Styling and crackin' for the holidays: connect with stylists on the go

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from www.coveteur.com

Imagine a purveyor of style on-demand from the comfort of your home and it’s not a robot. Yeah, a one-on-one conversation with a personal stylist that will result into a red carpet outfit or a total haul-over of your closet and, still, the only technology involved, is the screen.

It’s personal and intimate, sometimes he or she becomes your own confession channel like your best friend, you know those conversations that remain in your closet? Only difference from that "I have nothing to wear" confession with your friend, with this one you get your wardrobe resolved.

If you are not intrigued enough, I will add that you don’t need to go to the mall, stand in line, you’ll get first hand access to whatever goes public when it’s already public, and you are still sitting in your armchair.

To me it sounds like a Carrie Bradshaw dream.

StyleReply is an online platform that provides on-demand personal styling service, or in other words, it doesn’t matter where you or your personal stylist are, you can be a screen-call away and resolve the outfit for your office gala during lunch time.

Let’s say you need wardrobe assessment and clean-up: open your closet and let the professional do the job while you sip a glass of rose’, at the end of the session you have a pile of clothing for charity, the other to send to consignment or online resellers, you’ll monetize on your wardrobe dead branches and will regenerate life with shopping for the right pieces. I just wrote 300 words of things you can do, and you haven’t moved from home.

It’s a win win, the professional stylist has the flexibility of traveling for assignments, maintain the clientele and make it grow all by having an internet connection. The client has the privacy, the ease of a meeting that is not delayed by traffic or other annoying intermissions and has 24/7 access to professionals that will help with capitalizing in what s-he has instead of running like a headless chicken and falling in the trap of fast fashion smoking mirrors.

It’s competitive, sustainable, supports recycling, reselling, quality and peace of mind, which can be priceless.

There's much more to this: closet rehab (don't we all need this??), guided style shopping, digital lookbook, online shopping (you guys this is heaven), professional look (because sometimes we have corporate attire to respect but we can't bear how boring it is) and wedding styling. For the non-committers, there are 15 mins and 30 mins image consultations that will seal the deal.

To get to know a bit more about how revolutionary StyleReply is, I was privileged enough to be invited to a Kit and Ace Supper Club, otherwise known as collaborative consumption. It was a meeting of the minds, many talented stylists under the same roof sharing a delicious dinner and stories about travels in far away places and new projects, an incubator of ideas running around clothing, beautiful, glamorous and comfortable clothing. 

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PattyJ.com (brings) the best of Rhode Island || Guest Post

Patty J. is the founder of eponymous PattyJ.com the lifestyle blog voted Rhode Island's best in 2015.  

Style, beauty (watch for her Life Changing Tips!), culture in a fashion-y way  as she puts it. 

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Patty and I 'met' via Instagram (HERE's her handle) and she first caught my attention for being humorous and wit, having this thing for coffee (later I found out there's some drops of Italian blood in her veins), but more so, making life in Rhode Island look so inviting, real and cool.  

Last week she invited me to be a guest on her blog and I am honored to be her hostess and let her take the mike: read along and travel to Rhode Island on the chic wagon.  The Italian way idea is 'travel with curiosity' and after reading this, you will be either wishing to travel to RI asap or say you've visited through her blog. 

about patty

After having worked in retail for almost 20 years, I decided to walk away and start something completely different and new - a lifestyle blog - over a year and a half ago.

I loved posting on social media (Facebook was my addiction at the time.) and I had studied writing in college. I mean how hard could it be, right?

Flash forward to this month and it’s the one year anniversary of my blog PattyJ.com, which spotlights great style, food, restaurants, beauty products, and people in (my home state of) Rhode Island and beyond. (It was also voted Best Local Lifestyle Blog 2015 by readers of RI Monthly magazine.) 

some more patty

A few more things you should know about me:

• I grew up reading and obsessing over every fashion and beauty magazine I could get my hands on (from YM, which gave Rachel Zoe her start btw, and Seventeen to Allure, huge fan of Linda Wells here, Vogue, and Vanity Fair), but these days (like so many of my fellow bloggers) I find myself getting most of my inspiration and info from Apps like Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.
• People tell me my skin looks nice nowadays, but as a teen, I had horrible acne and tried everything from drugstore products to Accutane to fix it. That being said, one of my hobbies today is buying and trying the latest in skincare from places like Sephora. #SkincareJunkie
• I can’t start my day with a grande skinny latte and am known on IG (and my blog) for my deep passionate love of coffee and all things related to it.
• When not working on the blog or watching reality tv on Bravo (Watch What Happens Live or The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are my drugs of choice.), you will find me doing Pure Barre, shopping Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or dog sitting my nieces’ Golden Doodle and Husky.

favorite restaurants & food in Rhode Island

RI is the smallest state, but we are jam packed with fantastic restaurants and have even received accolades because of this. Here are some of the ones I go back to again and again are:

1. The Garden Grille in Pawtucket:  A few years back, I started eating more veggies (and fruits) and less red meat and chicken. That’s when I found this charming spot. It’s small but cozy and clean and (most importantly) offers some of the freshest and best tasting vegetarian food you’ll ever have. Ever. As a matter of fact, if you’re traveling with someone who turns their nose up at veggie fare, take them to GG. They will become a convert. My go-to items on the menu: the Tai Tomato Soup, Squash Quesadilla (black beans, squash, avocado, and cheese), and the Reggie’s Raw Heaven Salad (perfect for lunch during early fall, spring, and the heat of the summer - so refreshing!
2. Julian’s on Broadway in Providence: This restaurant was one of the first to open in the neighborhood where I grew up which has now become the Williamsburg (trendy Brooklyn neighborhood) in Providence (RI) and there’s always a wait to get a table - because the food is outstanding. The decor is also a mix of rock n’ roll, kitsch, and modern art (Every month or so, the art on the walls changes. Julian’s seeks out local artists and exhibits their work FREE of charge.)
3. Dave’s Coffee - I’ve been drinking Starbucks for at least a decade, but recently tried Dave’s (a local coffee company) Honey Soy Latte and it knocked my socks off! With two locations, one on South Main St in PVD and the other at the Galapagos Boutique in Charlestown (which is a must see destination if, like me, you live to shop…Galapagos has awesome denim, tops, accessories, and even menswear.).

PattyJ.com Life Changing Tips

1. Is your hair coarse? Frizzy? Does it always look damaged no matter what products you buy? Ask your hairstylist about either a Keratin Express Treatment.  It takes about 1 - 1.5 hours and lasts up to three months. This is something that will give you healthier and smoother looking hair. You can even leave your house without having to spend another 1/2 hour to an hour ironing your hair with the straightening iron. Yay! [READ here the full story]
2. Find yourself a good cobbler. You’ll save tons of money in the long run because a skilled cobbler will resole and/or recondition your worn out shoes (No more tossing out your favorite pairs!) and even repair your leather belts and handbags. They will even replace the heel caps (which I wear thru constantly) and add sole saving toe caps. The cobbler will be your new BFF.
3. The dryer is, however, NOT your BFF. Stop putting your clothes in the dryer asap - The heat only helps fade them and break down the fabric a lot quicker. Air drying will keep them newer looking longer. I like to wash as much as I can (including dark wash jeans) on DELICATE and hang to dry on Huggable Hangers from Joy Mangano (available at both Target and the Container Store). Huggable Hangers are also the easiest way to organize your closet because they’re ‘skinnier’ and take up less space than traditional wooden hangers or the plastic ones still floating around out there.
4. Need to rewind and get back on track after a little too much wine or a few too many desserts? We’ve all been there. My two part solution is to start by adding a fresh juice for breakfast or lunch (My local juice bar is Wildflour  Vegan Cafe & Bakery in Pawtucket, RI.) as well as 1-2 yoga classes or visits to the Infrared Sauna. I recently discovered the benefits of Infrared Sauna and it helped me get back into my high waisted jeans after overindulging in everything from Waffles & Cream to homemade ice cream. 

Many thanks to Francesca for including me on her very cool site. I’m a huge fan of just about everything she does on ChicFB.com and on Instagram. I hope you’ll also click over to PattyJ.com and see some of the fabulous content from me and some of my RI friends. 

7 reasons why you should forget everything you know about New York fashion week

Should George Orwell have assisted the Fall Winter 2015 New York Fashion Week, he would have opened the book like this:

'It was a bright cold day in [February], and the clocks were striking [ten] [when the temperatures dropped to one]'.

When your first time at New York Fashion Week is because you got invited to attend a Carolina Herrera runway show at Lincoln Center, it's Valentine's Day, it will be the coldest NYC winter weekend in twenty years and "50 Shade of Grey" opens in theaters: it's like an apocalyptic version of '1984'. 

There's life before and after a #NYFW

My first fashion job was at Pitti Donna (I know right? other generation, decades ago), then I graduated to Milan Fashion Week, traveled to Paris a couple of times for Paris Fashion Week. New York only matrialized in my itineraries in 2015. 

I would be dishonest to dismiss the excitement, despite the almost half a century of anagraphic years on my shoulders, I felt like Eloise at the Plaza. Actually I was. 

The collection really walks down the runway

The real Karlie Kloss opened and closed the show and it's a statement: nothing more magical, she owns the crowd, the catwalk with the power of her smile (body, legs, stature,posture,walk). You must come to terms that it's no livestream, you are standing there, you end up breathing in every second through your pores. It's the smell of fresh plastic lined up on the pristine catwalk, a vague mix of blowdried hair and make-up. 

Carolina Herrera is the undiscussed Queen of New York Fashion Week and all you can expect was delivered.

Professionalisms from the way A-listers are seated to the grace and elegance of her appearance on the catwalk wearing her signature impeccably pressed white blouse.

What happened in between was flawless fashion by the book, where traditional sophistication meets digital prints while following and mimicking the waves that the water makes. Curvaceous lines were the fil rouge that tied the looks as they were appearing on the catwalk. 

