The hacks for a successful sustainable thrifting or second hand hunt

Now that we have established that thrifting and second-hand/consignment/vintage purchases are the first and most tangible practice to make your life and your wardrobe more sustainable, let’s do it right.

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First things first, I want to get this out of the way. There’s people that still frown upon buying used clothes and when asked what is it that turns them off is they think they are dirty and smell like mothballs. There’s nothing more disheartening than to listening to adults coming up with unfounded excuses like “climate change is a hoax” ok? Have you ever seen the sanitary and physical conditions of the places where fast fashion is produced? So let’s put things into perspective.

Is there such a thing as overconsumption of thrifted clothes?

I am not sure if “overconsumption”, but definitely you can end up hoarding thrifted clothes, and that’s not sustainable, it’s a catch 22, and a revolving door of clothes, you don’t have time to wear them and can’t grow attached to them. A friend told me: I have to find a way to control myself with thrifting, every trip I come back with a bag full of clothes and my monthly budget wasted on it.

It may sound a contradiction, but it’s common. You keep buying because the price was ridiculously low and couldn’t resist, and because ‘you never know’ and end up accumulating a closet full of stuff, occupying lots of space, cluttering mind and luggages, storage and shelves for no reason.

Do you know that more than 50% of what we own we don’t wear? No matter what type of trick we do to ourselves (rotation, switching the wardrobes, twisting the hanger) we still don’t wear it, so why have it?

It takes time and you must enjoy the process, we have grown used to the immediate gratification of a shopping cart.

Be creative and open minded.

The first mental switch is “use your own imagination” because whatever you’ll find you will probably remotely remind you what you saw on a runway or in a magazine you can certainly go to your favorite thrift store, access your consignment but won’t be the same. It takes time and you must enjoy the process, we have grown used to the immediate gratification of a shopping cart. It also exercises your knowledge of your style, what you are or could be comfortable with and expands your boundaries (I now own 1 red piece, never seen before in my closet)

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What do I do to not overspend my budget?

A thrift store has merchandize priced ridiculously low, but still if you buy everything to keep instead of reselling, it becomes burdening. Go only with cash and that’ll settle it, like a kid with allowance.

Do short and targeted visits. Use your lunch time so you’ll have restrained time and you’ll concentrate on what you are looking for, go to that section and remember, that man tailoring is way better: blazers and pants especially.

Know a good tailor and seamstress: anything that you buy will have to be altered and sometimes mended.

Off season: the best time to find something is off season. A coat or a leather jacket you have much more choice as soon as spring starts, my empirical explanation is that people get rid of them when they clean up at the change of season.

Just plain E N J O Y, not all the times you’ll find something, and that’s perfectly fine.

AN EXCLUSIVE DAY IN FORTE DEI MARMI

There’s a code and I think I cracked it: It only took me 20 years of Miami living to dig out how to live in the Italian riviera like a local. 

It took just one morning, the morning of the Wednesday street market in Forte dei Marmi, our version of Palm Beach, in the good season, the summer, during my trip to Italy was a revelation.

Imagine the Agnelli, Giorgio Armani at one point owned a home here too, Thomas Mann, Henry Moore, Luchino Visconti, old money and noble families populate the mansions behind the discreet gates, pines, oleanders. And then there's il Bagno Piero, the beach club of the front rowers. If you have the tent in row n.1 you have accumulated a Anna Wintour type of seniority. And then la Capannina di Franceschi, a sort of Studio 54 of the roaring '60s when Gino Paoli and Ornella Vanoni were IT. 

There’s a diffused sense of elegance, relaxed and chic, understated lifestyle made of simple yet luxurious things, there's no showing off Ferrais or Lamborghini, you actually do errands, go to the beach in the bike. The morning starts at the bar, if you want to make it posh it's Il Principe. You know there's a bar at each and every corner in Italy, you go, pay for un caffe', show the recipt to the barista, order and in a NY minute you gulp it down and leave. There's no alien language just un caffe'or a cappuccino, not a skinny latte with an extra shot kids temp, they don't need to call your name, it's a ritual, but it entails a mix of attitude and discretion, respect for your privacy, it's a question of sleekness and rapidity, when you want a coffee can't wait.  

