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. 

Fashion month: don't go anywhere before you read this

Minimalism is not an option, the runways have shown boldness, it loud and clear. The consumer is

increasingly global, mobile and trans-seasonal  - BoF

Taking over from New York Fashion Week that seems so long ago, I’ll follow with London, which has always been rich of innovation, eccentricity, individuality, creativity and wit. This spring summer my favorite were Emilia Wickstead and Paul Smith, crowned by the royal highness of Burberry. 

Well this year not as much as Milan’s fresh breath of air, new energy, enthusiasm and renewed sense of birth.

Gucci Gucci Gucci

Michele’s particular skill is to make the past look like something the future might crave – Tim Blanks

Then there was Jil Sander’s sublime architectural lines and more cloche, or bucket hats.

Oh no, wait, Prada: one word in Miuccia we trust, one of the best collection in seasons. I am afraid I can’t say the same for Miu Miu. I have always been a Miu Miu girl this one seemed a tad too forced.

Giorgio Armani concluded the week with a ceremony in celebrating the first 40 years of the maison.

How about Marras, Andrea Incontri, N.21, Marni and Erika Cavallini?

Paris is always the glitzy-est of all, the City of Lights that never disappoints.

Chanel included bien sur. 

Stella McCartney, Christian Dior, Dries van Noten , Rick Owens, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Rochas, Vivienne Westwood, Lanvin

And, yes, I am a die-hard fan of Yamamoto

And to conclude, i recommend keeping in mind and liking eventually: 

yellow or at least adapting hair color and make-up to the new season’s color, bucket hats, vertical lines and geometric games. Just saying. You are welcome.

NYFW in one minute

New York fashion Week is the first of a 28-day marathon I like calling the fashion caravan. From there we go to London, Milan and grand finale in Paris.

Aaaaaaall the bloggers, IT girls, influencers arrive and eeeeeeeeverything is faaaaabulous.

Last season I was invited to attend the Carolina Herrera fall show, February 2015, my first NYC fashion week in ass-freezing temperatures. Also, first fashion week in the social media era for me, all my past ones in Milan, Paris and Florence not even cell phones were around.  Yes as jurassic as I am. It was kind of funky: a surreal behind-the-scenes of the white fenced surrogate reality you see on social media feeds.

Before I bore myself already, read HERE all my confabulations about it and continue.  

All you need to know from the Spring Summer 2016 from the city that never sleeps. 

A few worthy notes

Givenchy: bold move to come and show in NYC on 9/11. Leave it to Riccardo Tisci to make quite the show, an italian at the helm of a French maison in New York. And I am not talking about the KKlan that came in flocks like the invasion of the grasshoppers, I am referring to the homage to love directed artistically by Marina Abramovic. A strong and powerful collection, chapeau.

Oscar de la Renta: it's almost a year we have lost the divine man that will always hold a small tiny little piece in my heart and never know it. This was the third collection designed by Peter Coppng and the first one that screams Oscar. 

Josep Font of Delpozo is a fine couturier.

Proenza Schouler did up their game last season with a twist and this season they did it again. 

DISCLAIMER: some of the comments may be off-putting, but it's me being me, the following are the collections worth remembering. 

Oscar de la Renta

Delpozo: for my dream life, when I will be dressed by a couturier 

Proenza Schouler: I chose a backstage image because I needed the details of yet another incredible collection.

Ralph Lauren: this look doesn't even need a caption, such a classic

Marc Jacobs: because I have always dreamed of a black swan up my sleeve. No seriously the collection is the bomb.

Givenchy jaw dropping

As for the trends, onto another post. 

which ones were your favorites? 

august in 1 minute

IN FASHION TERMS

• Nathalie Massenet left Net-A-Porter, suddenly and unexpectedly for the most.

Could the merger with Yoox really have been the last drop to fill her bucket? You will thank me and The Business of Fashion for the whole story. 

• Style.com is GONE. It is now called Vogue Runway as it was incorporated by Venus-fly-trap US Vogue. I am not a reader, fan nor follower of the Wintour-ed brand and I enter the new era with quite a load of scrupulous questions. I will have the answers as early as next week when Fashion month kicks-off in NYC. The moment of truth though will be when the caravan migrates to Milan.

