A few of my favorite things of 2015

It’s the theme I have chosen to write one of my last pieces of 2015 in this section of the site dedicated to how to be Italian. It’s a recollection of some of the highlights of the year and you can read the Italian version on www.DDmag.it

Palm Beach on New Year’s Eve and the drive on A1A gave us the warmest sensations of the holiday season, a bit more New England style than South Florida’s to the point that we want to make it a tradition and go back this year.

New York never gets old and Valentine’s weekend in the Big Apple was a unique experience. Although it wasn’t a romantic gateaway in the literal meaning, rekindle long standing friendships and chat for hours like if we had seen each other yesterday, has its own romantic flair. Must say that the invite to the Carolinaa Herrera made the trip exclusive, but my favorite thing was the coldest weekend of the year and the snow.  My biggest wish was to get intoxicated with cold just for three days, wear my coldest and wintery gear and I came back feeling exhilarated. Not only, I was able to sit for a second and ponder the perspective, you know like they say that when you eat caviar everyday it becomes boring? Well I find myself numb to the heat and humidity in the winter, I guess that after 20 years …

I have revisited Coconut Grove with more attention, discovered new places and revisited the Barnacle Villa, not a usual touristic destination, but my first ever place where I attended a Full Moon concert by the bay.

I drank a few too many coffees, but it was worth.

I attended the Miami Swim Show for the new trends in swimwear and loungewear for the year to come. A rare opportunity given that trends never really originate from Miami, but when it comes to bikinis and co. we are in the right place.

I officially became the suffragette of Italian style in this part of the world. Decades in Miami matured my style, a italo-american hybrid, too American for the Italians and very Italian to the Americans. I was able to create and structure a system that allows anyone to adopt #theItalianway with a little discipline and a few ‘struts’ to follow.

Boston in the fall, foliage, lobsters, a menacing ocean, the woods, the park with squirrels that are more giovial than the ones in Cinderella made the quick weekend my only occasion to wear my fall 2015 wardrobe. In particular, it was another way of appreciating how important it is switching wardrobes from summer to winter and always be ready with a luggage (at least in my mind).

If I were to be a child again for a sec, you know when you come back from a school field trip and as soon as they pick you up at the bus they ask you: ‘what was your favorite thing?’ I have one of my favorite thing.

I am grateful for the wealth I have received in affection, love, family, friends, business opportunities, art, food and great laughter in my summer trip to Italy. The fact that I can say that I am Italian, the real one, not second or third generation immigrant, and that the great beauty of the country I can call ‘home’ is pride.  (I will not cry, it is only that sometimes I wish we Italians could be a little bit more in love with our own Country).  

A heartfelt thank you to Isabella and Luisa of www.ddmag.it for being such gracious hostesses and to all of you for reading my blabber, you all keep me company.

I wish you a joyful Christmas, may it warm your hearts of love and happiness and a shining new year. 

On simplifying, poise and sophistication: in conversation with Sabine Masi of Raison d'être

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"Dear Sabine,

you have brought poetry into my world of hand-bags, better said, the raison d’être that was missing.

I have never pursued the quest for the IT bag, au contraire, always steered away, naturally and you brought me to the realization that originality is indeed one of the features of a handbag, one that which I have kept ignoring.

A purse is where a woman puts her mood of the day, secrets, her entire paraphernalia of tools that accompany her all through the day. 

One of the main traits of highly stylish people is not to be a copycat and replicate street style looks or bloggers outfits. Your bags have that quality of looking worn and distressed obtained through skilled hands of Italian artisans and they tend to be different and have a personality of their own. 

I will never look at a bag the same way, you opened the door to handbag love with that key that dangles from the purses.

Sincerely, 

Francesca"

Ok I wanted a different opening paragraph and all it kept coming to my mind was all that I wrote, in this open letter to Sabine, the creative director of Raison d’être with whom I have had the chance to have a conversation. 

Get your cup of tea and read along with me.

 

How much research and trial is there before reaching the perfect nonchalant point of understated elegance?

