🇬🇧 Does wearing black make you look thinner?

Does wearing black make you look thinner?

I'm Nycka, an expert in colours, shapes and textures as non verbal communication tools, I work as a stylist, photographer and visual artist and in this text I'm going to talk about this popular belief about the colour black.

If you wear black from head to toe, you won't look any thinner for it. Maybe so, in some environments, compared to wearing head-to-toe white, but there are smarter choices. In an environment surrounded by light colours, wearing black from head to toe will only make you look fatter. Since you have little or no control over the colours in your environment and you have complete control over the colours you wear, it's smarter to choose colours, shapes, and textures that flatter you in any environment. How? Hiring my stylist service.

There are ways to include black in the look that cause the illusion that you are thinner, and other colours can usually be used when black does not flatter the person.

Another important point is that black used from head to toe by people who are overweight or want to hide localised fat is that this choice screams insecurity, low self-esteem and lack of qualified guidance.

When it comes to personal style, following what most people do is a bad choice. Mainly because following the herd means not having style. But also because these common beliefs, such as that black looks good on everyone or that wearing black from head to toe will look thinner are false. Journalists, bloggers and influencers don't have the repertoire of a professional like me and spread a lot of nonsense due to lack of knowledge. And that's exactly why you need to hire my stylist service to have expert guidance on the style rules that apply to your profile. Follow the instructions on the “Services available” page.

Nycka

🇧🇷 Vestir preto faz a pessoa parecer mais magra?

Vestir preto faz a pessoa parecer mais magra?

Eu sou Nycka, expert em cores, formas e texturas como ferramentas de comunicação não verbal, trabalho como stylist, fotógrafa e artista visual e neste texto vou falar dessa crença popular sobre a cor preta.

Se você usar preto dos pés à cabeça não vai parecer mais magro por isso. Talvez sim, em alguns ambientes, se comparar com usar branco da cabeça aos pés, mas existem escolhas mais inteligentes. Num ambiente cercado de cores claras, vestir preto dos pés à cabeça só vai fazer você parecer mais gordo. Como você tem pouco ou nenhum controle sobre as cores do ambiente e tem total controle sobre as cores que veste, é mais inteligente escolher cores, formas e texturas que te valorizem em qualquer ambiente. Como? Contratando meu serviço de stylist.

Existem formas de incluir o preto no visual que causam a ilusão de que você está mais magro, e geralmente podem ser usadas outras cores, quando o preto não favorece a pessoa.

Outro ponto importante é que o preto usado da cabeça aos pés por pessoas que estão acima do peso saudável ou querem disfarçar gordura localizada é que essa escolha grita insegurança, baixa autoestima e falta de orientação qualificada.

Em se tratando de estilo pessoal, seguir o que a maioria faz é uma péssima escolha. Principalmente porque seguir a boiada significa não ter estilo. Mas também porque essas crenças comuns, como a de preto fica bem em todo mundo ou que usar preto da cabeça aos pés vai parecer mais magro são falsas. Jornalistas, blogueiros e influencers não têm o repertório de uma profissional como eu e espalham muita bobagem por falta de conhecimento. E é por isso que você precisa contratar meu serviço de stylist para ter orientação especializada sobre as regras de estilo que valem para o seu perfil. Siga as instruções na página “Services available”.

Nycka

🇬🇧 Masculine and feminine colours

“Girls wear pink and boys wear blue”. Have you ever heard anyone say that? Perhaps you have already said or thought this. Perhaps the “masculine” and “feminine” colours in your country are different.

I'm Nycka, stylist expert in colours, shapes and textures as non-verbal communication tools. I also use this knowledge in my work as a photographer and visual artist. In this text I will talk a little about this belief. Are there male and female colours? Do colours have gender?

The psychology of colours brings important perspectives to be evaluated, proven in the study of art. Nossa Senhora Aparecida, patroness of Brazil, wears a dark blue mantle. Is she a he? No. Many other female religious figures are depicted wearing blue in artwork, and male religious figures such as Jesus Christ are often painted wearing red.

Blue is psychologically related to characteristics that binary thinkers call "feminine": calm, purity, etc. Red, where pink comes from, is linked to "masculine" characteristics such as aggressiveness and impetuosity. I should point out that we all have personality traits that are stereotyped as female and male, regardless of our biological gender. Nobody in this world naturally has only "feminine" characteristics or only "masculine" characteristics. If someone fits these stereotypes 100% it is a result of how they were raised, repressing many of their natural characteristics. The oriental yin-yang symbol represents this well. Healthy people have “masculine” and “feminine” personality traits in balance.