WHAT HAPPENS IN ROME

• Shut down: everyone is on vacation.

I have worked every August 15 as usual and still, after 19 years, it still bugs me that nobody in the US knows what Ferragosto is and nobody in Italy remembers that.

It is what it is, frustration like confetti.

HURRICANE COUTURE

• Scorching hot: 1000% humidity with temperatures in the high 90s is no good. Anybody willing to convince me that this heat is sexy, chic, elegant and acceptable?

B R I N G I T O N

• August 24 is my friend Fernanda's b'day and the anniversary of the most devastating hurricane that recent history remembers in the Southern Riviera.

That doesn’t make Fernanda a natural disaster, but right up that alley, first week back-to-school we went though the first hurricane scare.  We all bought water, supplies, food, wine, champagne (I don’t drink beer) that will last until Thanksgiving when we will end up donating to Miami Rescue Mission. Trying to make us all look good here.

Note: alcoholic beverages will not make it there, as, some of you may already know it, I have been inducted to the “wining mothers” Hall of Fame.

But this is another story.

• Remember that switching wardrobes every 6 months business? Get ready ‘cause it’s around the corner   

In conversation with Dijana: from Goldie Hawn to sustainability, bikinis allowed

You know that feeling of knowing a person before meeting said person?

What I knew of Dijana was very little and consisted of the booklet on my seat and the 15 minutes of the runway show at the Bass Museum. I generally trust my guts and let them work for me when they want to, and, as it turned out, my impressions were not far off.

Dijana swim celebrates “symmetry, purity, sensuality, renewal and beauty” it said on the booklet, enough to peak my curiosity. The right amount of fashion poetry and I wanted to read more, while seating among the A-listers waiting for the show to commence.

Dijana expresses love and gratitude to everyone who helped with this journey, 118 to be exact and that includes Wuppi, her beloved dog.

The recurring symbols throughout the collections are the lotus flower, the bamboo and the triangle.

The first representing the rebirth from the mud, is a tribute to a friend who passed away recently.

The bamboo is the predominant print which represents the balance between flexibility and resiliency against adversity.

The downward triangle is the ultimate representation of femininity.

Wasn’t that enough to wanting to meet with her?  

Our conversation went from drones to generosity, from Nespresso to compassion, from puppy love to entrepreneurial hurdles, from Goldie Hawn to sustainability, and, how much our patience and compassion get put under test by people with no manners.  

Dijana is an all-encompassed business woman who started her new adventure from scratch, that is: coming from an artistic background, having no previous experience in fashion but a clear intuition of what she wanted.

Sheer determination and a great dose of humbleness characterize her personality and her approach to everything, from friends to business.

“I need to understand”

— Dijana on the production process

“I need to understand” is a way of approaching life that brought her to put together a flawless collection in a few months. And you have got to believe me in this: the samples are impeccable, they went through the rough waters of a runway and three days of exhibiting at the Cabana show. They have been touched, worn, taken inside out, tested, washed and yet, not one thread out of place.

She wakes up as early as 6 am and is at the mill all day, something unusual and out of the ordinary in Miami.

DM - “You have to understand that nobody has ever been allowed in as consistently as me, but everybody, from the owner to the seamstresses and the drivers, has been so compassionate and understanding that we almost became an extended family."

Same with Roberto, the grumpy and intimidating big guy of the only place in town that makes strings (you know those strings that tie your bikini top or bottom) when he seemed not to be leaning towards her idea of a thinner string without internal elastic.  You know that annoying feeling of having the marks on your skin from your bathing suit when you lay on the chaise longue?

Well ain’t gonna happen with her bikinis, Roberto caved in, went the extra mile to accommodate her requests and agreed to produce the most subtle and imperceptible string that ties her bikinis.

Because she is like this: she works hard, as hard as anyone else that she surrounded herself with and doesn’t get no as an answer, not capriciously though, but with an intent and the sweetest disarming smile.

Putting up the Ritz in a few months with so many telling her she was crazy, faced her with the ‘impossible’ word one too many times that the Leo in her took over and, voila’, she made it happen.