There’s only one research, the one to reach the harmony of the form. I’m referring to a cit. from Bruno Munari, the great Italian designer and illustrator.  

“Complicating is easy, simplifying is difficult. To complicate all one needs to do is to add, all that you want: colors, shapes, actions, decorations, people, a scenery full of things. Everybody can complicate. Only few are capable of simplifying. To simplify one must eliminate, and to eliminate one must know what to take away, like a sculptor which with a chisel shaves the shapeless stone off all that extra material which exceeds the statue that he wants to make. Eliminating instead of adding means recognizing the essence of things and communicating it in its essential core. ”

— Verbale Scritto, Bruno Munari

Was it by traveling the world that an all-Italian brand was born?

It’s always been a forever love, that passion I have always read through the eyes of the Florentine artisans when as a teen-ager I used to visit their workshops. My cousin used to take me in the ‘80s, he was the buyer for my cousin’s leather goods store. Knowing the art of hand sawing vacchetta leather and creating objects saturated with that heart-warming smell of leather.  

The bags are rigorously Made in Italy, which became its distinctive seal of approval.  Was that essential to the birth of the brand?

It’s essential, as an unmistakable imprinting, Made in Italy has a precise characteristic. The idea can begin in far away countries, but manufacturing itin Italy completes the circle.

Your bags are like Mary Poppins duffel-bag, where objects and stories live freely. They are born as hollow carriers of the mood of the day, they take the shape of one’s character or philosophy. Do you grow attached to them?

A woman unveils her personality in each purse she owns. It’s her own secret socket and God forbid someone tries to break in and snoop around. 

Your bags are like the portrait of Oscar Wilde whose painter couldn’t detach from them?

I must confess that at times it happens that I too don’t have that exact bag I need for an occasion. It’s like having them all at home, truth is I don’t have that many.

You say that ‘beauty will save the world’ because beauty is over-rated?

For each one of us beauty is different, for me beauty can be represented by vivid colors, for others simplicity can represent beauty, but for everybody good manners, being good to the others are beauty. That’s why I believe beauty will save the world.

When you design a collection or a bag, do you have a woman in mind?

She is a determined woman, positive, confident within her own skin and that brightens a room when she enters it. She’s is not fearful of dreaming, daring and leaving a mark behind. She is a woman that inspires me and transports me to create.  

Intractable means?

It’s the name of the unisex line dyed with an effect called mestizo. They are first deep dyed, dried and consequently overlayed with an ombre’ technique and finally waxed. They end up looking vintage but I chose to call it intractable .

What makes it different from Couture, the limited edition collection?

Couture is a collection reminiscent of the papier peint a line of one-of-a-kind clutches  hand-painted that can be easily be hung on the wall as a work of art.

Chic is …

Chic is distinction, taste, sophistication. Grace is chic.

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ON HOW TO BE ITALIAN

What’s Italian style in one word, or two?

Creativity

There’s a general idea that Italians are always dressed up, even when we go to the gym, you have been living in different parts of the world, what really makes the difference in an Italian woman?

 Attention to detail.

What’s an absolute no in Italian style?

White socks and monochrome.

Finally, in the book I am giving advice on how to adopt the Italian style: do you think it can be dissected and learned?

Yes, elegance is not reserved to an élite nor to a special way of being.

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

You sit on a bench in the park and … wait for the swans that come to shore at the end of the day.

Is sexy in the heel or a pair of brogues will do, if played well? Sexy is poise, so even barefoot.

Morning coffee or detox juice?  Purifying water with lemon followed by coffee with soy milk to wake up completely.

You know that summer has begun when … I am in Stromboli.

When I grow up I want to be a soprano   

The book on your nightstand is “La gaieté” by Justine Lévy, I adore reading biographies.

In conversation with Barbara Hulanicki: on Biba, swinging London and creativity as zest of life

You don't open an online business that booms into Biba, the 5-story legendary boutique symbol of the Swinging London, nor are honored with an OBE if there'snt something out of the ordinary in you and your name is not Barbara Hulanicki. 

