The luxury of a massage and a spa day in my household is equivalent to have a personal styling sesh.

We are always up for shopping?

All it takes is good disposition, sitting on a sofa, sipping coffee or champagne (depending on age, there's always a good reason for bubbles and sparkle).

We met Mely during one of those family outings to Anthropologie - we love it there, and by "we" I include Petunia the dachshund who is welcomed with treats and compliments everytime we venture.

Mely (@themorenasalad on IG) is the personal stylist at the Miami Beach store and this is not a paid post so we spontaneously did everything, no staged fittings or promotions. We liked eachother, she is awesome, she gets me as she has two teeanger daughters herself, and the holidays seemed the right occasion to freshen up our closet and have fun dressing-up.

The room had libations, coffee, juice, music and all that jazz that you can only find for Christmas at Anthropologie: they know how to do it ... hello for getting us into the mood. It was the right amount of quiet, that one that doesn't leave room for awkwardness. In other words, I would have stayed all day, reading a book and keep trying on clothing.

We went a little speakeasy meets Downton Abbey for me: black lace kimono worn as a blouse, midi black tulle skirt and the peach stole cinched at the waist. Imagine how many other outfits i can rcreate with those 3 guys.

Black lace kimono over a white tee, ripped washed jeans and Vans.
The peach stole with a baby blue taffeta dress and printed yellow platforms, so decadent Miu Miu.
Black tulle skirt with a white tank and silver sparkly thong sandals.

I could go on forever.

Cec just went from her inseparable Vans to an embroidered grey tulle skirt with pewter/copper sequins and a silvery printed v-neck shirt.

It was all done in a jiffy.

Look who's ready to party!

style, exclusive, chic, style guide, traveling

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

Francesca B. · September 2, 2014

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.

'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.

exclusive, style, style guide, review

Silvina Maestro @ WOWCRACY

Francesca B. · July 26, 2014

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

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.

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.

one of a kind, chic, style, style guide

The Bucolics of chic

Francesca B. · June 10, 2014

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.

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.

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.

“... 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?

style, chic, style guide

The Season's Honor Code: Spring

Francesca B. · May 14, 2014

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.

this season is all about cool, freedom, comfort, laid-back and tomboy-ish attitude

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.

Stan Smith an iconic symbol

What happened when I met Sarah Jessica Parker

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:

what you have in the armoire needs to be spruced up and brought back to pristine conditions;
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)