Well, al Forte, even the barista seems a magician, they are as fast at manifesting that caffe’ as you should expect from a barista, yet the noises are tufted, voices are soft and coffee cups are china, not clunky basic ceramics. 

So here’s when the luxury is a state of mind enters in action and the whole reason I wrote the book with it. How about getting dressed to go to the market?

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Linen, layers of whites, gold bracelets, bicycles and wicker baskets, cashmere scarves, silk foulards, les paniers, flat leather sandals, wide brimmed hats, children in prams and nannies.

GET CAUGHT DEAD BEFORE: Wearing high heels pumps, allover logos, It girl bag, the same furry Gucci loafer that all influencers wear or any knock-off.

BTW, you will find random street sellers offering knock-offs of all the above on the curb of the street over a white bed sheet that comes handy when the police come.

WORST FAUX PAS: Trying too hard: it shows that you don’t belong, it’s not about the money and wanting to be who you are not, is never a good idea. And, no coffee to go in a plastic cup, ice cream though it's a different story, it's a cone on the go in the bike. 

WHAT TO BUY AT THE MARKET: The best items to be bought at the market in Forte dei Marmi are bed linens, bathroom parures, pajama sets all to be embroidered with initials (they place your order and the following week you come back for your personalized items); cashmere anything like sweaters, scarves, ponchos. Leathergoods, especially shoes and bags  are the best showcase of what Tuscan craftsmanship is capable of: leather, cotton, silks, prints all made in family owned looms and labs and proudly represented, generation after generation. 

DO THE SUMMER LIKE THE LOCALS DO: FIRENZE & PITTI EPISODE

I attended another Pitti.

For many it's still a dream that hasn’t happened, especially since it became the man/main event par excellence, “peacocking” included. I explain the whole story about it in the book, in the “Borrow from the Boys” chapter and I will not be repetitive.

From 1992 it evolved, changed, expanded, went online, expatriated, cancelled the woman, added a small woman representation, now cancelled it again. My “relatore” the person that introduces you and kinda mentors you through the extenuating preparation of the final thesis in university was Luigi Settembrini, the then communication director and creative consultant of Pitti.

Florence is the place where in 1957 Italian fashion was born with a defile’ in the Sala Bianca in Palazzo Pitti, where Gianfranco Ferre’ made his man collection debut, where the men socks Gallo were launched. Guccio Gucci and Marquis Pucci were home buddies. Firenze is where you breathe history, culture and fashion like nowhere else in the world, it’s the noble of the family of the fashion capitals.

This seemed the perfect backdrop to hold a workshop on how to feel empowered by maintaining your own style in the world of fashion. Part of the job of #luxuryisastateofmind and making all look effortless chic was done by the J.K. Place and its director, Claudio Meli.

What to do like an Italian, or, in other words, how not to look like a tourist.

·         Don’t confuse Pitti Immagine with Palazzo Pitti, Santa Maria Novella the train station, the basilica or the farmacia;

It's ok to walk the streets with that feeling that Caterina de' Medici will show up around the corner with one hell of a damask gown and a cascade of emeralds: it happens to the veterans

·         Scudieri is for the orange zest dipped in dark chocolate, winter or summer;

·         Ice cream is at Perche’ no

·         Don’t be stars truck, play it cool; They are all peacocks, some are fake, the real ones don’t hang out at the entrance of the Fortezza;

·         Be aware, you may find your friend from 20 years ago

·         Go local, like follow Claudio Meli’s footsteps, hang out at the J.K. Place and make yourself acquainted with "the other Florence" the artists and artesans of the sublime.

·         Don’t wear logos, branding or, for that, any cheap Zara knockoffs of logos and brands

The Cheat Sheet of Italian Style // Book is still found HERE and HERE (if you live in the UK or prefer using the Pound). 