I had the privilege of sitting one afternoon in Barbara's office in Miami Beach where she has elected to live and work. We shared coffee secrets, I listened  to fashion anecdotes as a child at story time, I absorbed every minimal detail I could from her longtime assistant/manager/so delightful I want her as my best friend Likrish. 

WARNING: it is clear I didn't want to leave and I really have exploited Barbara, I think I should apologize for not wanting to stop asking questions, shamelessly. To my defense though, believe me when I say you would have done the same.

FB - From Biba to the OBE (congratulations, from fashion illustration to interior design, from exhibiting your own works to working with such visionaires as Elio Fiorucci, Chris Blackwell and the Estefan’s, you are a pedigreed living icon. What’s your secret weapon?

BH - I have to move forward. I love to learn what makes men with a vision tick. They have this direct way from going from A to Z without any distractions on the way. Women are forever life shopping. I find it fascinating to work through other people’s minds as I find I am so predictable to myself and I do find that boring.

FB - What was the catalyst that brought you from a small mail-in order business with the dream of just selling your creations to becoming the designer that defined an era in a 5-story department store in the center of London?

BH - I was so lucky to marry a man who one of the A to Z people and he guided me. When I got into a fluster he always pointed me back in the right direction. He never crossed over on the creative side and believed that my ideas were always right. Everyone needs a mate of that caliber.

“I find it fascinating to work through other people’s minds as I find I am so predictable to myself, and i find that boring ”

— Barbara Hulanicki OBE

FB - The use of the word icon and iconic has been inflated lately, for the sake of labeling everything and everyone: the IT bag, the Icon XXX Award, the IT girl and the thumbs up Emoji. Biba’s success was fruit of a lot of efforts but organic, it happened because it was the truer than true expression of that generation and those years. Did you know you were an icon and felt the pressure of living up to the expectations or enjoyed the freedom of self-expression?  

BH - I never wanted the business to have my name so would not have to be upfront. It is a full-time job being a celebrity. I like to be behind the spotlight as I can get on with the people watching. This is how you learn in my opinion and you have to plod on, and I am a plodder.

FB - Your artistic career evolved in time and space, in a ground-breaking expansion from London to Miami through Brazil. Do you still feel like being Biba or that is a fabulous and cherished glorious phase of your life that reflects into your current YOU?

BH - I get nostalgic about Biba as it was so friendly and genuine, today everything has become so corporate. It is almost a sin to have an individual idea. That is why I love illustrations as no one can interfere with his or her ideas when you are working.

“I like to be behind the spotlight as i can get on with the people watching”

— B.H. on being an icon

FB – This year marks the 40th anniversary of Giorgio Armani, whose legacy is a forever mark of the Made in Italy, I see some similarity with the Biba look, which by the way, would be much older! I am not being flirtatious just because I am in front of one of my idols whom I have mentioned in my University graduation thesis decades ago, I am referring in specific to the gamine look, tweeds, three-piece suit, floppy wide brimmed hats, wing-tips: am I so off line?

BH - Yes, Biba is fifty years old. The strength of Biba was it was for wardrobe and lifestyle, for the daily working girls. Biba was not designed for fashion shows, or untouchable girls wearing untouchable clothes with exotic backdrops. In Biba, the backdrop was the shop itself. 

ON HOW TO BE ITALIAN

FB - Can Italian style be confined in a one-word definition? And, if so, which one would the word be?

BH - Very solid and beautiful and it always looks good in your closet. The clothes are for very organized women, with no flash.

·

FB - Are you of the advice that you can adopt a look, do you think one can learn how to be Italian?

BH - Yes, why not? Your won idea of Italian might be great fun!

·        

FB - You have been an innovator, a pioneer and collaborated with Elio Fiorucci, a staple of a specific moment in the history of the Made in Italy. Do you think the ‘Made in Italy’ still holds its crown?

BH - It will always hold the crown because of the years of beautiful manufacturing. That simply doesn’t go away.

