STYLE + SUBSTANCE // SOPHIE ZEMBRA

The best way to describe Sophie Zembra, our first style + substance powerhouse of the year is "veni, vidi, vici".

She moved from Paris to Miami "con furore" opened ANTIDOTE in Wynwood because it felt right and conquering our  hearts  with the perfect equilibrium of "sustainable chic" and acquired the title of "the girl of Wynwood" (according to her Instagram). 

Sophie is the embodiment of chic and young and fresh and happy, the store is the impeccable mirror of her personality and taste, but, as usual, it all happens when someone is motivated by a purpose, a passion, there's no style without substance.

Style + substance = empowerment. Are you on board?

SZ - Totally 100% percent

Your personal style in three words

SZ - I don’t really have one style: it depends on the day, it depends on my mood. But in three words: freestyle; Parisian; chic/casual

I find it extraordinary in how little time you moved to Miami and opened one of the best stores in town: what drives your entrepreneurship?

SZ - Thank you for one of the best store in town J

My boosts are the meetings, the people!! Entrepreneurship it s an human adventure and in conscious fashion even more. My passion drive me in the good as in the bad times. I believe in life and dreams, I'm a dreamer that's why I am an entrepreneur. And to be an entrepreneur you need a bit of unconsciousness. 

Do you feel like sharing one secret?

SZ - Buy only what you like and what you feel good about. Never follow the trend follow only your feelings!!!

Your relationship with fashion: single, married, it’s complicated or …

SZ – It’s complicated by time I love fashion and by time I hate fashion!!!

What’s the one thing a woman should do to feel powerful?

SZ - Be yourself, listen to yourself. Women are raised without taking their word into account. So you have to listen to yourself and believe in your own power !

When did you find your confidence?

SZ – I’m still not confident enough in myself, but entrepreneurship helps me a lot. 

How do we get rid of the princess/cute/pretty/pink stereotype?

SZ - By creating new princesses: without stereotype!!!

You look at your closet holding your morning coffee ready to get dressed: personal uniform or outburst of creativity?

SZ - I like a personal uniform with a touch of creativity. 

Which irritates you more and why: “Sustainable fashion is boring” or “Fashion is frivolous”?

SZ - “Sustainable fashion is boring” I have heard this too many times, and it’s not true. People aren’t being curious and just follow big brands/company but now we have a new wave of designer who mix esthetic and sustainability with brio. SUSTAINABLE FASHION IS DEFINITELY NOT BORING!

STYLE + SUBSTANCE // ERIKA EHRMAN-REPOLA

She is a producer, an entrepreneur, a mother and a designer embracing fashion for a woman who is +50. I have noticed Erika Ehrman-Repola on Instagram, once again, for her elegance and discreet elegance, for her natural beauty and unfrivolous sensuality. She agreed on being featured, so please meet another fierce 'shero' who reinvented her life at 50. 

'Elegant, eclectic, bohemian'

Style + substance = empowerment. Are you on board? 
EER - YES 

Your personal style in three words
E - Elegant, eclectic, bohemian 

On shopping with a purpose
E - I love textiles and texture, so I am often inspired by that first, I prefer to buy items that are not overly trendy, and feel unique.
 
Do you feel like sharing one secret?
E - I hate spending a lot on clothes. My dirty little secret is that … sometimes I find pieces at Forever 21 and integrate them into my wardrobe. People have no idea and are often complimentary and think  it’s some high ticketed designer piece. It’s all in how you style it and wear it, sometimes I even cutout the tags and no one knows. 

Your relationship with fashion: single, married, it’s complicated or …  
E - I am happily and newly divorced and it has made me fall in love with fashion all over again, because I dress exactly how I want and experiment more too. 

What’s the one thing a woman should do to feel powerful? 
E - With regard to fashion, feeling comfortable in your own skin and what you are wearing. If you don’t feel good in your clothes, you don’t feel as empowered. I designed my line of dresses with that ideology in mind, I don’t want you to be a slave to your clothes. You should not have to starve yourself, or go to spinning class five times a week to feel sexy or beautiful to fit into a dress. It’s a state of mind, and it’s about being comfortable first and foremost, and then whatever you wear will look amazing, because you feel confident. 

When did you find your confidence? 
E - I think as I was about to turn 50. I thought I look pretty damn good for my age and I felt sexier than ever before. 

How do we get rid of the princess/cute/pretty/pink stereotype? 
E - Celebrating all types of women and styles. I think being unique, embracing individuality whatever it is, might normalize it and help. 