Santa Baby's list

It’s the Holidays and we dream by the fire, walking in the winter wonderland and it’s also (always) been my birthday for over 40 years now, so I know the drill very well.

I have always had my favorite things in mind for this time of the year when Santa comes and I am dreaming of a white Christmas and a few sparkles. 

A gift must come from the heart, gotta be something you have thought about whether it's for yourself or the recipient, the thrill when opening the box or ripping the paper begins with that. Am I the only one that connects the happiness of the thrill to the expectation? I mean, when you know that the person that is gifting you waits for Black Friday to buy the gifts, chances are the act donesn't come from the heart, but the wallet. A gift doens't have to be expensive to be welcomed, you don't need to fake it and pretend you can afford it. 

I remember my grandmother would buy each one of us a gift for our birthday and it was THE one, she knew us so well that she would always hit the jackpot. As a matter of facts, she is the one that established my queen-ship in the family: my birthday was the closest (still is) to Christmas and God forbid someone tried to be cheap and combine everything in one gift of lesser value. She would set the example, 1 for birthday and 1 equally valued for the 10 of us cousins. Same for her daughters, and btw, nonno Bruno was excluded, mostly … because then, story was if she’d give him something she had to give something to her sons-in-law and that was unchartered territory. I was born and raised in a matriarchal family.

I have made a list, selected items that I would want to give myself which also mean I would gladly receive. Maybe they can also be of inspiration for you, in case you don’t know what you want or want to give.

It’s a whole happy jolly season of giving, and receiving in giving. By the end, you’ll find that sustainable, conscientious, be supportive of local and small businesses is fun and delightful.

·         Barbra Streisand is coming to Miami next week and it would be a Memory for a lifetime.

·         In honor to an imminent trip to NYC, a Chrysler cuff 

from www.vibeconsignment.com

·         Fairtrade fairy little angel from Dawn Gallagher’s website 

·         How about 1 hour free of social media or screen time per day? 365 hours = 2 weeks and 1 day of freedom = how many books can you read in 15 days? Or, how many dinners can you squeeze in 365 hours? How many fun conversations could you have about the day that's gone by? One per day? There you have a piece of sustainability: 1 hour recouperated from BSing, recycling at its best form. 

·         Want to belong to a tribe that believes in honest media? Subscribe to Holl & Lane: I can’t get enough of the mag and their Instagram account

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·         Consider a membership with UN Women. Emma Watson and Nicole Kidman have and they are working towards a world where women and girls live without violence, poverty and inequality. Even the smallest act of support adds to shifting the gloomy times are awaiting ahead of us. Have you heard of #orangetheworld in #16days or the #HeforShe campaign? There are many ways to get involved, for more inspiration look at what Somy Ali has created with No Mor Tears to stop domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.

·         Big earrings don’t care

·         The BOOK If you haven’t done it yet, subscribe to my newsletter already? It is coming out sooner than you think and signed copies will be available to reserve. 

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On why I barely wear make-up

Chapter n.7 of the book says: “Apply make-up with discretion”

I never thought that to make me look more attractive, pleasing, powerful to others I had to wear make-up, not that I was given classes or instructed, it is what I came down to believing.

What I see in the mirror is different from how people see me, and I am told it’s normal, as normal as hearing one’s voice. The first time I heard myself recorded it was like: wow, they are right, and it was in a feeling-good way. Without knowing, I was projecting a sensual me, and I didn’t know.

Same goes with (not) applying make-up and projecting simply me.

You know that question “what’s the last thing you do before leaving the house”? As per my grand-mother’s suggestion we grew up knowing we had to “brush your hair polish your shoes, because … you never know”. Not that other things were less important, those were staples like wearing our own perfume, always carrying a clean ‘fazzolettino’, a handkerchief in the purse, pockets, schoolbag, jewelry on point and a dab of Kaloderma Gelee on our hands.