FB - Fashion and trends are two opposite pulling forces: right or wrong? Which to follow?

BH - Trends are you mad moments, usually a mistake for YOU.

FB - The democratization of luxury brought more style in the streets or, contradictorily, confined it on the runway?

BH - There has to be a snobbery in fashion, It is the unattainable for most women who want just one extremely expensive piece. You have to have the right kind of friends.

FB - With years as an Italian expat, I came to conclude that Italian style is that harmonious mix of culture, art, design, creativity, passion and conviviality. What’s the element that comes before anything else according to you?

BH - Mostly creativity. That is the most important.

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

• Morning tea or coffee?  Coffee
• When I grow up I want to be:  A film set designer
• If you had a chance to live in another decade which one would that be?  The 1930’s
• I never travel without  My dark glasses
• The book on my nightstand  too many to name, and mostly half read.

Lido:the chic summer boutique where confidence and individuality meet

Dear June,

You are the most beloved month of the 12 and you know it. You are the one who makes everyone’s dream come true. You arrive and umbrellas and lifeguards are lined up at the beach, you make spaghetti with clams a must for lunch at the shack by the shore, with you there’s not one day we’d miss the apero at sunset.

That ideal of summer vacation is stuck in our heads and we'll recreate it so the kids will carry it on.

Summer is freedom, happiness, laissez faire, fun, carpe diem, always too short in time yet everlasting in sensations and memories until next time.

The waves hitting the shores, the sand in the toes, the days longer and that desire that upon coming back to town we’ll still keep that distinct smell of bonfires mixed with the fragrance of the saltiness in the skin.

We switch to a bohemian mind, no heels or tight fitting and constricting garments, flat sandals that make your feet look like bare, billowing and sheer dresses worn with nonchalance because what we really need to do is relax, no rules except the simple ones set by the sun: breakfast at sunrise and dinner after sunset.

In between bikini and caftan are always on, one chic handwoven straw bag to carry veggies and bread from the green market in the morning and a shawl for the breeze for the al fresco dinner at night.  

Now imagine if you could have all of the above brought into one boutique by someone who has made traveling around the globe her passion come true.

And now just indulge through these pictures (credit to Carl Timpone) because Lido in Greenport, NY is just all that.

Then, read how magical fairy Heidi Kelso made the boutique that Aladdin lamp bearer of all our dreams and an oasis of all-things summer.  

“I rely solely on instinct [...] I have to love it or I don’t want to sell it”

— Heidi K. - LIDO

FB - Lido seems to be your home away from home, where you bring in the flair, memories, colors of your globetrotting travels and make them coexist under a roof. Is that how the boutique was conceived?  

HK - That’s exactly how Lido was conceived.  I’ve always traveled for extended periods and I would scour every area I visited for new finds looking for rare, unknown or exceptional items to bring back home for myself.   Upon my return people started asking to buy what I was wearing, or ask me to bring them the same things back from my next trip so I thought it would be fun to create a 3-month pop-up store for all my great finds.  That was four years ago.

FB - We want to move in and perennially live in the exhilarating state of a summer vacation where objects, fashion, art, beauty and stories speak and live freely. How do you do it? 

HK -  I’m still trying to figure that out myself!  For buying I don’t have a background in retail so I rely solely on instinct.  My rule is simple – I have to love it or I don’t want to sell it. Almost all my travel is to beach locations around the world so I love curating a collection and creating products with a relaxed beach life in mind.  I shop and produce in four categories – resort wear, jewelry, accessories and home furnishings.

“A LIDO state of mind is about a transitional wardrobe that can go from day to night”

— Heidi K. - LIDO

FB - Let’s say an ideal wardrobe is made of 10 essentials, where should one start from with a Lido state-of-mind? 

HK - A Lido state of mind is about a transitional wardrobe that can go from day to night, and a lot of layering. When I travel space is limited for packing so I like simple, elegant pieces that can be worn with flats during the day and wedges or heels at night.  A great scarf is an essential piece in cashmere linen or cotton, and ironically this seems very Italian to me! They accessorize any outfit and they are practical. At the moment I am obsessed with the Greek sandals hand made in Mykonos that we are carrying this season.  They are incredibly chic and perfect for city, country or beach.  I also love long, flowing maxi dresses for summer and we tend to make those each season. 

