Gisele is hot, and so are her flip-flops

When it comes to fashion, sometimes you don’t need any profound underlying reason for wanting something. You just want it — no “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey” involved. It’s gorge, I can afford it (or work for it if I can’t), and it’s calling my name.

Such were the thoughts (or non-thoughts) running through my brain as I was viewing “Hot Sands,” Gisele Bündchen’s latest flip-flop collection for Ipanema. The Brazilian brand recently held a fashion show at the SM Prestige Lounge in SM Megamall, and as models in Coco Cabaña swimwear sauntered in front of a row of flip-flop-clad feet waving in the air like they do in synchronized swimming, this simple equation came to mind: “Gisele Bündchen is hot. Gisele designs flip-flops for Ipanema. Therefore Ipanema flip-flops are hot.”

Logically it makes a weird kind of sense. Brazilian culture has much in common with Pinoy culture, beginning with a love for beaches and tsinelas.

“This carefree and joyous lifestyle is the inspiration behind the collection,” says Patxi Elizalde, managing director of ELRO Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Ipanema in the Philippines. “The collection embodies the best of Brazil and its locals: warmth, optimism, and great joy in living — a country that keeps its eyes on the future and always reinvents itself.”

Patxi Elizalde, managing director of ELRO Corporation, Ipanema’s exclusive Philippine distributor

Beach buddies: The Ipanema Gisele Bündchen Hot Sands collection is available at SM Department Stores, Bambu, and leading boutiques nationwide.

Cultural similarities aside, you’ll just want to slip your feet into one of these babies. Sporting Bündchen’s signature sexy strappy look, Hot Sands has an added flirty little bow detail, and comes in a variety of colors designed to enhance your summer tan. There’s even a platform style for those slightly dressier nights out.

“Each piece celebrates the beauty of nature, making it the footwear to complement the sunny season of summer,” Elizalde notes.

Patxi Elizalde, managing director of ELRO Corporation, Ipanema’s exclusive Philippine distributor

Though known primarily for her beachy locks, killer body and high-profile relationships with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady, Bündchen isn’t your typical supermodel. A hardworking businesswoman with her heart in the right place, Gisele champions a number of causes, foremost of which is protecting nature. Even if she didn’t need one, there’s a sustainable narrative behind the Hot Sands collection. Proceeds from the new line go to support the ISA (Instituto Socioambiental), a socio-environmental group in Brazil that fights against climate change.

So even if you like your fashion unadulterated and straight up, you can’t help but have it all with Ipanema’s Hot Sands collection: the latest in Brazilian beach chic, a contribution towards saving the earth, and the hottest, most stylish flip-flops out there.

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Ipanema’s Gisele Bündchen Hot Sands collection is available at SM Department Stores, Bambu, and other leading boutiques and stores nationwide. For the whole month of March, present your SM Advantage Card at SM Department Stores and get 10 percent off the collection.

For more details, visit www.ipanemaphils.com or check out Ipanema Philippines on Facebook to find out how you can help save Mother Earth. Send in an eco-saving tip for a chance to win a free pair of Ipanema GBs.