You look at your closet holding your morning coffee ready to get dressed: personal uniform or outburst of creativity? 
E - Depends on the season. In the spring and summer I love to wear colors and patterns and I often live in jeans and dresses. In the winter, I find I don’t wear as much color, but I love texture still, so I often have a furry something, a sweater or coat, and my favorite pair of red booties. I try to have at least an accent of color somewhere. 

Which irritates you more and why: “Sustainable fashion is boring” or “Fashion is frivolous”  
E - I am not sure I find either irritating. I think both statements can be true or false depending on context. Sustainable fashion, if done right, can be interesting. Fashion can be frivolous, but it’s also about self-expression and it’s about showing personality, even if it’s a uniform. Frivolous makes me think of excessive amount of the same things, but if you can afford a great piece and it makes you feel good, it gives you that extra pump of confidence, then why not? 
 

socks and heels: the 101 manual good for every age

I get it it's not a look for everyone, it may seem childish, it's forward, it's a sexy "je m'en fou" to men since the ones advanced enough to appreciate it are unicorns and it must be done well. 

WHAT TYPE OF SOCKS

lace, sparkly, ankle, fishnet, cashmere, see-through tulle or nylon like my absolute favorite ones by Pan and the Dream crystal encrusted, decorated 

WHAT TYPE OF SHOE

pointy, thin heel, kitten heel, vintage sling-back, mary-janes. You can do it with flats, my favorites are N.21 by Alessandro dell'Acqua and Gucci by Alessandro Michele. 

No wedges, oh no, no wedges (who wears wedges anymore?), platforms we should be good, especially if they are Marc Jacobs or Miu Miu.

WOULD YOU DO IT?

WHAT'S IN IT THAT WOULDN'T MAKE YOU DO IT?

The one item every chic girl swears by

Tell me what comes to mind when you hear the word “turban” and I’ll tell you who you are. No, that was another story, but not really.

I think of Joan Crawford, Old Hollywood femme fatale, pool, a martini and some good Norman Parkinson or Richard Avedon portraits.

Then think for a moment of Mia Farrow in “Great Gatsby” and her head covered in a cascade of crystals (and also Robert Redford and then I go out of contest).

Then, in order of appearance (in my mind, I mean) it’s India, elephants, the British Empire, the Tour of the World in 80 Days, then Scheherazade and Arabian nights. Come down from the magic carpet and bam, Margherita Missoni and it's real. 

Now stop and find the fil rouge.

Because all the different scenes have a thing in common that is strength, confidence, power, authority, royal privilege, or in one word badass.

The turban is sensual, mysterious yet determined and matter-of-factly. It’s not a beanie, not a hat, you step in a room, you don’t quietly enter, no words are needed, or, no caption needed in social media language.

You are part of a clique, a circle of trust, this is the year of the turban, it’s a thing, or at least, I made it a thing and, once again, via Instagram I met le.Conturbanti this bombastic duo that eats, prays and loves turbans and I got fascinated. You will get more on their story in the book, (including what the work means for non Italian speaking friends) but now I can’t wait to share my first outing with a le Conturbanti turban.

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Packaging says it all 

I had received it a week before, it was dangling on the living room table, on my easel, on top of a pile of books. I would put it on, wrap it and it was so easy to wrap that I thought I was doing something wrong (thank you self-esteem for always having my back).

A couple of times I wore it tied in the back, so incredibly Jackie Kennedy that I thought I was plagiaristic, I was knocking her off.  But, I thought it was a OK to go, and I left the house in whatever I was wearing from the day at work and went. 

I swear, I dragged myself in a 2-mile radius to pick-up Japanese take-away the first time and to Publix the second. My thought process was if I get even just a nod from the places the most remote from where my imagination would spot me wearing a turban, it's good. The reaction was positive and, hello Mr. Self-Esteem, people were strangely nicer to me than usual, women and men.

With general rehearsals passed magna cum laude, the time for the premiere was as short as two days after. Because I was late and the whole outfit had started with the turban, I ended up not having time to put make-up on before leaving, one more time, the rearview mirror at the traffic light is my bitch.

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You HAVE to read the whole shenanigans HERE 

What I learned:

Don’t over think: boom, boom and done;

1.   The messier the hair the better, I know that my hair … invented messy hair meets crow’s nest meets bed hair, but if your hair is curly, you are 1 step ahead in the game;

2.   You’ll see your reflection in the windows while you walk or on the pavement and you’ll be baffled and for a split second unable to connect the two together;

3.   People will look at you, they will ask to take pictures of you, they’ll compliment you, they’ll ask you “who are you wearing” like an array of clones of Joan Rivers on the red carpet;

4.    What do you do? You take it all in, say “thank you” smiling and blushing, air kiss, hug, pose for a picture, while thinking that Angelina Jolie does that every day of her life and you deserve your Angelina moment, all brain, smart and a turban (if you have her long legs, work them too!)