FB - Do trends interfere with the rigueur of timeless?

HK -  Certain items become trendy are actually timeless even if they are having their moment.  I’m not a big fan of trends overall since I believe in individuality and don’t like seeing everyone in the same look.  I think it’s really important to dress for your personal taste and body type. I have so many items I’ve had for over 10 years and you would never know it.  That’s the beauty if timeless dressing.

“Chic is confidence and individuality”

FB - Chic is …

HK - Confidence and individuality.  It’s also a certain charisma but again that’s often a result of confidence.  It’s also about an overall look and how one puts oneself together.

FB - In selecting one-of-a-kind pieces do you have an ideal customer in mind or it’s just your personal taste that decides. 

HK - I always shop for myself, meaning if I like it I am confident in selling it.  I want to have a passion for what I’m selling and genuinely believe in the product.  I always stock one-of-a-kind special pieces and they are usually the first things to sell. 

FB - Can rigor and femininity coexist in a woman’s wardrobe?

HK - Absolutely.  I think it’s down to the person wearing the look, how they put it together and a certain attitude.

FB - Luxe and bohemian are not usually combined, but you make them blend perfectly

HK - Ah thank you.  I think over the last few years there’s been a shift in that perception.  ABC Carpet personifies luxe/bohemian beautifully as does Donna Karan’s Urban Zen.  Morocco is the ultimate destination of bohemian luxe.  Many of our products are simple, relaxed pieces but made from luxe fabrics and textiles.

ON HOW TO BE ITALIAN

FB - You told me “Italians do casual well”, which I love very much. Can you tell a little more about it?

HK - Italians personify chic.  There’s a simple elegance to causal that always looks polished and crisp, yet very relaxed and natural.  It’s difficult to explain because it’s not easily defined in writing.  I think of it as effortless yet sophisticated.

FB - What’s Italian style in one word, or two?

Timeless elegance

FB - There’s a general idea that Italians are always dressed up, even when we go to the gym, but you have a slightly different concept that actually seems more accurate.

HK - I think they dress with care and have a natural inherent sense of style.  They generally look neat and put together regardless of what they are wearing.  Many Italians do get very dressed up, but I gravitate toward the sophisticated yet laid back style as mentioned above.

FB - When summer begins, the resort towns like Forte dei Marmi go back to life, people reopen their family summer homes, plants flowers, store and restaurants reopen, the open air theater or cinema clean-up for business, the beach clubs set shop up again, and North Fork sounds like that. How Italian is that! [this is for me to remember, you don’t need to answer J]

HK - It’s exactly the same!  Right now I am out East and everything is re-opening – summer houses, farm stands, stores, restaurants, vineyards etc…Everyone getting their boats read and there’s a real excitement in the air because it’s the start of the season and summer Is right around the corner.  This is my favorite time out here.  It’s locals only right now before the summer swell.  

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

You sit on a bench in the park and … people watch or read the paper.

Is sexy in the heel or a pair of brogues will do, if played well?  It’s both. Sexy comes in all styles – it’s not what you wear but rather how you wear it.  

Heidi goes to the museum or loves street graffiti?  Both

You know that summer has begun when … The fisherman that show up in front of my house to get the first catch of the season.

When I grow up I want to be doing … exactly what I am right now but I would like to extend the brand to source for other brands in addition to my own and curate boutiques in my favorite small 5-star hotels around the world.  

Meet you at Lido sometimes this summer? Meanwhile, don't miss anything and follow them in your social media of preference

Twitter:  @LIDOWORLD

FB - /Lidoworld

Instagram - /Lidoworld

the bags 'Italian for Italy': where luxury and recycling speak italian in the present tense

Italian for Italy is first born as a lifestyle brand, tuned-in on a balance between simple elegance and that immense baggage of culture that belongs to us. 