The most famous artistic images of Jesus depict a long-haired man wearing a tunic. I've never seen a picture of Jesus wearing pants. And I say this because the idea that skirts are an exclusive piece of women's wardrobe is also a social construction. Clothes have no gender. Colours have no gender. Behaviours have no gender. And there is no male or female haircut either. In the case of clothing, there are slight differences in male and female modelling to better fit the body shapes of men and women. Which does not prohibit anyone from wearing clothes made with the modelling of the other gender. And there are countless people who understand this. A clear example is the men’s autumn/winter 2023/24 shows that I commented here on the site. They all had skirts and other pieces commonly associated with women's wardrobe.

Society is more involved in the process of self-knowledge and emotional maturation and this generates greater interest in an authentic personal image, developed with specialised professional guidance. To access this, schedule a meeting following the instructions on the “Services available” page.

Nycka

🇧🇷 Cores masculinas e femininas

“Meninas vestem rosa e meninos vestem azul”. Já ouviu alguém falar isso? Talvez você já tenha dito ou pensado isso. Talvez as cores “masculinas” e “femininas” em seu país sejam outras.

Eu sou a Nycka, stylist expert em cores, formas e texturas como ferramentas de comunicação não verbal. Também uso esse conhecimento no meu trabalho como fotógrafa e artista visual. Neste texto vou falar um pouco sobre essa crença. Existem cores masculinas e femininas? Cores têm gênero?

A psicologia das cores traz perspectivas importantes de serem avaliadas, comprovadas no estudo da arte. Nossa Senhora Aparecida, padroeira do Brasil, usa um manto azul escuro. Ela é ele? Não. Muitas outras figuras religiosas femininas são retratadas vestindo azul em obras de arte, e figuras religiosas masculinas, como Jesus Cristo, são frequentemente pintadas vestindo vermelho.

O azul está psicologicamente relacionado a características chamadas pelas pessoas de pensamento binário como "femininas": calma, pureza, etc. O vermelho, de onde vem o rosa, está ligado às características "masculinas" como agressividade e impetuosidade. Devo destacar que todos nós temos características de personalidade estereotipadas como femininas e masculinas, independentemente de nosso gênero biológico. Ninguém nesse mundo tem, naturalmente, apenas características “femininas” ou somente características “masculinas”. Se alguém se encaixa 100% nesses estereótipos é por resultado de como a pessoa foi criada, reprimindo muitas de suas características naturais. O símbolo oriental de yin-yang representa bem isso. Pessoas saudáveis têm características de personalidade “masculinas” e “femininas” em equilíbrio.

As imagens artísticas mais famosas de Jesus retratam um homem de cabelos longos usando uma túnica. Nunca vi uma imagem de Jesus usando calças. E digo isso porque a ideia de que saias são uma peça exclusiva do guarda-roupa feminino também é uma construção social. Roupas não têm gênero. Cores não têm gênero. Comportamentos não têm gênero. E também não existe corte de cabelo masculino ou feminino. No caso das roupas, existem pequenas diferenças na modelagem masculina e feminina para melhor ajuste às formas do corpo de homens e mulheres. O que não proíbe ninguém de vestir as roupas feitas com a modelagem do outro gênero. E existem inúmeras pessoas que entendem isso. Um exemplo claro são os desfiles de outono/inverno 2023/24 masculinos que comentei aqui no site. Todos eles tinham saias e outras peças comumente associadas ao guarda-roupa feminino.

A sociedade está mais envolvida no processo de autoconhecimento e amadurecimento emocional e isso gera maior interesse por uma imagem pessoal autêntica, desenvolvida com orientação profissional especializada. Para ter acesso a isso, agende uma reunião seguindo as instruções na página “Services available”. Use a ferramenta de tradução se necessário.

