from Design Miami to Cult Collective: where art, fashion and design meet

Design Miami/

It started with a star-studded panel that included among the mostest, Craig Robins, Marina Abramovic and man of the moment Peter Marino.

35 galleries from allover the world, 5 coming from Italy bringing the best in design. 

The highlight?  "Counting the Rice" at the Marina Abramovic Institute a relational art experience that wants you to really count rice and separate the grains from the lentils. Seems silly? 

"We live in a world driven by technology wich is good news and our worst enemy" explained Abramovic. "We must stop living a life where we have no time".

Don't we all relate to that? We live in the intention of catching the next train and we are never present to the train we are riding now. So I did challenge my daughter to the experiment. Result: total fail. She separated all grains and lentils while contemporarily counting the lentils, while my attempt produced a small pile of rice and a bigger one of lentils and finished with me leaving the station for a glass of champagne. She ended up being filmed by no less that Mrs. Karla Otto in person. #proudmama

Opening reception for Cult Collective

Danny Santiago is for Miami what Yves Saint Laurent was for Marrakesh: chic relaxed luscious glam elegance.

Santiago is a name larger than life not only in Miami and, believe me, whatever he touches becomes splendid. He is an avid collector of Fashion, the one with the upper case F and modern design, uber stylist (hello "Sex & the City" the Movie) and pedegreed print titles of the likes of Vogue Italia and Vogue Gioiello. The man who never sleeps is now the creative mind behind Santika with A-lister jewelry designer Erika Peña.

Told ya we were in front of royalty.

Santika is a capsule resort collection inspired by the iconic divas of the 70s and just as that it would suffice to dive into those flowy caftans, add a maxi tasselled necklace and live in them all year long. But those two are a powerhouse of brilliant stilistic eye, design and talent, just talent of the sweetest form, the one that welcome you open heartedly every time you pop-in. You can't leave Miami without visiting them: the pop-up store will be open until the 10th of December. Living in Miami without being stung by the Santika bug is like visiting London and missing Mayfair .  



Dear SS15, it's a wrap - the best of fashion month

September is like Alice's Rabbit Hole, it's so good we suffer of a sort of Stendhal Syndrome. Naturally if you are reading here it means you are not expecting an NFL season review (if even that would happen in September, but don't quote me on that). 

WARNING: this is selon moi a selection, so hope you like it and if so would you

“drop me a note in the comments?”

We started in New York: clean, linear, soft hues, layering and maxi volumes are beginning to shape the season.

The fashion circus traveled to London-town where normally creativity, wit is what you expect mixed to sartorial de rigueur. It was indeed a trip down memory lane, a mix of swinging London and Old Savile Row and temperature started rising as in we really started warming up. Trends are confirming: layers, the blazer, the sleeveless jacket, flats, sheer and transparencies

... and then in my beloved Milan (can I say #Italiansdoitbetter ?) where everything seems nonchalantly chic, where minimal is a departure not a destination, where you wear hand embroidered plissee dresses to the grocery store. Where class is not water. 

I have read on Business of Fashion a compelling Op-Ed on the status of Milan's fashion which was true and hurtful at the same time. Why is it we always underestimate our national treasures and let jealousies or petty ego-trips prevail over general success? 

“The Italian style QUIZ: Are you digging the flat sandals with an evening gown?”

The flight to Paris brought that majestic breeze as overwhelming as its architecture.

Will write more about the trends and similarities we have seen emerging through the 4-week marathon.

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. 

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. 

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 

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.

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.

 

CHICfb 4 Wowcracy: 'Heavenly Beauty' by Dawid Tomaszewski

http://wowcracy.com/en/lab/user/11614/project/865#

Berlin-based Dawid Tomaszewski has been a brilliant presence at the German edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and has presented 'Heavenly Bodies' for the fall. 

Dark Soul Dress

It's where the curves of a woman's body meet with 'geometric abstraction'. The rigueur of the color black and the sartorial cuts let femininity prevail over lines and structure. A subtle game of courtship where the woman wearing any of the creations is the winner. 

The looks are layered with pieces that have their own independent life: a tunic can be a dress, a pair of silk cropped pants can live without the top and mingle with a simple white cotton blouse you have in the wardrobe. Heavenly Bodies inspires a sense of sophistication that slips into minimalism. 

