A World of Her Own
Joana Barrios lets us glimpse, through a narrow opening, into her colourful world: family rituals and the home, theatre, cooking and fashion. The attitude and sense of humour that define the way she dresses — and have made her a reference figure in Lisbon – extend across every area of her life.
In conversation with Stivali, sensitivity and a pastiche of (many) references emerge as the starting point for a dream wardrobe.
I’ve known Stivali since… Actually, there are two different ‘since when’s’ for me. I remember Stivali in Areeiro, through family intermediaries, from another time and space, almost another life, really!… And then there is the Stivali I know and start going to on my own two feet, a bond that begins to form in 2018, when my beloved ARMÁRIO began, when I became a sort of Stivalette, since the styling for the first season of the series came exclusively from here via Filipe Carriço and later David Motta.
Here I always find… Everything I need, but above all what I didn’t even know I needed like bread in my mouth. / what I didn’t even know I needed to live. LOL.
A current object of desire… Black leather trousers. A black leather jacket too.
Best purchase to date? My barometer for best purchase is always the usage rate. In that case, without a doubt, a pair of Chanel dad sandals that every year go to the cobbler for the next summer in which they will not leave my feet.
But there’s a question missing here, at least for me, which is the biggest regrets of things I didn’t buy!… Because I’m equally made of the pieces I loved but didn’t bring home… I don’t quite know why!… Namely a pair of crystal René Caovilla shoes, some Gianvito Rossi sandals…
The most special piece in your wardrobe? I don’t know if it’s the most special, but it’s the one I find the most fun and one of my best finds: a Chanel handbag in transparent plastic and gold leather, I believe from 2007. And also a pair of Chanel sandals I managed to get second hand, from the 2018 cruise collection, with architectural heels, like Ionic columns.
How do you build a look when time is short? I always bet on pieces that make me feel good and comfortable, with good accessories. But it all depends, of course, on the occasion. I have a very simple and objective wardrobe, which makes choices potentially easy and effective.
How does style resist time? I think style always resists time. Fashion, not so much…
Are there brands that follow life phases? Is there one that crosses yours? Actually no. I’m not that attached to brands. I care much more about materials and cuts and how long they last with use. But if I had to isolate one, my most worn-and-abused brand is without a doubt Bottega Veneta.
Is lasting luxury what you see or what you feel? Luxury is immaterial, even though consumption tries to prove otherwise. Luxury, in 2026 and even before, is much more about what you can’t buy. It’s time, it’s a good night’s sleep, it’s an excellent meal in wonderful company…
A beauty product or ritual that’s always present? My primordial beauty ritual is a good night of sleep. And I love brushing my teeth!… All very simple…
Where is Fashion heading? I feel there are many variables at play today when we talk about Fashion. I feel Fashion is a bit searching for its path and its place in a world that calls for constant change and develops at a frenetic pace, with little ability to absorb all the variables added to it.
Fashion today obeys (at least in my view) first and foremost market demands, commercial objectives, clickbait, the desperation to retain new, ever-younger clients, a whole new quantity of digital metrics of relevance and monetization — and much less what made me love it in the first place: the expression of individuality possible within it, through it, the fantasy, the sensations, Art, detail…
I see it moving very fast, very confused, very lost. But I don’t know where it’s going…
Where is the industry winning? And failing? The industry is winning in its absolute popularization across all pop culture, and failing completely in the quality-price relationship.
A project you’re particularly proud of… I think all of them. Because I don’t know how to do anything halfway, I always end up fully involved.
What challenges you most at work? Suffering from a certain idea of perfection…
What did you learn from a difficult experience? To be patient. But I can only answer this with some certainty today because patience has been the great constant in all the complex moments I’ve already been through.
Your current gastronomic obsession… The madness around macronutrient consumption, as if everything in food had to be functional.
A dish you love cooking… Stuffed squid with mashed potatoes.
Who should we be paying attention to right now? More than someone specifically, I think we should pay attention to what we eat. We shouldn’t give in to everything that seems very easy and comes disguised as functional and nutritious and healthy — ready meals, everything ultra-processed, all these ways of feeding ourselves that take us further from the origin of food and from a healthiness that gets compromised every day, more and more.
What can we find in your fridge? About 40% of my fridge is greens and fruit. Plenty of leaves, various cabbages and lots of fruit. There’s milk and yoghurts and cheese. There’s always a generous box of soup, some sauces and cured meats and very specific exotic things I receive from friends with shared interests, in exchange for other interesting things for them too.
There are always little boxes with leftovers waiting for a system update for the next meal and a good white wine because you never know.
How does your morning start? My morning starts with a huge glass of room temperature water and a kettle boiling, because while I handle the kids’ lunchboxes, between 6:30 and 7:30, I make my coffee, which I drink with milk in the very quiet calm of the morning before everyone wakes up.
I prepare the kids’ breakfasts and organize everything so the day doesn’t start in chaos. It’s not always possible! But it’s good when we can understand whether the morning was more or less hectic and why.
A routine to maintain energy and balance… That coffee-with-milk thing is real. I only drink coffee with milk at home and it is very specifically what I do. It’s a habit I’ve had since I remember living alone, so about… 24 years. LORD! The other habit I won’t give up is walking everywhere.
A family ritual always present… Breakfast and dinner are shared meals at the table where everything converges: from tasks to what was good and not so good. No matter what, it is shared.
Your definition of wellness? Having time for this: drinking coffee in a quiet, unhurried moment; hugging my children and laughing with them; walking everywhere; noticing that the light is beautiful, that flowers have bloomed on the trees… knowing I can go for a walk with my best friend. It’s waking up wanting to wake up, and recognising that I have an incredible life — and feeling deeply grateful for it. It’s something very abstract, which takes shape in these small moments, I suppose.
What inspires you to create? If it grabs my attention, then I go off from there!…
An account you never lose sight of? The countless meme pages I follow!…
A digital trend you’re following? None. I have VERY strong opinions about that topic, actually. But they’re for later!…
Your travel essentials… Only my creams and my dermatologist’s recommendations, because I have very sensitive and very capricious skin, which suffers terribly when travelling and plays the biggest tricks on me.
A dream gastronomic destination All of them, but I think a long wander through a set of Latin American countries would be the pinnacle.Dream trip with children India.
The perfect date night… An invitation.
No party is complete without… Spending at least ten days thinking about the little look and how to make it happen. A negroni.
Favourite places in Lisbon? I have many, but classics are Gambrinus and Pap’Açorda plus Kaffehaus, I love O Velho Eurico, Bibs sandwiches, a Saturday afternoon at Musa in Marvila, Barbela is surprising and very fun, for breakfast Double Trouble… the lemon rice and croaker from Corrupio…
Your biggest extravagance? Listening to music at full blast. Always.
Your most precious object? My JW Anderson pigeon.
Your favourite occupation? Reading.
What entertains you effortlessly? Spending a day with my friend André.
A life goal… To live without resentment.
Your idea of happiness? My children on top of me.
Your idea of happiness? Oh. love…chin up. Up you go!