Nycka

🌍 Fashion has always been inclusive

In this text, 6 of the reasons why I, who have been working in the fashion industry since I was a child, understand that fashion has always been inclusive:

1. There have always been ateliers that CREATE bespoke clothing. Luxury brands also make bespoke clothing. Maybe you know no brand or atelier doing this. Nice to meet you. I can help you find these places. They’re more expensive than a lot of junk on the market nowadays, especially brands that make their clothes in Asia, but they tend to fit a lot better. I'm not talking about people who imitate the creation of others. By the way, some big brands have already been caught imitating creations by lesser known designers. I'm in favour of valuing original work, because I create fashion myself when it makes sense. Whether it's a small fashion designer who lives in a village in Chile and has never appeared in VOGUE or a big company with stores on several continents, I don't care. I want design, authenticity and respect for the professionals inside and outside the company.
2. Even brands that work only with standardised sizes have a reasonable size grid. I've always had wide hips and the pants models wear during fashion shows don't fit my hips. And I always wore a size medium (by Brazilian standards. In the numerical standard, I wore a Brazilian size 42 until the last time I bought trousers). This means that there are clothes in considerably larger sizes, because certainly the trousers that fit me don't fit the hips of those who wear a large size. Brazilian patterns have a variation of one number for every 4 centimetres of the hip, and for sizes that use a letter pattern (small, medium and large) the variation is usually 2 or 3 numbers (8 to 12 centimetres). This does not include all possible sizes, all levels of obesity, nor issues such as dwarfism, physical disabilities, etc. But, for all this and for people of regular sizes who are more demanding, there are brands that make to measure.
3. Every brand (not only in fashion) has a target audience. And each company decides its target audience independently. There are companies with the most varied profiles. If you only know a few, you need my services. Furthermore, if you are not a brand's target audience, nobody prevents you from buying it. I've had short hair for two decades now and I've never been deterred from buying shampoo. And the shampoo campaigns are always with models with much longer hair than I've had at any stage of my life. I’m not their target and I buy shampoo anyway. It makes more sense than complaining that they don't put girls with pixie haircuts in advertising.
4. It is IMPOSSIBLE to represent all possible physical characteristics on the runway. Many features will always be missing.
5. Too often, people who complain about a lack of representation or inclusion do nothing to show their worth to the world. They spread prejudice instead of acceptance. I have short hair and I value short hair, I talk about it, I help other women with short hair feel accepted and beautiful. And I respect the ones who prefer long hair and help them to feel beautiful too. And this is only one example of many I could mention.
6. If you want clothes that fit perfectly and no store has something that fits you perfectly, you must pay for custom-made clothes. If you don't want to pay for custom-made clothes, you can get other clothes elsewhere. Not the best fit, but you find something. If you don't want to pay for my consultancy, you can find advice elsewhere, but you won't find anyone as experienced as I am or with the same repertoire. I’m the best style advisor worldwide. In this life you get what you are willing to pay to have. 

Maybe now that you know my point of view, you understand that fashion has always been inclusive. It's you who never had enough information to understand this or never wanted to invest your money in the best resources in the industry. And now that you do have information, share this post with your friends and anyone you know and help people get informed and know their options.

Schedule a consultancy with me and see how much better you can look with my advice on style.

Nycka

🌍 Why this fad of inclusion in fashion should stop

When will this fad for inclusion in fashion stop? Guys, it's no use.

Most people don't know how to choose what suits them, nor are they really interested in knowing. I worked for years with style consultancy and many people, even knowing it, did not seek professional guidance.

The best the fashion industry can do is let these people dress poorly. No one will stop buying clothes because they don't have dwarf models, pregnant models, fat models, amputees, transsexuals and everything else you can imagine in campaigns, and as there is much more than that, brands will never represent all possible profiles.

The vast majority of people don't have style and never will. This inclusion fad only alienates the public that has style and is interested in clothes with a different design, because we don't want to be like the many people who don't have style and never will.

Style requires self-awareness. And things like being able to see an outfit on the runway or in the store and know whether that outfit is going to flatter us or not. Most people don't have the discernment for that. They never will. And those who like to invest in style don't like to be levelled down like the brands that are raising the banner of inclusion are doing.

I've never been skinny like a model. I've always had wide hips. And I've always been passionate about using fashion to enhance my style. I've worked with this my whole life. Currently I am determined to work with art, but fashion occupies an important position in my life because it was through it that I began to give voice to the artist that I am. It's like that person we dated for years, and the relationship ends without drama and becomes a friendship of great value due to the level of intimacy we have.

Brands that use this false speech of inclusion deserve to be boycotted, because they treat everyone like idiots. Including people they pretend to include. The thinking portion of fashion consumers cannot afford this type of brand by buying their products. The portion that does not think does what it wants. The less stupid and less insecure will follow the example of those with critical thinking.

