CHANEL Cruise Collection sets sail to CUBA

/

From Chanel Airlines to Coco Cuba, Karl Lagerfeld has proven to be the master of destination resort locations. This week, the much talked about Chanel Cruise Cuba collection set sail to Cuba and gave Havana the most dynamic fashion party it's seen in more than fifty years. 

Karl Lagerfeld captured the spirit, energy and vibe of the Cuban people with a Chanel resort collection that showcased the perfect balance between wearability and luxury. Alongside Chanel's signature tweed in bright color, festive prints, some appropriately featuring a classic-car motif, marched down the grand Paseo del Prado in Old Havana. Tropical looks and classic black and white frocks and suits made their way through the collection reminiscent  of a time when Cuba was glamorous.

Hats - fedoras and berets were well featured in the show. Cubans love hats. Even my eighty-two year old dad has a collection! The only issue I have is with VogueRunway.com who referenced the correlation between the beret and murderer Che Guevara. VR - don't glamorize him please.

Karl Lagerfeld took the finale walk wearing a purple sequin Saint Laurent jacket.

fashionado

CUBA 2015 PHOTOS

/

From ruin and decay comes beauty and strength. Cuba is a wonderful and magical place. Its people are resourceful and with the promise of negotiations with the US and the potential lifting of the embargo, I found new hope in the eyes of its residents.

I spent a couple of days in La Habana, but this time I also ventured out into the towns and neighborhoods outside of the city. (Click on each photo for a brief description.)

fashionado

Classic Cars & Photos of My Trip to Cuba

/

I was a little boy when I left Cuba to come to the USA. Even at the young age of five, I already new that my family and I would never return. (So I thought.) Like so many Cubans, I grew up with that mindset. After months of planning,  permission from OFAC in D.C. and a temporary Cuban visa, I traveled back to Cuba after more than four decades last April. My mission: to reunite with my 80 year old father who I hadn't seen since 1970. The outcome: a beautiful, life-changing experience. With the proposed changes to US / Cuba Policy this means that I will continue to enjoy visiting with dad. For me and for many many others, this change is the beginning of hopes, dreams and familial unification. Something that my generation and that of my parents' have longed for... for over 50 years.

In October, I premiered the film I made with Gil Guillama called Finding Dad: Mira... tu Papa. This is a documentary about my first trip back to Cuba and the reunion with my father. Dad is 81 now and every time we speak on the phone he asks when am I going to come see him again. Now I can say, "soon, very soon!"

fashionado

The Beach at Varadero Cuba

/
Varadero, Cuba
Varadero, Cuba

Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, about 87 miles east of Havana. It's been rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and after visiting just two short weeks ago, I'll agree! 

We cruised up the coast on the North side of the island in a 1958 Bel Air, rebuilt with a Mercedes Benz engine. Our driver, Osmel was more like a tour guide.

Varadero, Cuba
Varadero, Cuba

About 1M tourists come through Varadero each year but you wouldn't know it. The sand is white, the water crystal clear and the sky as blue as can be. The water was a tad chilly but you soon got over that. And for a Cuban like me who was fortunate to have grown up in the US and has known freedom all my life, being at the place where so many have risked or lost their lives, took on deeper meaning. 

It was fried swordfish and plantain chips for lunch. To wash it down, the 2nd best mojito in Cuba - the best one was at the 18th floor bar at the Capri Hotel. Actually, all the mojitos were fantastic because of the secret ingredient: Cuban rum!

fashionado