However, not all roses come without thorns and challenges became the inception of a dream come true.

“I love to be put in the dark spot”

— Dijana on challenges

“I love to be put in the dark spot, to have that grey day, because all that comes out of it is a success, a solution, like a rebirth into a better me.”

Like when, this past December, she couldn’t find the fabric she wanted and was originally directed to look into the wrong direction by whom had diverging interests from what were her requests. It took her the spur of the moment determination and one full Sunday of emailing from her office in Miami Beach, to find the mill she is currently working with.

How did you know that it was that the one?

DM – They were the first one to promptly send samples, within that same week.

Was it what you wanted?

DM - Exactly it, 5000 miles away they got it.

The exclusive bamboo print with her signature had more or less the same trajectory: found the best of the best, adapted to her vision and produced. A common path, passion and workmanship are a commitment for life wherever you are.

Her seamstresses were sitting first row at the show, not exactly a publicist's dream in a restricted seated environment, but she didn't want them standing, because if she made it there it’s thanks to all who have passionately contributed.

And it proved her right, who, if not them, would be proud of every piece that went down the catwalk?  

She believes in the energy and its power infused in every hour spent sawing a piece. Every seam is impregnated with the feelings of the seamstress, it reminded me of “Like water for chocolate” while she touched one long billowy dress and remembered when Margarita was making it. See? That’s what Dijana stands. As a responsible fashion entrepreneur, she has a strong opinion on sustainability, hence the use of polyester, a synthetic fabric yet the one with the least environmental impact. It was in a blink of an eye that she mentioned the movie “The True Cost” produced to document the environmental and human cost of fast-fashion and the reproachable consequences on economy.   

Her friends tell her “you need a vacation”.

“Not now, I can’t, I’d feel like abandoning my creation after having worked so hard.”

When they say if you do what you are passionate about, it won’t feel like work. 

July recap #chicFBapproved

July is a lethargic month in Miami, it took me years to get to terms with it. Back home July is the best of the summer months. It's hot and burning, yet it offers the best of both worlds: beach vibes, the smell of the belle di notte with cicadas, breezy al fresco dinners and chicness. Hence my hashtag for the month #bringmyMediterraneansummerback

It happened in Miami

Swim Week

July also rhymes with swimwear in Miami, the only fashion (trade) show only dedicated to beach wear and a lot of flesh. Check it out here in Italian and here in English.

Meanwhile in Rome

The second week of July is #coutureweek. Called couture, it used to happen in Paris, because of la Chambre, the history we know it. Alas Valentino chartered all buyers, editors and what-nots to admire Mirabilia Romae , the marvels of Rome. It was mesmerizing and it generated the only standing ovation of Couture Week.  Need I say more? When you have a villa Medici o la libreria Casanatense can you expect less than impeccable workmanship and magic?

Wedding of the year – ROYAL ALERT

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo, nuff said. Patrician meets royal and you have a fairy tale guaranteed for us suckers of the princess life. A link from Vogue Italia showcases the love story, how to dress as a guest, how to be you if you are a gorgeous photogenic blue-blooded off-spring . Warning: gorgeousness displayed.

Into the wild

2 episodes touched ME and several millions around the globe.

·   #CeciltheLion was killed

·   Jane Birkin found out some naughty wrongdoings Hermes is accused of with the very same crocodiles they kill to make her eponymous bag. She doesn’t want her name associated with the company anymore.

It’s a mess.

To infinity and beyond

Pluto Fly By

I have never been so drawn to scientific matters until I met Pluto, the dwarf and youngest of planets. Numbers never sparked my imagination, they bore me. But now looking at humble and magnificent Pluto sending us a picture of his best side, a heart-shaped birth-mark, I am in love. The guy is young, 9 years far away from Earth, made of mountains of ice that doesn’t melt because there is no climate change, GMOs, fracking, Donald Trump. He shows off un-godly below human survival temperature. Peace and tranquility in the hottest July I ever experienced in the Southern Riviera.

Let me move there, alone.

Is there anything I forgot?  * Head over to the COMMENTS and ditch away 

the Miami Swim Show: 5 things the media hasn't told you

Before everyone goes on vacation, how about a review of what we’ll wear to the beach in December? Just to have us salivating for the covetable and longing for that bikini-bod we don’t have yet. 