As an artist, I will always value people who think, who value art and who don't blindly follow the herd.

As a fine art photographer, authorial fashion is closely linked to my work.

If you value art and know how to use the brain app, you value my work and don't feel offended by my content, even if you disagree with my opinions.  If you want to express yours, feel free.

Rather than encouraging attitudes of emotional codependency, need for approval, I advocate authenticity and knowing what values ​​our personality and appearance.

I believe that business leaders have to be leaders with responsibility and assessing the social consequences of their choices. Rubbing the head of those who are ignorant because they want doesn’t help these people to be more self-aware, to understand themselves better and to evolve as human beings. It only reinforces accommodation in a position that is socially negative. Human beings are made to develop personally, professionally and emotionally.

That’s why this fad for inclusion in fashion should stop. I hope it does soon.

Nycka

🇬🇧 Songs to deal with grief

This Christmas it will be twenty years since I last saw my father alive. He was my biggest emotional support. I decided to make a list of songs to deal with grief, or to listen to when we miss someone we love and has passed away. As in some parts of the world it is common to gather the family at Christmas, it can be more difficult to deal with losses during this period. Perhaps the list is useful to listen to in other situations of grief, of closing cycles as well, but I made it thinking about this type of grief. I believe that we should show love while we are alive and I try to do that. The list mixes a bit of what I listen to when I miss someone I'll never see again and songs written for situations of losing someone the composer loves.

• Love in the afternoon, by Legião Urbana.
• Letter to Dana from Sonata Arctica.
• Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton.
• Gostava tanto de você, de Tim Maia.
• Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day.
• Farewell, from Apocalyptica.
• The Loneliest, by Måneskin.
• Need to Believe, by Gotthard. The album this song is part of was the last released during singer Steve Lee's lifetime.
• Come home, by OneRepublic and Sara Bareilles. It's not a song about grief, as far as I'm aware, but it has a sing-to-cry energy.
• Kiss while your lips are still red, by Nightwish.
• Dead boy’s poem, by Nightwish.
• Wish you were here, by Pink Floyd.

Suggest any more?

To find out how to financially support my fine art photography work or promote products and services through my communication channels, read the media kit.

Discover my services.

Listen to these songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2CyHDYl25HSTQflH21ESZS?si=b-CUIXC6R92_CXcLGAs7nA

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 World Cup and the profession of the future

End of the World Cup and maybe it's the last time this year that I'm going to talk about football here. I haven't followed the World Cup for over twenty years. This year I saw most of Brazil's games and nothing else. Yesterday I decided to watch the final between Argentina and France. France in the first half looked like they were just present in the game so as not to lose by W.O. As I didn't see the other games of the two teams in the competition, I even suspected a bought game, corruption. The famous Mbape barely saw the ball. It was so ridiculous.

In the second half, Mbape woke up after hitting a penalty and carried the team on his back. In the whole game, those who saw it know that apart from a goal in the decisive penalties, he was the only one to score for France.

Speaking of penalties, I want to see Martinez, the goalkeeper of the Argentine national team, playing for Palmeiras. And I want to see who is going to say that him doing a little dance after saving the second penalty was disrespectful. Or was the scolding only with the Brazilian team?

But what I spent the whole game looking at was the importance of player mental health. The commentators on the channel I was watching said that the emotions of the Argentine team were shaken after France's draw in regular time. Argentina returned to lead the game in overtime and had an excellent overtime, contrary to what the commentators said. Game bought or not, the extension made the victory of the South American team seem deserved. If you didn't see the game, Mbape tied the game and the match went to penalties, and, as happened in Brazil's game against Croatia, two French players missed penalties. The Argentine goalkeeper was brilliant. Go play at Palmeiras, Dibu!

I believe that the profession of the future is psychology focused on niches such as sports psychology and psychology for people with a lot of exposure in the media, such as musicians, actors, artists, influencers, etc. who are extremely exposed to the ups and downs of life and the opinions of others. Life experience, in addition to academic training, will be important for anyone who wants to stand out in this market. Falling into the temptation of judging that the client is too ambitious, that he dreams too high, or not understanding the frustration that is the result of a person being aware of having a giant talent and that talent not bringing the result (s)he expects are sure ways to destroy own career in psychology in the near future.

