(COSTUME DESIGNER) In the recreation of this idealized Rio de Janeiro, costumes posed a major challenge, one overcome with great versatility by costume designer Emília Duncan. "In the film, people are fashion-conscious, they want to be elegant. One of our first rules was to ban sneakers and T-shirts," says the designer.

That served as a springboard for Emília Duncan's wildly imaginative wardrobe for Mary Ann Simpson (Amy Irving): "We wanted her wardrobe to be deliciously anachronistic. Because she's an American woman living in Rio, we thought she would wear loose, flowy dresses, reminiscent of the American comedies of the '50s. We then created for her a few light and flimsy outfits, some with strong colors, such as cobalt blue and fucsia."

Designer Emília Duncan recollects Bruno Barreto's suggestions: she shouldn't be afraid of using city icons, especially since the English teacher is madly in love with Rio. One of such pieces was a sensual black and white bathing suit, which reproduces Copacabana's famous sidewalk sinuous patterns. In designing Amy Irving wardrobe, Emília Duncan worked in collaboration with fashion designers Andréa Saletto and Lenny Niemeyer (for beachwear).

Another challenge faced by her department was dressing the remaining female cast appropriately: "For Débora Bloch, we chose a wardrobe with oriental notes, in the 'ethnic bimbo' line. With Giovanna Antonelli, I wanted to play with a very prevalent fashion style in Rio, mixing tops and suits, with a very casual effect, rounded up by a heart-shaped backpack. For Drica Moraes, however, a characters who's clearly more of a vintage shopper, we've created knit outfits in darker tones, in a distinctive contrast with the lightness of Mary Ann wardrobe."