5.   Even if you are intimidated, scared, apologetic inside because you are not used to all of the shenanigans going on, don’t you ever let fear slip through the cracks: the show must go on;

6.   Go back home, rewind and enjoy with a smirk while you put your winning cannon to rest;

7.   What now?

8.   You are awesome, you’ll feel the adrenaline pumping while you prepare the outfit for tomorrow when you’ll step and repeat;

9. Are you pregnant? Take it from my glowing preggo friend Keturah: "Just ordered a gorgeous chic turban from Le Conturbanti, makes me feel less shabby and more chic" and remember kids in that womb form 9 months know everything that's going on and you gotta start them early with the notion of " chic ".

5 TRENDS gone, 11 still strong: are you on the right train?

We begin the year by closing a circle.

With January comes Epiphany that swipes all the holidays away, the men shows, some snow or the 61 degrees Miami version of snow and all that gear we started swooning over last January's runways. 

That's where it starts allover again. 

So, what are we wearing now? What are we carrying on from last year, that is literally 2 weeks ago?

Are we all on the same track that #wedontfollowtrendswesetthem? If it sounds new to you, go HERE before you continue further.

Concept is: one thing is having a defined sense of style, another 'pair of sleeves' is grasping an overall aesthetic stream and embody it. That's why I am not the regular outfit-of-the-day blogger, I am unpredictable, I may not be cool, but I spice things up with a little bit of attitude and I enjoy getting away with it. 

I keep having these congitations and convince myself I am right, and I am determined to show you so, but what do YOU think? 

Take it to the comments and please contradict me, will you? 

THE TRENDS THAT (SHOULD HAVE) NEVER MADE IT TO YOUR CLOSET

• the nude dress: somehow from Queen Bey it trickled down to the KKlan, but we never adopted it. In my case, I never had the body and should I had the occasion there would have been other Couture options to choose from. Take that. 
• normcore: we ain't no Steve Jobs (may he rest in peace) nor Mark Zuckerberg. Must be noted that we are strong believers in our own IQ, we just rock it with mooooore taste, style and creativity.

Now here I ought to open a piece of heart: shouldn't this American workplace show a little respect in 2016 and refrain from judging women with the frivolous adjective when they are brave enough to express their own personality and character in a male dominated professional environment? 

It is sad and sickening at the same time to still read  'corporate attire' required as standard jargon that forces a woman to dress with the unspoken uniform (black suit) just to be hired, initiated in the circle and eventually taken seriously.

Rant is over, free the nipple. To say it with the Giorgio Armani pre-fall collection: 

Freedom from all that is ordinary 

• sheer and lace underwear as outerwear, although we love to wear pajama outside. 

YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK THE ART OF PAJAMA DRESSING  in THE STYLE FILE

• latex (oh man, when did that become a trend, outside of any street mall sex shop?)
• athleisure is that awkward evolution of the Juicy Couture's chenille tracksuits with UGG boots. Sorry any celebrity signing leggings, tracksuits and yoga pants which you wear as your signature uniform, but by definition it’s still the same average athletic gear made to look expensive and by signing it you make it also over-priced. i am diverging opinion from Corinne Wang who on Refinery 29 approves of athleisure as one of the epic trends of 2015, easy and minimalist way of wearing comfortable clothes on a regular working day. Thing is what if your regular day doens't involve lounging on the couch and being photographed by your Instagram boyfriend?

THE ONES THAT survived and moved TO 2016

• the off-the-shoulder and bell-sleeved top: there was one white Tibi top that became the piece of the summer, but I never bought it. Let's put it this way, the off the shoulder is the 2015 equivalent ot the peplum top of 2010. nope we haven't adopted that one either. However having a shoulder visible in the flesh is sexy no matter the age, as Harper's Bazaar 
• Adidas' Stan Smith: this is tricky. If you, like me, have always worn them regardless of the normcore/blogger trend, you are already bugged that everyone has been flaunting them. Stick by them because they belong to your style, but maybe, I mean maybe, I will opt for those suede hunter green high-top Nike just because