With the increased visibility of psychology in these niches, the population will seek to take more care of mental health, which is already a topic that is widely explored in social networks.

In a society where mental health is valued, it is easier to recognise one's own qualities and weaknesses, deal with it and also recognise the qualities of other people that can contribute to our growth. And it's easier to deal with the ups and downs, in life and in sport.

Discover my available services.

To know how to financially support my fine art photography work and promote products and services through my communication channels, read the media kit.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 About brazilian dancing and attitude during the World Cup

Let's talk about the World Cup. Once again.

After the victory of the Brazilian team against South Korea, a former Irish player complained about the Brazilian players dancing after each goal. He said the dances were disrespectful to the opposing team. I've been following Brazilian football since the 90's. Goal celebrations vary from time to time and with the success of Tiktok, dancing is the newest trend. It's not just during the World Cup. In any game of the national or international championships, players from Brazilian teams celebrate in this way. So why criticise the national team for doing something they are used to doing and is harmful to nobody? Was it perhaps because of the former player's past of aggression on the field that he made the criticism? Could he be a macho man from the countryside who thinks that dancing is not a man's thing, and to play football one must demonstrate his masculinity by breaking an opponent's leg? The time for that kind of man has passed. In today's society there is very little room left for the aggressive man, fortunately.

On the other hand, the Brazilian team deserves criticism for another reason. Still on the game against South Korea, in the second half Brazil stopped playing. The game was sleepy. They looked like those bad students who just try hard enough to get through their grades in school. They opened an advantage over the opponent and lost the opportunity to play well and score more goals. In the group stage they did the same. In the game against Cameroon, as they had already secured a place in the round of 16, they relaxed and... they lost! They use the excuse that they played with a reserve team, but a national team should have the best players from that country. Including reserve players. Is that having a winning mindset? In my view, no. And I have my reasons for criticising the brazilian national team in this regard. Let's go to them.

Football is, above all, entertainment. People want to see beautiful plays and lots of goals. If it is possible to win 12-0, there is no reason, in the eyes of the fan, to accept winning only 4-1 (South Korea scored due to the ridiculous attitude of brazilian players in the second half of the game). And in football, as entertainment, the fan matters.

Another point: Palmeiras, the current Brazilian champions, has, since Abel Ferreira was hired as the team's coach, a very different mentality from that of being satisfied with securing the result. By respecting the fans by bringing a team that seeks to score the most goals per game and take the least number of goals from the opponent, the team gains support from the fans who sing and cheer and support the team even in very difficult games. Palmeiras also has a team that even with substitutions and improvisations, the team plays well. They don't use the excuse of playing with reserves to justify a defeat. The coach assumes the responsibility for the defeat, either because he chose the players badly, because he opted for a game strategy that did not work or for any other reason that he perceived as the cause of the problem.

Using the excuse of playing with a reserve team is childish. A sign of immaturity. It's like tripping over a stone and blaming the stone for having crossed your path. Those who act like this don't learn from their own mistakes.

Will Brazil reach the World Cup final? I don't know. With that mindset I don't trust enough. But eventually the student who puts in the least effort also is approved. But for anyone whose personal values ​​include  striving for excellence, this attitude is unacceptable.

I’m a photographer, but I can help you to develop the right attitude towards your career, through a strong personal brand and help your business to become remarkable too.

To advertise on my communication channels or sponsor my work, read the media kit.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 Gwendoline Christie and the choices of tall women

In the previous text I talked about men in high heels. In this one I talk about tall women and the impact of common sense on their choices. Actress Gwendoline Christie, Larissa Weems from the series Wednesday, is 1.91 m tall and has already said that when she decided to be a film actress people around her said it would be difficult due to her height. I also saw she said that in the series Wednesday is the first time that she thinks she is beautiful on screen, because in other roles her image tended to be masculinised, usually without makeup, that feature that so many women love.

Many of us live in a society that is still very sexist and even women have sexist thoughts. And the beliefs we hold affect our choices. Including our style and career choices. Do not read this text thinking about the oppressor and the oppressed. It is a mistake. Think of individual responsibility. In what you do that reinforces your belief of being "oppressed", for example. I mentioned Gwendoline Christie because, from the little information I had about her, she didn't surrender to what the people around her said and believed in her ability to build the career she chose, the life she chose.

There is a lot of talk about “beauty standards”, and it is curious to note that even though all runway models are tall, ordinary women who are tall often feel uncomfortable with their height. Which reinforces what I said in another text I published here on the website about representation.