Let's take the tour these bags took to be now 100% proudly Made In Italy. Whether being made in Tunisia or Spain, they were born Made by Italians around the world with no rules but talent, dedication, tradition, craftsmanship, quality and authenticity. No wonder they became the must in Italy, Ibiza and the Mediterranean: with a gipsy Italian bag you don't need more than your own character, your habits, your culture, your lifestyle. 

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Considering that one of the pillars of the Italian way is not following the rules, set your taste free to run casually without being obnoxious about it, it's ok just to feel comfortable within your own skin and one bag with its own personality. 

It may not be a beginner's approach, but when you master it, it will be like removing the training wheels and balancing a bike in the park. You'll feel liberated, elated, happy and confident. Grown up league that, if you stick around, you'll be able to make it happen. 

No matter the latitude, the Italian style is recognized all over the world and speaks a language that blends with every culture. Italian for Italy has this common denominator called Italians. 

I have had the pleasure of exchanging ideas and conversing with the two brilliant minds behind these revolutionary bags. Read along to gather another tassel of the Italian style puzzle. 

Name Paco Polenghi & Alessandra Colombo

Occupation Creative director and  Designer, we are both founders of  ITALIAN FOR ITALY

I live in  between Milan and Ibiza

And I am from Milan

“We all should make an effort to advocate for high-quality goods that start and end in Italy.”

— Paco & Alessandra - Italian for Italy

ON THE ITALIAN WAY

FB - Does ‘Made in Italy’ still hold its crown?

Paco & Alessandra - As to craftsmanship and tradition absolutely yes, even though we should all make more efforts to advocate high-quality goods that start and end Italian against the false claims and production practices of the big industries and brands.

FB - What’s an absolute no in Italian style?

Paco & Alessandra - Low quality and mass market

as captured by The Sartorialist 

FB - Do accessories define a look? If so, is there a percentage of accessories in a look that cuts it?

P&A - Yes they do, but there's no rules, it's the details that define a look: one or many it doesn't matter.

FB - Can a bag hold three adjectives like revolutionary, luxurious and recycled at the same time?

 P&A - If yes, it means it's an Italian for Italy bag!

FB - Is there someone that you deem worth representing the essence of Italian style?

P&A - Luchino Visconti

Luchino Visconti, il conte Luchino Visconti di Modrone 

FB - I am compiling the first Dictionary of Italian Style and I am asking everyone for a one-word definition. What is that noun, adjective, mood, person or scent that says Italian to you? 

P&A - Mediterraneo

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TRUE or FALSE

FB - Fashion and trends are two opposite pulling forces. 

P&A - False

FB - To have an Italian style one should wear Italian designer clothing in total looks?

P&A - False

FB - Denim: is it for dress-down-Fridays or meant to be dressed up with a smoking jacket?

P&A - We always love denim, but never with a smoking jacket!

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PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

FB - What’s the book on your nightstand?

Paco - My diary

Alessandra - “Myths and legends of India”

FB - Is there a scene of a movie that you always dreamed to be in?

Paco - When Totò sells the Trevi Fountain in “Tototruffa 62”

Alessandra - When Carmine (Marcello Mastroianni) serenades Adelina (Sophia Loren) from outside the prison in “Yesterday, today and tomorrow”

FB - You see a bowl of pasta: you feel the pleasure of eating it or you think of how many boot-camp sessions you will have to endure after?

P&A (in unison) We feel the pleasure of eating it for sure!

FB - What annoys you?

Paco - Politics

Alessandra - Gossip

FB - You are currently listening to (we don’t judge, we know it’s on repeat)

Paco - Sixto Rodriguez “Sugar Man”

Alessandra - George Harrison “My sweet Lord”

ARQUISTE by Carlos Huber or why any olfactive experience you have ever had until now sucked

I first met Carlos Huber at his personal appearance at Babalu in Lincoln Road on a Saturday afternoon and the relationship that I thought I had with my own perfume, Patchouli from Reminiscence, is never been the same.