• the geek chic(k) I can’t get enough of the new Gucci era by Alessandro Michele, the modern Renaissance man, in total awe of his forward gender bending and barriers thinning. Elements of this granny chic? silky tops, socks and pumps, pleated skirts, pussy bows (a lot), embroideries, lace, bomber elevated, middle crease straight pants and fitted jacket, 
• neck-gear: bandanna, silk and skinny ones(for this heat over to Etsy and search form Smith Lab, Sarah Smith is the girl: you are welcome) 
• slipdress great under a blazer with platforms for a day look and long, shiny with flat lace-up sandals or pointy ballerinas for the evening.
• shirt: the element that keeps on giving, the love for a white crisp shirt never fades, but the shirt-dress has surpassed its own role and risen itself to a power dressing position. A simple exquisite blue cotton shirt-dress belted and worn with wedges (like those Gucci ones) makes the woman entering the meeting room remembered in a forgiving silhouette.
• denim still a strong seasonal plunge, favorite are frayed cropped straight pants and jumpsuit
• cropped flares: I am having a crush, still have to find the right ones (unfortunately Zara had the perfect one, BUT I am not buying fast fashion any longer)
• man pants or like The Man Repeller says, who is wearing the pants? #girlboss, #entrepreneurialmind
• prints I personally have never been a passionate lover of prints, mono-chrome has been a signature, but when a print touches me, the click is done.  
• animal print I am bias and believe in animal print like in Santa Claus. Jenna Lyons, the Executive Creative Director of J.Crew said something wise

...as far as I'm concerned, leopard is a neutral

Did I omit something important to you?

If so let's discuss it, because I may not agree (smiley face)

The fine art of Pajama dressing

‘tis the season for evening wear and boy, if we love it!

Cocktail or dinner, formal or black tie, swishing silks and startched lepels, tea length taffeta skirts, D'Orsay satin Manolos, heart shaped corsets, appliques and embroideries, sparkles and fur stoles.

Today I.m here to inspire you on how to make it a Gatsby-esque affair without breaking the bank or feeling dressed like a Ferrero Rocher. 

Let's think for a moment that prom style dresses made of highly-flammable sparkly materials were never invented.

How about getting cozy and chic in a pajama for the opening soiree of the opera? Yeah, lose, silky, lushious and fabulous pants, shirts, robes and gowns. Remember Rule n.1 says "Don't take yourself too seriously".

The Italian way of making it happen is first gather inspiration from the masters. In other words, let's dream, wipe our eyes off with gorgeousness and gather the inspiration. 

Let me warm you up and get into the mood with the new Gucci by newly appointed creative director Alessandro Michele and recipient of the International Designer of the Year Award by the British Fashion Awards.

I can't hide my heart bursting with joy for seeing the brand resuscitated with brushes worth of a Renaissance painter, and, yep, pun intended considering the provenance, Firenze and the Medici.   Michele reinvented the powerhouse with touches of modern and geeky, intellectual, bookish, sensual nerdy and eccentric. 

There’s no way of hiding that Oscar Wilde meets understated 70's bohemia of clashing patterns, lurex, ring, midi skirts and furs. 

Gucci is COOL and pajama dressing socially acceptable.

Patrician-looking, modish, lush they are all adjectives that go along with snob appeal one of the best qualities of #theItalianway

LATEST NEWS

Not one piece of any collection designed by Michele will go ever on SALE. Yeah, really, as per words of Gucci CEO, just in case you were considering Black Friday Massive Killing of Someone Who Would Come in Between You and That Crakled Turquoise Leather Loafer ... 

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But first our subject: how to do pajama dressing without having to face sold out Gucci, having to top all credit limits and still be happy and enjoy the champagne? 

There’s nothing more appealing and sensual than being confident and feeling cozy at the same time in an evening dress and pajamas can be chic and fun and do the trick. 

J.Crew, Equipment, Madewell and H&M have pajamas worth spending a few bucks (the combos pics come from Harper's Bazaar if you want to check where to buy)

Shrimps by Hannah Weiland x Poplin give it the Brit twist making the crave for silk with fur worth indulging. 

La Perla, For Restless Sleepers, Fleur du Mal, Agent Provocateur and Olivia von Halle are the Rolls Royce of loungewear and, hell yeah, they can be worn outside of the bedroom doors. Where else can you find personalizing that goes from monogramming initials to family crests? So British-ly royal to feel blue-blooded. 

For the socially conscious, Pour Les Femmes , created by Robin Wright and Karen Fowler, is the most enticing choice of sleeping, or not, together in soft threads while dedicating a portion of the revenue to causes that support women in conflict regions around the world. For more read www.plfdreams.com

SOME CELEBRITY SIGHT-SEEING

It's on you now: Will you dare thinking outside the box (or the bedroom, for that matter)? 

Lingerie should make you feel naked

A well-tailored suit is to women what lingerie is to men (@threadsforgents).

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“I think the quality of sexiness comes from within. It is something that it is in you or it isn’t and really doesn;t have much to do with breasts or thighs or the pout of your lips”

— Sophia Loren

Lingerie is one of the most eloquent attributes to an Italian wardrobe, believe it or not. The fact that It's not seen under your clothing, it doesn't make it less than the foundations of a house.  