It is common for tall women not even to wear heels, which seems not to be a problem for Gwendoline Christie. In a text I wrote in 2008 on the subject, many women, some even shorter than me, who am 1.75 m, said that they don't wear heels because they would look much taller than their friends and boyfriends. I've been wearing heels since I was a kid and one of my best friends in high school was a ballerina. And, of course, shorter than me. And we keep in touch today, even almost thirty years after finishing high school.

About love relationships, where does the need for a taller man come from? Gwendoline's partner is 6cm shorter than her (according to information I found on the internet). Why would it be embarrassing for a woman to date a shorter man? Why would it be embarrassing for a man to date a taller woman? Height we cannot change. It's one of those things that you either accept yours or you accept it. Heels can make someone look taller, but they also convey other messages. Among them, that of assuming your personal power. And this is also possible for tall women. As I commented in the previous text, if even tall men wear heels, there is no reason for tall women to limit themselves to shoes without heels.

Certainly, the way people educate their daughters interferes with these impressions, as well as what is publicised by the local media. In Brazil, it is common to repress girls who act like boys, who sit with their legs apart, or cross their legs in order to occupy more space, as it is common for men to do. I know the weight of the family's opinion in a child's head, but I assume that those who read my content are adults. It's already easier to question, even very ingrained beliefs in the mind.

About career, in adolescence I often heard that I should be a volleyball player. I was very bad at team sports, including football, which I played until I was about 12 years old at a time when women's football did not exist in Brazil. Once they invited me to play volleyball on the school team because I was tall. I knew almost nothing. No one at school or on the team offered to teach me. One day I went to my cousin's house and we played until I learned, at least, how to serve the ball. Nobody told me we had a game that day and when I got to school I found out that the team lost by W.O. I only won because I solved the “problem” of not knowing how to play volleyball. And I preferred to follow professional paths where my creativity is more relevant than my physique. Today I see professional athletes in a different way.

How much do you let other people's opinions of your height influence your decisions? Are you submissive to the opinions of family members and close people or do you seek to build a life that exalts your qualities? 

I’m a photographer and style advisor. If you need some help to deal with your height, style or appearance or if you love yourself and want to register how beautiful you are, you can count on my services. 

If you want to advertise a brand in my media channels or sponsor my work, read the media kit.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 Playing in high heels

The World Cup is taking place in Qatar and, in football, sometimes people say that a player is playing in high heels (I know they say that in Brazil, I don't know if there is an equivalent expression in other languages). This means that he thinks he is better than others and at the same time puts in less effort. Illuminate my ignorance and comment if there is an equivalent expression in your language and what it is. This text is about other ways of wearing heels, mainly by men.

In addition, of course, to men who have a fetish for feminisation, for dressing like a woman, there are those who wear heels without looking for a feminine image.

Back in the 80s, Tom Cruise wore heels to look taller in Top Gun. You didn't see it, but he wore it because he's much shorter than actress Kelly McGillis, who was his love interest in the movie.

Robert de Niro wore high platform shoes to look taller than Al Pacino in "The Irishman".

Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel, Mark Wahlberg, Daniel Radcliffe, among other actors, some of whom are over 6 feet tall, wear shoes that make them look taller.

If tall men wear shoes that make them look taller, I see no problem with tall women wearing heels. In fact, I've never had a problem with tall women wearing heels, and as I'm 5'11, I've always worn heels. In recent years I prefer combat boots and boots without heels because for my current job they are usually more comfortable, but I still wear high heels.

Among male celebrities who wear heels as part of their style, not just to look taller, we have names like Sir Elton John, Prince, Jared Leto, Troye Sivan, Cody Fern, Adam Lambert, Brendon Urie, Damiano David and many others.

Have you - man - ever tried wearing shoes with high heels?

Regardless of whether you have a conventional or more daring style to take care of your appearance, get to know my services.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 How to get to know the neighbours of your new home

So you've moved to a new city. Maybe a new country. Alone. And now you want to meet people, your neighbours. How to do it?

If you move in with someone who already lives in the city, they usually already know the neighbours and you will naturally end up getting to know them too. If you've moved to live alone, this text has a few options for how to approach it. You need to evaluate the local culture and even the neighbourhood profile to see which options might work best.