Luxurious materials, comfortable styling are the most prominent ingredients to a poised medley of tailored and fluid pieces. A sensible research was applied and it resulted in a mature presentation worth our attention. 

The domino effect of becoming a contributor - Episode n.1

I never wrote a novel except in 3rd grade one about a little critterish creature living underground: it was a cartoon and the only intent was to convince my parents that we could have a hamster as a pet, and yes we were responsible enough that no way we were going to let it die of hunger nor, oh God no, forget it in the other room. That one didn't end well, but this is not the place.

This is one hell of a good story, with an awesome beginning and an end that will never end, which makes it an exciting ride.

 

Here's the first episode: I was picked by Wowcracy as an influencer. I picked a collection and a designer and wrote what I thought about the collection I was looking at. With my innate need of touching the fabrics, the seams, the embroideries, without being able to hear the fabric swish it was a task that I accomplished with happiness because the collection is a pearl!

An abstract:

“... each garment is inspired by a concept, as the fabric runs on the body, stops where supposed to and continues to completion. Feminine is what perspires ... ”


Soon after it was a domino's effect.

I participated to the selection of the cover of the online magazine and right after that, I became BLOGGER OF THE MONTH. 

“sometimes I feel like a squirrel (industrious and minding my own business) and sometimes a giraffe (glorious, elegant and impossible to ignore)”
— FB, chicfb.com

Then, since I liked so much the process of contributing to young, talented and non-overly exposed designers yet worth every attention, I wrote about Nuna, the fall collection of Des Fleurs sur le Noir that 'calls for a Millenial girl, young, edgy and whimsical who will feel at ease wearing the collection from work to dinner and even a club.' 

I did it on Lucky Magazine ... oh yes, I became a contributor for Lucky Community.

Seriously, passion and determination take you everywhere. When you love what you do it will transpire and pay you off with the unexpected. 

A toast to a long collaboration with Wowcracy and good luck to Silvina.

This is not it, though, wait, the month of August has been a whirlwind. More to come on Episode n.2

 

 

Silvina Maestro @ WOWCRACY

That moment when Wowcracy selected chicfb.com as one of those blogs 'to keep an eye on' : the WOW factor. I will be watched by a team of experts of the likes of Diane Pernet, VOGUE Talents, Harper's Bazaar and Susie Bubble. It feels like a tremendous responsibility, but isn't writing, commenting, analyzing, reviewing, matching, reading, being behind the scenes, brainstorming what someone like me with a fashion nose has always dreamed of? 

So #justdoit.

WOWcracy is a fashion platform that offers new talents the opportunity to showcase their latest collections and pre-tail them without any financial burden and allows influencers like me to preview them, review, widen the exposure to an extended audience, potentially infinite.

'Theorema' is the collection designed by Silvina Maestro that I will be reviewing. It is part of a project called 'Call The Tune' by Wowcracy in collaboration with Vogue Talents. 

“I like to explore the tension between the presence and the absence of beauty, love, and light, all sides of the same thing.”
— Silvina Maestro
Directrix

Directrix

'Hyperbola' 

Once it was said that the clothes of a woman should follow the movement of a woman's body not constrict it, and that is a Chanel quote mesdames et messieurs and it is relevant when defining style.

If there's a word that comes to mind looking at Maestro's lookbook is 'fluidity': each garment is inspired by a concept as the fabric runs on the body, stops where supposed to and continues to completion. Feminine is what perspires and cohesively hints throughout the collection. 

Rouches, cut-outs, asymmetrical hems all show up at the right moment in the body, enough to enhance sensuality without being inappropriate. 

'Eccentricity' skirt 

'Linear eccentricity' skirt - 

In the interview published in Vogue Talents, Maestro explains how she is interested in the 'tension between the presence and absence of beauty, light, and love all sides of the same thing'. We see black and white, short and long, shine and matte and they all blend masterfully and without edges. 

My work is a progression on itself, each collection is a conceptual continuation of the previous one, like chapters in [sic] a novel. Narrative is important to me.  

  Silvina we take you by the word as the collection promises many more chapters to come.  

Source: http://wowcracy.com/en/lab/user/1425/proje...