Underwear is a phenomenon, a concept, a story of opposing forces, like the rubber band effect on love relationships, it went from periods of extreme restrictions to decades of lascivious indulgence.

Cleopatra and her Roman counterparts used to wear very little undergarments as their fashions were forgiving, wrapping, enveloping and voluminous. 

The dark ages of reclusiveness and seclusion led to the Renaissance and Marie Antoinette who let them eat cake and declared it was ok to show off the ‘balconies’.

The suffragettes, the first modern feminists and then the flapper girls (I think I was definitely one in a past life, seriously I would live dressed like them, driven in those cars and I don’t dance, go figure).

Voluptuous iconic bombshelles like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren were juxtaposed with the symbols of the sexual revolution, braless was a way of expression. 

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Veruschka, Vogue Paris 1968, photo by Franco Rubartelli

Undergarments play a role in a life of a woman no matter how continent and historical period are combined.

As we live in them all day long, work to pleasure, it’s a relationship, we need to be compatible. Like in a marriage or while dreaming of the ideal man, there are prerequisites that the perfect lingerie has to own to be considered a match.

Sing with me Santa Baby, the Christmas song.

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• Comfort and luxury: we don’t wear Fruit of the Loom granny panties anymore after high school
• Luscious and sensual: I have always considered seduction that female 6th sense (was I wrong?)
• Needs to leave room to the imagination, otherwise teasingly called peekaboo effect. in other words, Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate and I am not alluding at her cheating habits.

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The Graduate 

• It doesn’t have to be seen to make a woman feel sexy and confident: it’s like the secret ingredient of an award winning recipe.
• It makes you want to wear it and looking forward to it: like a good apple to Eve, the good temptation without the snake.
• It’s lacy but it doesn’t say “sex” (have you heard? The Journal of Psychology has published a study that finally confirms that sex doesn’t sell) 
• Feminine: It accentuates the girl in you, vulgarity and sexuality are off-putting, said it a second time it has the right amount of redundancy and it makes it real.
• Confidence: the beauty of a bra is when it makes you feel so confident that you don’t think it twice as to wear it as a top under a manly long deconstructed jacket or a see through blouse.
• Form pleasing yet not constricting: you know what I mean, those shiny itchy black lace thingy that make you spend the whole day (or night) dreaming of the moment that you (not anyone else) will take them off.

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Do I still have you with me?

Are all of the above thoughts that go through your mind or conversations you have had while sipping a coffee?

Because I know what the following assertion will be: it’s expensive.

My grandmother says that “who spends more, spends less” and it’s simply the dirty truth.

Would you rather buy a bra that will be your best friend and possibly a matchmaker, or one that shines for one night and dies like a moth the morning after?

Would you rather wear a bra that malfunctions when you least expect it or the one that lost the wire but you don’t realize it if not the morning you woke up late and you must wear whatever else is available? Don’t tell me it never happened.

What if I tell you 1. They are rhetorical questions, you already know the answer 2. I found the perfect line.  Truthfully, don’t we all want to wear lingerie to enjoy the smooth feel of exquisite fabrics enveloping us?

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Les Lunes George V

WHAT IS IT?

LES LUNES, a luxury fashion brand handcrafted in ultra-soft bamboo.  

WHY

It fits like a glove, drapes when it’s meant to, you forget you are wearing it and it's so good I want to wear it out (did I mention it has camisoles, nightdresses and bralettes?)

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Les Lunes George V Nightdress

Thing is Bamboo fiber is the latest luscious best kept secret that can happen to you. Remember the first rule about Italian style: ‘you don’t want what everybody wears, you wear what everyone will want to wear’.

What made Les Lunes win for picky and demanding me?

Bamboo grows in multiple climate settings, doesn’t need pesticides, once cut it grows healthier, it doesn’t need fueled tractors that promote pollution. Therefore, it’s a clean, sustainable fiber, more ethically and environmentally sound than any others.

It’s breathable, friendly with perspiration, non-irritating, easier to maintain than silk.

The combination of the jersey with the lace is seamless and performing: the flexibility of the fiber makes you feel at ease, no elastic needed.

Caressing and invisible as in your dreams.

WHAT THEY SAY AT LES LUNES?(that you should repeat with me)

‘What you choose to wear closest on your skin reflects your mood towards the world’.

Comfort plus sexy equals confidence.

THE JACKIE O GUIDE TO SUMMER DRESSING

“It was a queer, sultry summer ... ”

— Sylvia Plath

 

9in the morning and it’s hot as balls, but we must pick something suitable to wear at work. As if it wasn't already a lot of work to go to work when Europe is on vacation en masse.

Mornings in the Sunshine State are a real hustle. My brain goes in constant ping-pong battle with having to dress up for work even though per popular belief we live off mojitos.