If you have dogs, the tendency is that, when walking your dogs, you will find other neighbours walking their dogs, and you can use these situations to start conversations. Compliments to the dog, or asking for a veterinarian's recommendation, brand of dog food (if you are in another country), etc are options for starting a conversation. Over time, you establish some connections with these neighbours and the topics of conversation are expanded.

If you don't have dogs... eventually cat hair on your clothes can make someone start a conversation with you. But don't count on it. All kidding aside, it's possible to be kind to any neighbours, and find ways to get to know them without being intrusive.

If you are going to live in an apartment or condominium and there is a group of residents on the internet, you can introduce yourself to the group, offer some kind of help that is within your reach to the neighbours, present them with some delicacy that you have prepared. Talking to them when meeting them in common areas or around the neighbourhood is also an option.

If you live at a house... I don't recommend knocking on the door of neighbours you've never met to introduce yourself or anything else. If you have small school-age children and you let them be free to make friends with the neighbourhood kids, naturally you'll get to know the neighbours. With no dogs or small child, I don't know what your options are for meeting the neighbours living at a house. I accept suggestions in the comments.

Tell me what you've already done to meet neighbours, and what you'd like your new neighbours to do when they arrive at their new home next to yours.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 15 cover songs you need to hear

Yesterday was musician's day in Brazil and today is jukebox day in the United States, so let's talk about music.

Music is an important part of my lifestyle and today I'm going to list 15 covers that, in my opinion, are better than the originals or just as good, but with a different identity. Comment your opinion and suggest other covers that I should know (and maybe I really do). My criterion takes into account the cover bringing a new face to the song. In almost all cases I also like the original song.

• Blind Channel playing “Left outside alone”, originally by Anastacia.
• Sonata Arctica playing "Still Loving You", originally by Scorpions.
• Evergrey performing "I'm sorry", originally by Dilba.
• Måneskin playing "Beggin'", originally by Frankie Valli.
• Gotthard performing "Hush", originally by Deep Purple.
• Iisa singing “Kellot Kappelin”, originally by Samuli Putro.
• Blind Channel playing “Numb” by Linkin Park. In my opinion, they convey a better sense of numbness than the original, which, in the chorus, conveys more anger.
• Cat Casino playing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel.
• Cat Casino playing “Millionaire” by Chris Stapleton.
• Joel Hokka singing “Diamonds” by Rihanna.
• Apocalyptica playing Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters".
• Apocalyptica and Till Lindemann performing David Bowie's "Helden".
• The Mayries performing “God is a woman” by Ariana Grande.
• Angra, with André Matos, playing “Wuthering heights” by Kate Bush.
• Lucia Muniz singing “Lonely Day” by System of a Down.

Almost all of them are available on my Spotify playlists.

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Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 What foods to offer your dog or cat

What foods to offer your dog or cat?

The most recommended foods are high quality industrialised dry feeds, without dyes. In Brazil, the best ones are classified as “super premium” and are found in pet shops, not supermarkets.

There are also wet foods, highly recommended for cats (there are also options for dogs).

About offering other foods, there are companies that offer natural (not industrialised) food options for dogs and cats, seeking the nutritional balance necessary for the good health of the animals. I haven't tested any yet.

Dogs and cats are carnivorous animals, so if you are a vegetarian or vegan and want a vegetarian pet, don't get a dog or cat. Have a fish, a chicken, a rabbit, a hamster... there is an immense variety of herbivorous animals at your disposal. No need to disrespect the natural diet of dogs and cats. Respect is necessary in any relationship, and it is no different in the relationship between humans and pets.

Some dogs and cats eat vegetables like carrots, broccoli, etc. I recommend that you only offer food other than pet food as a snack, an occasional treat, in small quantities. So you can see if the food was bad for the animal, observing the day's feces, and if it vomits or has another different reaction, and, if the food is bad for the animal, don't offer it again. Although some animals stare at us while we eat, they do very well with just the right food for their needs. And, if you train them to do so, they can stay in a different room while you eat, avoiding the temptation to feed your pet with human food.

It must be remembered that industrialised snacks also have nutrients and calories and, in excess, can contribute to the animal's excess weight.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 About fashion clothing that “nobody” wears

Let's talk about the fashion shows where the models, and especially the female models, have an exaggerated styling, which scares a lot of people. Those that many people wonder if there are those who wear those clothes off the catwalk, because “nobody” sees stylised people like the models on the streets. Those clothes usually go to stores and are sold. I'll explain why no one sees someone dressed like the models on the streets. This is a post about the fashion clothing that “nobody” wears. And “nobody” in quotes reminds me of Homer’s Odyssey (although Odysseus says his name was NoMan in the passage the expression reminded me of).