There was no mention of make-up, of course we were little, but all I grasped from both my grand-mother and mother was: put the Helena Rubinstein red lipstick on either in the mirror of the elevator or the rear-view mirror of the Fiat 500 (my grand-mother was never interested in learning how to drive, that goes to show the level of royal queen-ness, she couldn’t be bothered with traffic lights and parking, she had other stuff to do, besides, she’d move perfectly and independently with her bicycle) .

Then I grew and moved to a country where I ended up living for 20 years yet still being “so Italian I don’t even know how much”.

It was another continent where women wear full-on make-up at the gym (to be honest, it was already weird enough to go be at the gym, but that’s for another time).

When I started dropping Cecilia off to school, it was another eye opener to a reality I had barely acknowledged. I would be wearing my “work” clothes which, at the time, was either Ralph Lauren or Oscar de la Renta, and no make-up while the moms were full-on stage make-up and velour tracksuits (yes, that was Juicy Couture galore) at 8 am. I still didn't get it as, I am sure, they didn't get why I was all dressed up and no make-up, it was for both sides a nonsense. 

Am I lazy? Maybe. Or maybe it's that in the morning we have different priorities: coffee and news in silence are my sacred moment, can't deal with humanity otherwise. That 1/2 hour could very well be occupied with applying make-up by someone else.  

In my routine I have developed my own version of fast and furious make-up session, as fast as you can say altogether concealermascaralipgloss, boom, boom, boom. Which becomes a bit longer, when I have to do the grown-up gig, that includes smokey eyes, rosey cheeks and sparkly highlighter.  

This is not to demean or ridicule, I am just providing my 2 cents on another of the facets of what makes Italian style that insouciant system of putting things together.

As long as what you wear means quality, simplicity, craftsmanship, thoughtful choice, that’s luxury enough to carry it with confidence, no need for any attempt to looking prettier or more pleasing to the eyes of others.

Some may say I use clothes to that purpose instead of using products to enhance my natural beauty and conceal the bad stuff. Yes, it's a fact: I believe that when you feel comfortable within your own skin, you don't need to obsess with strobing, masking, shading, filling, injecting. Maybe I have grown to develop a certain attitude that portrays my confidence, ease and poise, but that doens't include make-up.

I dress "because you never know" like my grand-mother would say you can meet Prince Charles or in Coco Chanel's words "dress like if you were going to meet your worst enemy".  

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'In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different' - Coco Chanel 

Leandra Medine, of The Man Repeller, has her own perspective on why she doesn't wear make-up.  

The French have a ton of literature on lipstick, I utterly agree with these 5 quintessential rules of beauty by Coco Chanel that resist as eternal even after over 130 years of her birth. Lipstick, signature fragrance, aging gracefully,  individuality and love yourself first should be the ONLY five commandments (don't tell the nouns of my elementary school) a woman lives by.

I have briefly discussed it with Maria Chiara, of “La stanza degli armadi” or @clarissavintage in Instagram, with whom we are preparing a relay of posts on how to be Italian + vintage and sustainable living. One day she posted a picture sans maquillage and I caught the occasion of asking her why it is that Italians wear little make-up. And here’s what she says:

“By education, from my mother (NDR, who is French), I have never been obsessed with appearance, I have always accepted myself with my flaws and traits and, besides the creams and beauty products I have been using for 18 years, a rarely ever wear make-up.

This is what I am trying to pass on to my daughter: being before having, love yourself before being loved, taking care of yourself is first for self-respect not for appearing, but more than anything, don’t be afraid to be out of the choir.”

As simple as Maria Chiara puts it I hope that it will inspire hundreds of women and girls not to let anyone put them down for their unique characteristics.

Any thoughts?  

Hurricane Matthew: before, after and all in between

Florida has this thing (too) besides from being the state that everybody makes fun of, we have hurricanes and pretty much nothing else to brag about, except those pink sunsets.

Prepping for a hurricane is something else. 

Let me explain what’s it like to be told to wrap-up all your shit because winds and rain can wipe off your windows, car, roof, doors, power and shoes.

did you say hurricane?

They come with an announcement, the watch (36 hours to T time) and then a warning (24 hours to show time) and pandemonium ensues.