I have dedicated the previous post to a summer in the city.  We have the compelling task of pulling our shit together, keep it current, nonchalant, not too stuffy, not too casual, with élan and a little spice of sexiness. We must perform the eternally chic wonder-woman role at work, at the gym, at the PTA meeting and at the kids birthday party where your ex-husband will show up with his new girlfriend (ugh, did I have to mention that?).

Some more tips: 

• shirtdress with or without a blazer, 
• choose fresh fabrics like linen, 
• cotton or ultra-light wool (offices are freezing), 
• midi skirt, 
• culottes and any boyfriendish style of trousers and 
• jumpsuit … and this one might be off limits if you work in a strict boring conservative environment like healthcare or the court perhaps?

Now it's August, let’s concentrate on some of my favorite addi(C)tions.

Remember to apply the essentialism rule: for every piece that goes in, one goes out. Separate from physical belongings, shed clutter, clear paths and welcome the new.

The 6 things you need to make a perfect chic summer wardrobe.

BIKINI

Everyone knows the best swimwear to suit their body: one piece, string bikini, high waist bottom, push-up, triangle bra, I leave it to you. At the swimwear show, I fell in love with two collections and their designers.

Magda Gomez bewitched me and I already said it here.

Dijana swimwear has a soul on its own, like her designer, Watch for her interview soon to know more, meanwhile you go grab anything from this first-time designer, before her exclusive prints get sold-out.

THE DRESS

If you are someone who dares, a chiffon caftan by Santika is the answer. The quintessential resort-wear, designed by ever stylish stylists Erika Pena and Danny Santiago has the right amount of chiffon, plunging necklines, bright colors, sheerness to get noticed anywhere you go. The best part is you wear one and go from day to night glammed up and the only thing left for you is enjoy the moment.

Jolie Kica’ is for the timeless, chic, understated and eternally flawless after a day at work or on the boat. A style that go perfect for the mother and the daughter, sophisticated fabrics, Made in Italy with love.

You know that last minute dinner invitation when you think you have nothing to wear? That's it, it's that dress in your wardrobe that’ll make you look impeccable and will make you feel good like a phone call to your best friend.

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THE STRAW BAG

One image here: Jane Birkin and her basket. (Not her eponymous Hermes bag, that is another story).

Some directions: it must be big, not overwhelming, nor heavy, made of straw, spacious enough to throw sun protection, book, magazines, sarong and a pestemal.

What’s a pestemal?

Leave it to LIDO world to show you how to use 'an original Turkish towel' to linger by the shores, lay under the tree and picnic in the park. Then buy one + the bag, if you are lucky enough to be heading to North Fork go say hi to darling Heidi. If you are in other lidos, buy online.

JEWELS

Given that we have our own real jewels, we are not Wallis Simpson arrying our rubies, sapphires and pearls from Cartier to the beach, let's be realistic. 

1. Cavana jewelry to go cool and for who wants thin, layering, barely there sparkles.
2. Go bold with Erika Pena Designs mala beads, silver skulls, layers layers layers. Just remember to balance it out with simple monochrome bikinis and chiffon caftans.
3. Any silver plated marine inspired piece of jewelry from Magda Gomes

THE SANDALS

I have an obsession with flat sandals, I know, but I am in good company. Valentino presented their Haute Couture collection with one shoe on the runway, a gladiator sandal. In other words, gowns worth a common salary, with a pedigree of hundreds of hours of embroideries and workmanship were paired with flat sandals. The high-low is the best element you can absorb from the Italian way.

Need more? Royal wedding of the year Beatrice Borromeo marries Pierre Casiraghi in flat sandals, chic as hell.  

Rule n.1: can’t go cheap, I am not talking about chancletas or flip flops.

Rule n.2 get one pair and good and will last enough to become your go-to shoe from the beach, to the sunset stroll to the glitzy dinner to work. 

Two things jet setters and iconic women like Jackie and Marella Agnelli, do?

Visit the surroundings and wear flats.

In other words, you don’t visit Ponza, Positano, le Cinque Terre and pack vertiginous stiletto if you don’t want to hang out with a neon sign on your head that says ‘tourist’. Wear local and trust them, they know what they are doing, the Italian way. So, when in le Cinque Terre, go to Monterosso and visit Lanapo, the best kept secret.

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THE PANAMA HAT

Regina Chevallier I met her during the Swim Show last month, the right explosive and joyful personality to wear and design hats! Remember a stylish woman on vacation must be ready for that impromptu boat ride – it’s like stuffing the raincoat in the luggage to London.

If you are in Italy, head over Cappelleria Palladio in Vicenza and let your Italian bold, elegant and flamboyant in you free. 