The SwimShow does to Miami Beach what Pitti does to Florence, NYFW does to NY City. Or maybe not. I like thinking of a Swim Week street style.  It was all reduced to half-naked models running from show to show trying to catch-up breaths with #soMiami lateness. 

After 30 years, we call it the Swim Show, it was once organized by IGM and sponsored by Mercedes Benz, but ditched last minute earlier this year.  All strings pulled in a Miami way, the show went on.

We assisted to a showcase of what Miami can give best: legs for days, disproportionate unbalance of exposed flesh vs. fabric, palms, pools and booze.

We recovered the overload of beauty with a juice cleanse for life. 

Let’s go down to business and find out trends and the best according to me - de gustibus non est disputandum. As it happened with Pitti, I went for talent, innovation, inspiration and quality and left the big names to the big media outlets. 

Julian Chang chose the Ritz Carlton. He opened the ceremonies, swept away red carpet and landed the who’s who of socialites on first row. Vertiginous slits, those that you can't say where they begin or end,  rivers of sequins and glam. and a swim capsule collection  worth wearing in a Ted Lapidus pool, sipping champagne.  Imagine a Slim Aaron photo session  for vibrancy of colors and plastic forms.

Dijana swimwear showed at the Bass Museum, a venue that grants a certain status. A museum is not for anyone, but the Bass allows for everyone who attends a first row seat along the ascending ramp. Djiana transported us to a world rarely associated with fashion, a soothing spiritual realm. She expressed her inspiration with recurring symbols like bamboo, triangle, lotus flower and values of symmetry, sensuality, purity. Even with imperceptible bikinis, there was never a vulgar hint, but it felt organic and feminine. Atmosphere was so enchanted, the opposite to stiff that it was a real breath of fresh air.

Magda Gomes swimwear killed me and sent me to heaven, a collection for a languid and disarming beauty, like a siren. Imperceptible lycra, like hugging soothing silk, unexpected silver shells, rivers of chiffon were winners.  The unique print designed by Gomes played  with ethereal red coral twigs, ondulating flowers on a pearl grey background. It alluded to an enchanted garden that could resemble the realm of a nimph that met its own Neptune. The best accounterment of the range were several pieces of jewlery that include a cuff, a ring and a tiara for the future princess of the Oceans. Just in case you wanted to go on vacation and come back married.

F**K goes by a name irreverent and unapologetic, but it’s also Italian so how could I miss the show? I had the pleasure of chatting backstage with Mr. Giorgio, the creative mind of the brand. In a fun and hand-orchestrated Italian conversation, he explained how he decided to take the leap, venture off the other side of the ocean strong of two decades of growing presence in Europe. “The brand grew by itself, without investment in advertizing, because at the end, the final customer is the one that makes you grow."  

"We dedicate time to research in fabrics and trends, but our customers ultimately make us win the prize.” You guys, honestly, Italians are not easy to please, we don't get blinded by glossy papers or billboards, we set high standards before we give thumbs up to a brand. The collection was man and women, resortwear and accessories and nothing was left unconsidered. Audience was at full capacity around the pool that is a lagoon at the Setai hotel. If you heard of a ‘man at sea’ you heard correct: a photographer took the plunge in the pool to survive the asphyxiating heat and to take the closest shots. 

Sunday at brunch we were all called to social shopping which felt just about right. Sunday Soiree was the brilliant idea of PR masterminds The Rally Agency, retail therapy for a good cause with a splash of Bellinis. Organized to support  Style Saves, the non-profit organization that provides clothing to under-privileged students through fashion-related events, shopping a purpose. Needless to say I contributed to the cause with a mix and match bikini from Mare Cheia, funky rhodium and Swaroski crystals earrings from Cavana Jewels and a Panama hat from Regine Chevallier

It felt like a million dollar. 

TRENDS

Small, skin, mini, crop tops, deep slits, chiffon, sheer fresh fabrics and jewlery, thin chains, multiple earrings and knuckle-lets, head wraps and wide brimmed hats. 

Watch this space for special Q&As with some of these most amazing designers and talents.