Why? Because we are in Florida, bro!

If you have hurricane shutters it’s time to put them up and then make peace with the fact that you’ll be living in prison for the next days.

The line at the gas station rivals the one at the supermarket where you also have to brave the fight for the cart. First aisle you go to, the water, is obviously emptied.

It gets physical, in my 20 years and several hurricanes I have had fully loaded carts running over my feet. Search for candles, oil lamps, batteries, because the ones you loaded the flashlights with last hurricane may be bad, but, wait, which batteries to buy? Because, bien sur, you left the house without checking, typical.

TIP: calculate 1 flashlight and candle per room, 1 gallon of water per person per day (what to do with the dog?)

Ice, lots of ice split in mini ice bags that will serve the purpose of maintaining food fresh if power goes off and freezer thaws.

Water, still water: when the time comes, fill in the bathtub with water because … you know by now.

Make sure laundry and dish washer are all done … because you know the drill.

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coming through, where's the caviar?

Then there’s the food thing.

By now school and office will be closed, the unknown is how long you will be stuck in prison. I am Italian, there’s that. Ain’t no hot dog, rice and beans, buns and corn that will cut the chase in da house. There are several reasons, one is because you can do “junk” with a certain aplomb, you can bake a frozen pizza, but you can also bake a quiche with leeks and camembert (first of the season, BTW), while younibble on brie, pears and walnuts with honey and pop a bottle of Prosecco (I know a chardonnay would be best, but prosecco has bubbles and puts everyone in a good mood), you can bake potatoes and lamb, you can make tagliatelle with lobster, you can have Zak the baker bread with butter and anchovies.

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Let them eat cake 

FACT: My “ritual” is to cook and bake while waiting for shit to hit the fan, because that’s when I unofficially start freaking out. Believe me, nothing that a few bubbles will not calm down.

That’s all the physical stuff that goes on a crescendo until when  we are in it and you realize that you ran like an ant to secure everything, you have more food that the house has ever seen in the past 6 months, and now you gotta wait.

That’s when you cross the legs and the foot starts twitching and you pour another glass of prosecco and open the book, page 42. And then "let me check if laptop, phones, iPads are fully charged" (which they are, because you checked 30 minutes ago and nobody used them).

And you go back, page 42 and you attempt to remind yourself that you promised you were going to catch up on all shows of fashion month you hadn’t been able to watch.

Why can’t you run like a maniac and then stop right now, relax and enjoy?

Because they call you from home and they ask you “How is it going? Did it pass by already?” and you have to go back at explaining how does it work and please don’t listen to whatever they are telling you on the Italian TV, and, anyways, we are stuck inside, we can’t see outside from this Alcatraz and we still have a roof and power and I was at page 42.

FACT: during the hours when what-s-its-name hurricane is supposed to hit, you have no clue if it’s really hitting where you are at, if trees are being ripped, if power poles are taken down, you are in an isolation room (or at least what looks like from the movies). 

TIP: do NOT watch the TV, they tell you "it'll kill you and we can't save you". 

FACT: when the power goes down, that’s when you can begin to freak out, legally. 

Hurricane attire: I don’t do sweats or pajama, too depressing.

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Rossella Jardini SS17 (See? I caught up with some shows)

Imagine for a moment: you are forced inside, locked in with shutters on every glass surface, literally taped with masking tape in an OCD attempt to prevent water from trickling in. You have compulsively showered one too many times (in case, you know, power goes off), it's understandable that there’s no reason to dress up, neither to slumber.

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how about being the first celebrity to wear Gucci SS17 off the runway?

FACT: AC is supposed to be blasting at the lowest temp manageable, get your winter stuff out and pretend it's the fall: cardigan, socks, beanie

TIP: when the power goes off and you are stuck with no window or door to be open you’ll remember how smart you were.

FACT: in 20 years, my first hurricane, insignificant as in cat.1 and can’t even remember the name, I evacuated after having moved the entire apartment in the only two rooms with no windows. Rookie move and I never evacuated again.