His genuine passion, presence, exquisite manners are contagious. Go ahead and read the interview and watch it: you will end up recognizing yourself in one of those characters that inspired his fragrances. 

And this is totally fine: the Italian way.   

Name

Carlos Huber

Occupation

Fragrance developer, architect and historic preservationist.

I live in

New York City

But I am from

Mexico City

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FB - You were drawn into art and architecture and graduated with honors in Historic Preservation (congratulations!): do you think it’s never too early to be exposed to art and history?

CH - Absolutely- never too early and never enough (for me at least). I think learning about art and history makes us more appreciative of the world we live in, its beauty, its value and the hard work that people put into it make it better.

FB - Is a fragrance an olfactory reference that defines one’s style?

CH - Well said. Fragrance is THE olfactive reference that defines your style. It’s your conscious choice to define your style through scent.

FB - Is there an age when you become the owner of your own fragrance?

I don’t think it’s the same for everyone. But I think as you live and start accumulating memories, you start gathering scents that ‘belong’ to you. You can own a perfume bottle, but your heart owns what’s inside.

FB - What’s an absolute no in choosing a fragrance?

CH - Worrying too much if other people will like it. Fragrance is first and foremost for YOU. It’s NOT always about seducing others, it’s about pleasing you. Sometimes we can be our biggest critics- we look for validation in others and forget to be kind to ourselves. 

FB - Does a fragrance define a woman?

I don’t think a woman is defined solely by one aspect of her style. Fragrance is part of it, but it would be simplistic to define every nuance and shade of your personality with one perfume, however complex it may be, you cannot compare a human life to that. I think that’s why a fragrance wardrobe sounds more inclusive. In any case…fragrance DOES help define that which is shapeless but essential in a person. It helps express who you are inside.

ON FASHION

FB - Fashion and trends are two opposite pulling forces: right or wrong? Which to follow?

CH -I prefer being loyal to style more than to fashion or trends…

FB - Do you think that the democratization of luxury has brought more elegance and chic in the streets?

CH - Yes, I think there are more ways for people to develop their own sense of style through what is available out there.  

---

ON THE ITALIAN WAY

FB - I am compiling the first Dictionary of Italian Style and I am asking everyone for a one word definition. No pressure here, but you will be mentioned: what is that noun, adjective, mood, person or scent that says Italian to you?

CH - “THEATER”

FB - Finally, do you follow rules when it comes to dressing or you just go with the flow like a jazz ensemble? 

CH - I follow certain rules, but I also like breaking them once in a while. I think it’s a little bit absurd to be that ‘religious’ about certain things in life.

FB - Where do you think Italian women are different, if so?

Italian women know how to be extremely stylish and sexy while being warm and down to earth.

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PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

FB - Morning coffee or run?

CH - Both!!!

FB - If you had the chance to live in another decade, which one would that be?

CH - I love ‘time traveling’ through books, movies and visiting historic sites or museums. I certainly do fetishize certain eras for their art, aesthetics or specific stories of interest…but the more I learn about history the more I am content to live in the present. That’s why I enjoy it so much – it grounds me and makes me excited for the future.

FB - When I grow up I want to be …

CH - Wise.

FB - I never travel without …

CH - My camera.

18 secrets revealed on why you should switch wardrobe every 6 months

You know that morning when you wake up and it's 50 degrees and winter has arrived? In the north is the beginning of the season, down here in the south it's sudden, you don't really believe it will ever come and it lasts two to five days (when we are lucky). 

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If you live in a place where summer is different than winter, you may think that what I am about to tell you it's the invention of the hot water.

think twice and I am sure you can come up with at least that one friend or family member that considers herself 'stylish' yet falls in the same trap of what happens in Miami, which kills me, by the way. 

Warning: you are entering the territory of my Edna Mode alter-ego, she is supposed to tell the dirty truth. 

People here, natives or not, barely own one pair of close toe shoes and never switch wardrobe because 'What for if it's always hot and there are no seasons'. 

