As with any major North American city, Boston has become a mix of countless cultures and international flavors brought here by immigrants searching for the American dream.  In turn, Bostonians have benefited from an influx of multicultural foods and restaurants, shops, nightspots and fashion.  On any given night clubs are filled with people dressed in Italian suits, Latin style skirts and Brazilian cut jeans dancing to meringue, salsa, Indian remixes and Arab beats.  One of the most prominent cultures to emerge throughout Boston has been that of the Brazilians who have settled in and around the city.  

If you hadn’t had the chance to sample the flavorful cuisine at any one of the countless Brazilian café’s dotting the city or realized that the low cut jeans flying off the shelves were of Brazilian style, the huge parties and impromptu parades that took place after Brazil’s win in the World Cup really showed how many Brazilians are here.  Brazilian style reflects its people’s joy of life and the mythical Ipanema lifestyle: very sexy and quite celebratory.  

Brazil’s influence on American fashion has taken a more underground approach than past trends, such as Capri pants, a style first imported in the sixties and once again in recent years from the French Riviera.   The popular hip hugger jeans first arrived in small shops in the Brazilian neighborhoods and were worn almost exclusively by those Brazilians and were made such a splash that Newbury boutiques rushed to get them on the shelves.  Crop tops had been around, especially for club goers, but the Brazilians improved on them and added peek-a-boo fabrics and beaded accents, like the one Caroline is wearing here.  You can find these styles at most boutiques and retailers, but to get the best quality and best prices, find one of the Brazilian owned shops in Everett, Malden or other Brazilian areas around Boston.

Model: Caroline Almeida
Photo: Timothy Kennard