Rio De Janeiro

Carnival season calls, promising a seaside soiree of fresh fish and big-city bohemian charm.

- Brianna Kovan

The first week in March marks the return of Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnival, a five-day bacchanal that culminates in Terça-feira Gorda (Fat Tuesday). Out come the customary drums, samba steps, and intricate feathered costumes, beckoning tourists and expats alike, including Brazil-born models Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima. This year, French designer Jean Paul Gaultier joins the fun by outfitting dancers for the festival’s headlining competition, the Samba Parade. The flamboyant dress code nods to the city’s beachy ethos: Think flashy bikinis–gone–wild and tropical prints in overdrive. For her inaugural U.S. ELLE cover, model Gigi Hadid slipped into similarly saturated hues. Photographed on Rio’s Copacabana Beach, Hadid embodies “The Girl From Ipanema,” the star of that beloved ’60s ballad set along a neighboring stretch of sand.