The Bucolics of chic

A conversation about the concept of chic arose this past week after the launch of CHIC Fille a new French magazine.

 

It's not about being trendy, wearing the next thing, battling against aging, reckless consumption or chasing the latest trend like a headless chicken. A girl's style and her wardrobe are not a chain production mill of fast-paced fades, it should be cradled as a curated exhibition. 

Jane Birkin

Everyday life is infested by what theorists call the 'megaphone effect', an audience pleasing game where you allure the readership by wearing the latest, the 'un-published', the hot-off-the-runway IT bag to drool over. It doesn't matter whether it's 'tasteful' or not, it's what the designer and the corporation behind him are supporting and will be featuring in the ad campaign. Coming soon to your nearby screen, meanwhile it's on Instagram or Twitter 'as seen' on X, Y and Z.

That 'as seen' means X, Y and Z received it in consignment or as a regalia where gift assumes the double sense of present for the blogger and free advertising before the paid advertising campaign. It's a merry-go-round of freebies where good taste, chic, elegance, eye for details go forgotten.

We are not here for bitching though. 

Mademoiselle Coco Chanel

Here we are in the realm of the naturally chic, instinctively refined, honestly sophisticated that doesn't happen overnight, but we believe in it. It's like going to school to learn how to cross stitch like good wives to be used to have to: it takes time, there's no crash course available, you have to climb the steps. Same happens when you decorate a house and you decide to hire an interior decorator, a landscape designer, buy pieces at flea markets and hang your child's pre-school hand-crafted masterpieces and dress your bed with family's heirloom monogrammed linens.

When people show they rely on you, they count on you and they consider you good at 'being chic', you are first surprised, baffled by the role and proud to take it seriously. 

Ines de le Fressange

“... that’s how I ended up with this reputation for being the ultimate Parisian. I didn’t choose it, but I am very proud of it.”
— Ines de le Fressange

It happened to Ines de la Fressange, unofficially crowned the Ambassador of French awesomeness. There are various misconceptions and rules, but the most important secret lays in learning the balance of being unpretentious. 

How are you being chic? 



The Season's Honor Code: Spring

Spring is that season that opens the windows to colors, transparency, sun-kissed cheeks. This one is all about cool, freedom, comfort, laid-back and that mix of lady-who-lunch and tomboy-ish attitude.

There's room to play around.

Shoes, mean flats this season

Drop the heels for a season. It doesn't mean eliminating all our stiletto, pumps, wedges, D'Orsay but, on the contrary, buying flats. All is good, homework is shopping anyways. 

  • slip-on sneakers (Celine, Aldo, Steve Madden, Gap, H&M). If you are one of us, you indeed own Stan Smith, Vans and AllStar Converse at least. To update the shoe closet, you may splurge at Givenchy and Celine or go frugal at The Gap, Steve Madden and even H&M. They may be disposable and who cares? The *good* ones will be in the closet forever. These are temporary trends. 
  • 2-band sandals (Celine, Marni, H&M, Prada, Tod's)
  • Birkenstocks & Co (Steve Madden, Zara)

RETIRE platforms ... yep, just for this summer at least.

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The Shirt 

We have done an extended research on THE shirt, like that crisp button-down equivalent of the perennial green cypresses in the Italian gardens. Alexander Wang nailed one look of his spring collection that contributed to the relaunch and resuscitation of the item. 

This means that:

  1. what you have in the armoire needs to be spruced up and brought back to pristine conditions;
  2. this is the season to dig in to your pockets and invest in at least a couple of new shirts. There are plenty of options, Madewell, Zara and JCrew  being the frugal ones. Celine, Alexander Wang and Valentino some of the VIP ones. White cotton, even the most sophisticated Swiss one, doesn't get better with time like wine does. Au contraire, it gets worn out and, no matter how many times you have it washed, pressed and starched, it will never be that David you were once proud of. 
“That shirt you have in the closet needs to be spruced up and brought back to its pristine conditions.”

Skirt

the hems are descending, getting to around the knee

  • pleated
  • full 
  • pencil (we love the lace ones, they go versatile from work to the beach as a super chic cover up)
  • wrap (look n.    of Altuzzara SS14 is the leading example)

Pants

Billowy, wide-leg, slouchy, cropped, flowy

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