I [Edna Mode] used to cringe and contain myself, shrug shoulders in despair and end up snearing top to bottom and try to unsee what I just did.

If you haven't lived elsewhere other than at a tropical zip code, winter is not a word in your vocabulary, there's no reason of changing wardrobes seasonally to retire the garments of the lethargic season, why should you even own a coat, a fur coat or a pair of boots for that matter? 

Truthfully, even if you live on the equator, or somewhere near, seasons change, the sun is still up at noon but its yellow warmth goes from feeble to vibrant, there will always be one phantomatic cold front hitting unexpectedly.

So why should you want to get caught unprepared another time around and layer that linen Guayabera-like top under the leather jacket, the one that smells like the mothballs somebody put in the pockets at one point and doesn't really zip up anymore? 

Do I sound malicious, mean, not empathetic and snobbish? My little Edna Mode in me here.

There are several reasons anthropological, cultural and sociological, and none is geographically validated. In fact we live in a connected world, cultures blend, languages spread at the speed of light, travel is as frequent and rapid as Taylor Swift goes through boyfriends.

Education is given for granted, available and covetable for many, you don't need anymore the expensive version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica to stand untouched on the shelves of the living room after has been paid for in installments, you Google what's the capital of Croatia or the weather forecast before booking your summer holiday.  

On which ground should you blindly cocoon yourself into the "there's no winter" excuse?

Said in other words, when sale season comes, snap a cashmere sweater and a pair of boots, instead of another streamline bag like the one that everyone else of your friends already has. 

So why should you switch the wardrobe twice a year? Your mindset has to softly transition from 'there's no need down here because we never have cold winters' to 'you must be ready for any occasion that may arise'. Remember 'one is never overdressed or overeducated' according to Oscar Wilde and we approve this message.

How to change mindset (and wardrobe subsequently)

1. you don't get bored by finding the same things to choose from in the morning;
2. every time you reopen those suitcases it's a new wardrobe that has been away from your eyes for half of the year; love at first sight
3. you will fall in love again with what you have bought and not catapult you into shopping frenzies and buying piles of trendy high fashion stuff, spending the same budget of one great timeless piece. Those piles of trendy stuff mentioned above, will not be good anymore next season and they'll end up donated to your maid. I dare you tell me that I am not saying the truth, how many times it has already happened to you?
4. do it methodically Labor Day weekend and April Fools Day;
5. if you live in a hot, humid sub-tropical climate never opt for extreme living-on-a-glacier gear, unless it's one fab piece of the basics (will discuss them in detail next paragraph)
6. invest in timeless pieces that will always appear in your closet the right season;
7. Why should you constraint your life to a "I never go out anyways" or a "I never have a reason to travel"? : no slacking here in your life dreams.
8. you must abide by one major rule: a closet without its quintessential pieces is not worth any penny you have spent on it.

Winter Basics 

They should be your go-to, you should start with these and everything will revolve around them. I promise. Or you can come back at me and i help you fix it. 

1. the camel coat,
2. the (faux) fur coat. I am not judging here, I respect and approve of every opinion. I am guilty as charged and own both 'species' of garments
3. riding boots, think British Polo
4. Beatles booties or desert boots, walks in the park can be romantic
5. the cashmere boyfriend cardigan, navy or grey, if you have a boyfriend it's a deal, one less expense
6. a wintery version of the LBD; 
7. turtleneck, 
8. leather skirt, preferably pencil, not talking about a latex mini one
9. a suede something (vintage coat, mini skirt, jacket, blazer); how 70s I know, but think big
10. a moto(rcycle) leather jacket, what if the boyfriend-to-be is a rocker (so that you know, moto leather jackets are cool when worn at a pub, not on the bikers reunion down to Key West. Signed Edna)
11.  

By the way, this is one conversation that is most likely to go down during a typical 'closet therapy' session, open heart face-to-face with your wardrobe that will eliminate that moment when you can't find the sweater when you need it.

Did my Edna Mode alter-ego convince you?

How can I help you further?