FACT: with Katrina a humongous ficus fell on my car 2 hours before the hurricane hit, and for three days it remained under. So much water had accumulated on the floor that tadpoles were born in it when the towing track removed it (in Florida we make up stuff). 

It had never happened to me that we were told: the office will be closed the next two days (which  meant a 4-day weekend) but then the same day the hurricane was supposd to hit, the first one when you did all of the above and you mind is finally OK with being in the dark and no sun you are told: we go back to work tomorrow. Maaaan, my mind doesn't go that fast, i just told you it took me all afternoon to calm down and read. 

Story short: I am still at page 42, quiche's gone, cheese is still good, prosecco finished. 

How to live with style wherever you are

I was selected to take over the blog section of CreativeMornings/Miami, our city's chapter of a worldwide community of like-minded creatives who gather one Friday morning a month. 

This is an ambitious one you guys: the topic of my book concentrated in 5 posts and 1 city, Miami.

Now, don't you even think you will not be buying the book when it comes out, but what I wrote is just enough teasing.

Go ahead and scroll down, click, read, choose and pick what peaks your curiosity, but more than anything answer this: got to the comment and write YES or NO to the following statement

"We don't follow trends, we set them" 

How to live with style in Miami: the neighborhood. 

TAKE AWAY: stay away from the limelight, don't follow the sheep. 

The closet swap

TAKE AWAY: it's a thing

A summer in the city, that is, when you don't live in NYC nor you spend the summer on vacation, what us commoners do to keep it Haute. 

TAKE AWAY: pretend.

How to be Italian (wherever you are) 

TAKE AWAY: luxury is a state of mind.

How to keep up with Fashion, when you don't live in a fashion hub.

TAKE AWAY: You can take the girl out of Fashion, not Fashion out of the girl. 

DON'T FORGET TO ANSWER: are you team #wedontfollowtrendswesetthem YES or NO

And the Hamptons of Rome is ...

Let’s see: Rome is not on the coast, it has its own beach though, Fregene, as remotely close to the Hamptons as Jersey Shores. But just drive a bit north, a bit south and sail a bit west and you ARE where the Hamptons were invented (sometimes I speak “Mean Girls”).

In a radius of 100 Km. you find Capalbio and Orbetello, Porto Ercole and you go south and you find il Parco del Circeo, Sperlonga (way more south), Ventotene, and with Gaeta and Ponza I mean WOW. I actually think that Ponza could really be its Hamptons. And to give you a hint of the splendor of the beaches, the sea, the seafood, thesunsets, they are on the Mediterranean, same as all the places that the Roman Emperors had selected as their summer residence, like the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, the Eolian islands. 

Now let's read  the article on W Magazine where they tell you that the Hamptons of Rome is Puglia and have a thing or two straightened up:

1. Puglia is a region, not a city or a neigborohood, it's like Lazio, the region where Rome is. Same as Tuscany that is the region where Florence is. So when you are in Florence you don't "also go to Tuscany" because you already are in Tuscany.
2. Italy is shaped like a boot and Puglia is the “heel” which lands its beaches on the Adriatic sea, not the Med and there’s a sea of difference, pun intended.  
3. In other words, it’s like saying that the Hamptons of New York is Georgia, that is, nothing to do.
4. Distance from Rome to Borgo Egnazia is almost another plane ride. 
5. After some investigation, because I had never heard of that place before, I found out that's the place where Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel got married. 
6. NOW you get it. 
7. Rule n.1 of vacationing in Italy: do like the locals do.

Not saying that whatever they are promoting isn’t gorgeous, spectacular, romantic, chic and all, but it’s like comparing apples to oranges.

On this same wave length:

WHAT TO PACK FOR AN ITALIAN SUMMER

Tank + shorts + flip-flops, fanny pack, visor and gooey white SPF, especially if you wear them ALL together.

one more thing: cappuccino is morning breakfast with croissant, not after lunch or dinner. If you don't believe me, take a peek at the table next to you next time that you have lunch.

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