NOW, I would love to hear from you.

You are a mini-Jackie O and this is how you rock at the beach

You think it is unrealistic, going to the beach means shorts and flip flops

Nothing in the world would convince you to dress like that

You'd like to venture to a beach vacation the Italian way 

5 reasons to be addicted to a summer in the city

 ‘I  love the fact that you brought Shakespeare with you and no clothes. Ermelinda says you wash the same shirt out every night. Is that true? … She can do that stuff for you.’

says rich, spoiled, decadent Dickie while in Capri in The Talented Mr. Ripley a movie that always puts me in total summer mood.

I want to wear all Gwyneth dresses, sandals, posh cardigans, and set sail in that boat with Jude Law in my imaginary summer in the Golfo dei Poeti, northern than Capri, but still one of world’s wonders in the Mediterranean sea.

I have been talking about essentialism just this past week when referring to one’s closet. I have done my homework and applied the concept one word at a time while unfolding my summer wardrobe and retiring the winter’s.

I killed my darlings and recreated a “no clutter with a meaning” condition. The meaning was: no excuses, something like “I will lose weight”, “I bought this when …”. When in doubt I have used the same question I use with my daughter when she rolls her eyelashes like Bambi to tell me in order that she loves me and that her shopping cart has 15 items: “show me three different outfits”.

Three piles of hand-me-down clothing after, there it was a clear sense of where I am going.

I felt lifted from the drag of shuttling things back and forth to the storage without a purpose, generous as my own garbage will be another one’s treasure and in gratitude for having detached from a most basic form of attachment.

“How do you feel after cleaning up your closet?”

the ideal Italian summer in the city eating ice cream al fresco outfit 

And now I am ready for a summer in the city and found what elements we should all incorporate in the closet to make our outfits current, styled, nonchalant, not too stuffy, not too casual, with the right weight of elan and a little spice of sexiness.

The skirt 

I just feel that languor of a mid-length skirt that hugs the body, leaves room to strut, go up and down the tram (in Milan) and the car and still be feel feminine with that touch of comfort whether you are a heels or a flats girl. 

The blazer 

You know that blazer that you pull out season after season, stands with the dignity of a Navy uniform in the closet and fits immaculate because  

“It’s not about retro or modern, it’s more about if it’s well done and it looks good”

— Blaze'

You know that piece that is like that one friend you have that you can take at any event, frivolous or boringly academic and he always has the right conversation? That all you need is a blazer is their tagline and THE blazer to look at is Blaze’ 

The perfect dress 

I have one in mind, the Ballerina dress by Marianna Cimini, I have said it starting from last year and it will have to be mine this season.

In crisp cotton white or black, Vichy checkers or stripes, short enough to be appropriate with flat soles and with strappy heeled sandals.  

THE IDEAL FLAT SANDAL 

To say it with Diana Vreeland:

“By flat sole I mean the sole that is heeless sole that creates a walk that is exactly like being barefoot”

— Memos, Diana Vreeland

Do you know those “exquisite shoes […] made to walk […] nakedly in the street” of Capri like Jackie and Lee Radziwill.  With that said, my teen-ager love at first sight for the summer are the sandals by Alvaro Gonzalez 

Check it out and just please tell me you want them as badly in your closet as I do. 

THE BOATER HAT 

It feels so Chanel and Deuville and Wallis Simpson all together.

I discovered these by Leontine Vintage with PLV Milano, a mix of flair for vintage haberdashery with a modern gipsy feel that turns out to be feminine, gamine, understated, chic.

The love collection comes personalized with a tassel and a gram of love ... check this out for more 

MAKE-UP 

I barely talk about beauty routine because mine lasts the minute and a half of a red traffic light.

In the summer I used to think that no make-up was needed thanks to the glowing healthy rosy cheeks and the golden suntan. My eyelashes were thick and long and prosperous that they didn’t need mascara (my most dreaded element of the nightly wash-your-face routine).

Now with a few wisdom years on my shoulders, I still put make up at the traffic light or down/up the elevator, because that is what Italian women do.

We are never late … because of the restauration progress, we are late because whatever we decided to wear needs ironing, the shoes are not polished or that clutch was riposta in the other season’s armoire.

My best friends this season is Beauty For Real’s cheek tint & luminizer  by beauty maven Leslie Musnell.

It works wonders and it does everything that you want it to do plus smelling delicious like a vanilla infused pastry shop.

It inconspicuously hides those expression lines on the sides of the eyes, rises the cheekbones, and makes people tell you “you look great” even when it’s one of those days when you haven’t slept all night, but fell asleep right five minutes before the alarm rang and the whole enchilada begun, including those 6 coffees to keep your eyes open.