The massive use of flats all throughout the presentation was a regreshing and modern statement, a very #theItalianway one: you don't need heels to feel elegant or make a look so. 

You expect creativity, not a potlock of the best of in a huge meatloaf. 

Inspiration, attention to detail, luxury are all ingredients that weren't spared. 

Bravo!

It feels like winter

• The prohibitive (inhumane)  temperatures shock your flesh, at least those segments of flesh exposed when the doors open to the street, and it's exhilarating, refreshing (baad pun) and invigorating. You are ready to make it. 
• The Nivea handcream in the compact round blue and white tin is your life saviour.
• How about when 'smoke' comes out of your nose and mouth even if you don't speak? It reminded me of when we were kids and pretent to mimick our parents smoking, it puts a smile on my face: I was in a pretent world like when I was a child. 
• I dreamed for this to happen, I went through years of FOMO, actually only the Missing Out part of the acronym. I wanted to attent a a gashion week fall edition because I wanted to proof to everyone and reassure myself that I am not a #thatssoMiami pal clueless of what winter is. 

The real numbers

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• 11 years without seeing snow falling. DONE
• 5 pairs of shoes brought for three days, a record of editing
• 3 layers of legwear worn contemporarily, never happened to me before (at the time of press, before living in Miami, I lived in Milan, Florence, London, Manchester, Grenoble, visited Venice, Paris, Brighton, New York several times in the winter, so I am not really an islander)
• 4 hot chocolates unregretfully drank in one afternoon
• Can we have brunch at 10 and lunch at 1? because we did, regardless the strict fasting rules of fashion week
• the times I thought I had the perfect outfit and I didn't? countless
• The times I was able to fix the wrong look? this calls for arctic polar expedition on heels survival manual and equals the above

What should a fashion week NOT be about but goes viral

This is my Edna Mode corner of stating the facts. 

All opinions are mine and I encourage you to dispute, discuss, rant and disagree with me: GO!

• constructed, manipulated, sponsored street style: must say New York and Milan are infested by it and you must stay away from them like the weed or you end up getting caught in the net of the "bananas", "amazing", "fabulous", ohh and ahh 
• scams: this video and this video show the unfair amount of insolence, ignorance, pretense and clueless presumption we are surrounded by. How many do you know who may very well be in awe of Betsy Ross stars and stripes theme? 
• stylists/rappers/reality TV starlettes improvised designers. Ever stopped for a second to wonder what do  Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Oscar de la Renta have in common? Studying, appreticeship, practice, talent, genius, patience, inspiration, dedication, passion, elegance, style, determination. A real, full, complete, hefty, mesmerizing collection comes down the runway fathered by hard work, technical knowledge, expertise, research, history, legacy. Then stylists help put it together for someone else to wear. In other words, a spaceship cannot be lauched by someone who went to Cape Canaveral on a field trip.  
• was it a New York Fashion Weak to say it with my fellow Italian compat Angelo Flaccavento at Business of Fashion? For as much as I am grateful and forever humbled by having had the chance to be at New York Fashion Week, there are very few moments worth chills or standing ovations. Fashion is not sameness, copy-cat, mocking, aspirational, fast, approximate, DYI. Fashion is not what people see from the outside: a bunch of crazy outfits, people being photographed in the streets and outside Lincoln Center 

I am one of the lucky ones to have had the honor to attend one a few of the real exceptions: i am proud of it as a passionate of all-things fashion and a fashion writer. 

Thank you for letting me tell you my version of it. 

The domino-effect of becoming a contributor - Episode n.2

The hottest month of summer was a busy one chez nous that brought an avalanche of love. In an attempt to return at least a portion of that affection, I would like to jolt a few notes on how grateful I am for having met the two beautiful women behind www.DDmag.it , Isabella and Luisa.

The galeotto [as intermediary] of our meeting was Instagram - yes, that thing that glues my nose to the phone consistently. I would say I am dedicated to its growth,  not addicted nor obsessed, like to a plant that needs to be watered, nurtured, vitamin infused and talked to.

We had our first meeting in an elegant, unusual, stucco-ed and delicious cafe-bookstore-gallery in Piazza della Scala chatting along like old friends do. 

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In reality, we became friends and we are not old, for the press. What happened after, was a first of a series of stories on how live in Miami Beach as an Italian - no matter if a one-time visitor or a local, the flair and spirit are the same. 

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check it out at @luisarasia 

'You discover a door with a graffiti message you have never seen before and you can buy locally-grown produce [...] and that opens a whole new world' ...  continue reading here 

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Just because they are splendid hostesses, the following week I got the whole contributor feature - the VIP treatment on the mag for which I had to be paparazzed. I mean I had to answer questions, my moment of fame, I had to dress up for press time like at the Festival del Cinema di Venezia.

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It's time to graciously return the favor, host them in a third episode of the domino-effect series and dedicate them some space like in a salon littéraire.