brazilian t-shirt brand that would truly represent the life and soul of Rio de Janeiro, otherwise know as the Cariocas. The people of Cariocas live and breathe music, the sun, and have a unique taste for colour, design and fashion, and Adam was determined to capture its essence in his own unique fashion label.

Thus the name Carioca Salt was born on the shores of Rio, whilst walking on the beach at sunset, Adam found the words to capture the Carioca Spirit, the salty sexuality of Rio, and buzzing beach lifestyle. The label was an instant success, by combining uniquely light and airy Brazilian textiles with an array of over-dyed colours of the tropical summer, Carioca Salt’s name spread far and wide.

They ship worldwide and their latest designs are always available at their online store. For us mere mortals who’d like to share a taste of the high life and proverbially dip our toes in to the Brazillian beach fashion scene, Carioca Salt have a fine selection of tees to whet your appetite. So when you’re quite finished flexing your muscles in front of the mirror we’ll peruse the latest offerings from the sunnier side of the beach…

Ipanema Splash Tee

Ipanema Splash – available in Ocean Denim and Green depicts the shoreline of Ipanema Beach, Morro dois irm√£os, composed of an abstract spray of flowers indigenous to the area. Confident vector design combined with a subtle use of colour makes for a great t-shirt print which subtly embraces the spirit of beach couture in Rio. Playful yet composed enough to wear on and off the shore (no matter where you live).

Rio Visao Tee

Here’s my personal favourite shirt at Carioca Salt, yes it’s typographically driven but I won’t hold that against them, Rio Visao, or as it’s written in Portuguese (the predominant language of Brazil) Rio Vis√£o which translates directly as “Rio Vision, affords a great deal of design influence to the 80s. I grew up in the 1980s and one of the major hits at the time was Rio by Duran Duran, and I am sure if this t-shirt was around at the time at least one of them (or even the bevvy of beauties in the video) would have adorned this snazzy number. I love the lattice-effect produced by the layered colours, and it’s printed at just the right proportions, neither too large or too small and fiddly. If you’re not keen on the colours, although I’d say they were perfect for the beach, then check out their alternative version in maroon.

Summer Vine Tee

One of the most subtle and delicate women’s tees I’ve seen in quite a while, I must admit Summer Vine certainly has an air of supreme elegance about it. Light, airy, summery in feel, colour, tone and line, the composition is spot on, imbued with the essence of romance, leisurely and sophisticated. As the site states “Thecolours of Rio’s summer, and the feeling of late afternoon strollsaround Rio’sJardim Botanico, Summer Vine is as tropical as they come.”

Mulher Tee

As the site says “The Mulher is a blend of sympatico and seduction.Chilled and emotive,it steams.” It certainly is a steamy number, but again with a degree of subtlety. This retro tee has a hint of nostalgia about it too, somewhere back in the heydays of the 1950s and 1960s when Rio would’ve truly been one of the only destinations in the world one could really let one’s hair down (if I had some I would). A nice clean layered feel to the print, good silhouette work and a splash of flowers set this off to a tee (no pun intended). Another fine creation from the Carioca stable.

There’s more if you’d like to peruse Carioca Salt’s wares, take a stroll along the virtual beach at www.cariocasalt.com – there’s a good selection of tees for Meninos and Meninas (Men and Women) and a newsletter if you want to keep up to date with all the latest.

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