Peru Part 2

Suleyman outside of TiTi's house

We were recently in Peru where we attended  the Peru Moda show in Lima.  The event hosts manufactures and designers from all over Peru.  There are runway shows to feature the top designers and booths for the attendees to admire, look and feel the garments. 

 The aesthetics of Peruvian designers are like none other, with everything woven, dresses, jackets, pants, and swimsuits.  Of course with a culture so rich in indigenous handicrafts there is plenty of Amazonian and Andean designs to choose from.

Runway Show at Peru Moda

After attending the show and meeting with our manufactures to discuss styles for future seasons, we had some time to play.   It’s amazing the treasures we found this time around, people, places, restaurants and museums.  We are very excited to introduce TiTi Guiulfo as one of our new designers and manufactures.  TiTi specializes in working with the Andean communities to bring the quality and techniques of the people in that region to modern designs.  

Weaver at TiTi's house

We spent time at TiTi’s house and studio working and had the chance to meet her friend and jewelry designer Ester Ventura.  Ester incorporates textiles, seashells, gauzes and feathers into her jewelry making them sculptural pieces and wearable artwork.  We hope to work with Ester in the future to bring some of her designs to the Midwest.  

Ester Ventura's jewelry collection

We also had the chance to meet TiTi’s sister, famous Peruvian chef, Marisa Guiulfo.  Marisa owns several restaurants in Lima, La Bonbonniere.  French inspired with traditional Peruvian dishes, it is the best food we’ve had in Lima, with pastries to dream about.

Pastries at La Bonbonniere

This was our third time to Lima so we wanted to find some new tourist destinations within the city.  The three worth mentioning were very unique and unlike anything I've seen.  First is El Circuito Magico del Aqua, a park which has numerous and enormous fountains.  At night the fountains light up with different colors making a light show. 

Me at El Circuito Magico del Aqua under one of the fountains

The second is the Larco Museum, a privately owned museum of Pre-Colombian Art.  The museum is housed in an 18^th century vice-royal building built on top of a 7^th century pyramid.  Inside is an amazing collection of Pre-Colombian artifacts and a famous erotic archaeological collection.  

Erotic Art from the Larco Museum

Thirdly is the Convent of San Francisco home to a library consisting of 25,000 antique texts and the catacombs which holds an estimated 70,000 peoples remains.  Under the Monastery are the catacombs with narrow hallways that contain large deep holes filled with bones and skulls often arranged in a circular pattern.  It is a very eerie but fascinating experience.  

Catacombs at San Francisco Monastery