P.S. There’s not one word of this piece that has been sponsored, it is all fruit of my dedication to the beautiful things the Italian way. 

that 70's show

Spring arrived and officially the '70s vibe the runway perspired for this season trickled down. No signs of stopping.

Ever fascinating Suzy Menkes' latest column questions what is it that made the contraddictory return of the Seventies, otherwise known as 'the era that taste forget'. She recalls a conversation with Yves Saint Laurent, compares the denigratory and outraged press that his 1971 Scandale collection received and wondorously concludes that most probably current designers went  a trip down their youth memory lane. 

High waisted denim, A-line skirts, suede, fringes, vertiginous platforms or mocassins, bohemian dresses, long, flowy and sheer is what comes to mind together with Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot.

I am going to say 'street style' but I want you to stick with me.

I will not pontificate. I am going to roll out my opinion through a chain of thoughts: let me be your Happy Potter. 

“From outbound to inbound.”

— Yours Truly

The concept was born in the '60s, and it meant tribes of individuals freely expressing themselves through style,what they were wearing and the way they were styling their wardrobe at their own paste and taste. Ted Polhemus has been the most prolific sociologist to collect, describe and document how fashion has taken inspiration from the streets. One of his books, published twice and accompanied by an exhibit at London's V&A, witnessed the evolution of Street Style: from Sidewalk to Catwalk by showcasing how style found in the streets, spontaneous, genuine and bountiful of self-expression has been a long time inspiration for fashion designers. 

Now fast forward to today, or let's say, yesterdayear.

A lot has been said about the current state of "street style" affairs, including that it's dead or false. But, what is it? It involves a crop of popular gamines, bloggers or influencers, wearing sample-size dresses of whatever season is about to hit the stores, accessorized by their own team of videographer, photographer, social media manager, living in an eternal state of photoshoot - take the picture, post the picture, work a new "secret project" post it on their blog and so on.

See the difference? 

In the late '60s it was bringing your way of dressing out in the streets and there it was staying, outside. Birkin and Bardot defined an era by wearing their bikinis and basket bag just because they were naturally and uniquely chic and elegant (ok, gorgeous too).

Nowadays, until someone really pronounces it dead or unreal, the chosen influencers get showered with gifts of what brands and designers want to fly out of the shelves, put them on, go out in the streets, get snapped and photoshopped professionally and send them back to their millions of followers through their social media profiles. 

Both cases are the equivalent of wearing clothing with a purpose, but, chronologically we go from wearing whatever you want and becoming an icon, to making money out of other people's buying what you have been gifted to wear. 

So, after my Edna Mode exploit, let's go back to the Seventies and all there was so good that it came back. 

The instructions to read this redux is: keep your style in mind, don't delve into a trend just because it's allover. 

If it doesn't feel or look good to your eyes, it won't work just because the magazines tell you so.

Just pass, there's always something you will be able to embrace and wear that will make you feel at rhythm with the times and magazines.

Be aware of the "It" anything, it most probably costs an arm and a leg, it may look good on paper, it will be stored next season and you will end up looking like everyone you follow on Instagram and who pins on Pinterest.  

“I often said I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes”

— Yves Saint Laurent

Denim for everybody, seems like a liberating slogan like "free the nipple". 

Dust off what's been lingering in the closet, store skinnies (F I N A L L Y), dark washes and wide legs are a must, they are the best trick to elongate the legs and they go to work and after work. 

Let the pant do the legwork.

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Wider leg, cropped hem, add super luxe materials like suede and croc and it becomes a dusted modern '70s interpretation.

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Flared denim: we can finally declare the skinny DEAD (let's not tell the Kardashians)

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Patchwork denim: daring alternative, MUST be watchful not to do the scarecrow performance.

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Denim salopette: glorious with a blazer, A-line skirt and knee hight boots

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Denim on denim: this is the mother of all mothers. 

P.S. this is actually denim on chambrai, but it gives the idea.

The A-line skirt.

Vintage sounding indeed, especially when it's suede. The denim skirt buttoned in the front can be made actural with kitten heels and a trench or your classic navy blazer. 

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Long bohemian dress.

The long, swirly, flow-y, easy-breezy chiffon dress  

Fringes.

Yes, but be cautious, life's not Coachella.

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Shoes.

Make a statement: the saucier the platform is the better it is, be bold, think about the bachelorette party scene of Mamma Mia, be yourself, have fun BUT don't dress up. Two things I should add: stay away from knock-offs (by that I mean don't pretend to substitute the Saint Laurent with some King's Cross street market pleather concoction) and the good thing about the platform is that they are comfortable. 

All pictures are from Pinterest.