What some call the fashion industry I separate into:

• Clothing industry, which encompasses basic apparel, cheap clothes and accessories, and fast fashion.
• Fashion industry, which is where the original, different creations are, the source from which the clothing industry often drinks, seeking to make cheap and simplified versions of pieces that can be more easily acceptable to the masses.

The brands that use that impactful styling in their fashion shows and even in their campaigns are usually in the second group. And that has a reason. Whoever buys the pieces of the first group needs the information masticated, so the brands use fashion shows and campaigns to teach the customer how to combine jeans with a blue shirt. Customers of brands in the second group don't need the fashion show to teach them how to wear the clothes, because either they pay stylists to do so or they know how to wear those daring design pieces on a day-to-day basis. That's why brands use the show to present the collection's concept, to tell a story. And also because these collections have a history of their own, something the first group usually lacks, as it is based on what already exists and is widely accepted.

In everyday situations, no one is likely to wear fashion show pieces styled exactly as they do on the catwalk. When I talk about it, I remember a fashion show for a women's fashion brand where the styling was reminiscent of rag dolls. A shoe saleswoman who followed me on Facebook at the time was shocked by the styling of this show and didn't see how wearable the clothes were, even though they weren't common. Therefore, those who only wear clothes from clothing brands cannot even identify a blouse from a fashion collection worn with jeans, for example, on the streets.

The real difference between these two universes is the repertoire and the ability to interpret. Whether it's the repertoire and interpretation capacity of those who wear fashion, when the person has information, like me, or the repertoire of stylists who are paid to guide those who want to have a more striking style (like me too, because I  work as a stylist).

My reference to Odysseus wasn’t by chance. As the ogre screamed “NoMan” was in his house, while in fact there was somebody there, some people say “nobody” wears those clothes when in fact many people wear them. Maybe not people who frequent the same environments as those who say this, or not the same way the clothing are styled for the fashion shows, but they exist and I am one of them.

Nycka the Nomad

🇬🇧 Restaurants in non-touristy places

Have you noticed that in many cities the options available at local restaurants are very limited? Several cities, especially those that do not give importance to tourism and are not capitals, economic centres, have little variety in terms of gastronomy, have few or no foreign cuisine restaurants, and creative or contemporary gastronomy options are even rarer.

From what I observed in the places where I lived, in the trips and research I did, this happens for two main reasons:

• For accommodation of the local population. When people from a place do not usually travel and get used to the local cuisine as if it were the best in the world without knowing other options. No one in that environment is dedicated to studying cuisines from other parts of the world, let alone opening a restaurant that is different from the options that already exist in the local market, be it foreign cuisine or contemporary/creative cuisine with local ingredients.
• For not attracting immigrants linked to gastronomy. In addition to local people going out to learn about the cuisine of other places, there is also the possibility of a place having restaurants with varied cuisines by attracting immigrants who try to replicate the dishes of their homeland where they will live and make a business out of it.

In both cases, the creativity of entrepreneurs and chefs is also important. When creativity is lacking, they tend to create menus with dishes that they know will be well accepted, without taking any risks.  The best restaurants in the world are those that take the most risks and create the most original dishes. Those who offer typical food from a certain region or country gain from the creativity in choosing dishes that most similar restaurants have not chosen (in a scenario where there are already direct competitors). Average restaurants do what the entrepreneur's grandmother might do at home with both her hands tied and her glasses off. In the very bad ones we suspect that the cooks are in fact old ladies with tied hands and without glasses. 😥

The lack of appreciation of the local culture and the natural beauties of the region also contributes to this lack of options indirectly, because if someone found the culture of that place interesting or appreciated the natural beauties of the region, they would want to spread it to the world, transforming the place into a destination tourist. And one would act to create that reality. It lacks vision and ambition. And people like me, who love to see off-the-beaten-path places, but also love staying in a comfortable hotel and eating well, can't do that in many of these cities with limited dining options. I am curious to know: if the place is not interesting, why do people live there?

Why do you think these places have few dining options and often no good hotels? Would you live in a place without good dining options?

Nycka, the Nomad