Return and go

Hello dears,

I'm sorry in this period had no time for blogging, was super-busy almost everyday, almost no moments of relax, and at night I really looked forward to see my bed and sleep, 

so apologize for my absence and thank all of you who have stayed and the new readers who came.

Also the upcoming period will be of hard working so hope you can understand 

if won't be able to write as I wish. 

Said that, I will continue to read your wonderful blogs.

Anyway I couldn't let the new year begin without my wishes. 

So my dear readers, I wish

this 2012 will be full of love, health and peace, you can fulfil your dreams and achieve your goals. And for me, just one wish. But I'll tell you afterwards. Promise.

Romy Schneider

 

Stay hungry, stay foolish

He was a visionary talent, a charismatic leader and an example for young people.

To him goes the merit to have spread the informatic verb and realized revolutionary ideas and inventions  which have changed our way of living and thinking. Without him the world would be really different.

I feel I'm still learning a lot from his personal story, a lesson of courage, strenght of will and intuitions.
He showed to be a fighter giving us a never-give-up message with his whole life - yes...I repeat that, never give up! - as well as a genius with extraordinary talents and a continuous source of inspiration.

So...I only say thank you to Mr. Jobs, R.I.P. and for us, let's keep on staying hungry and foolish.

Themes from the catwalk: macrame'

If you gave a look at the just passed Milan catwalks, you should have noticed the presence of a trend which is being all the rage everywhere: macrame'.
To impose the trend of this kind of lace- once consigned to the pieces of embroideries which decorated the household or bed linen of the grandmas- to name a few, Dolce&Gabbana and Prada (also Blumarine in the past spring summer collection).
Dolce&Gabbana doesn't betray the Sicilian identity of the brand, it gets quite stronger. Here macrame' covers entirely dresses, skirts and tops with 50s shapes, sometimes combined with light dresses with prints of vegetables, on the whole sensual and provocative in a fresh way. The declared inspiration is a cult movie - I posted about a year ago HERE - where Sofia Loren dances Mambo Italiano.
At Prada the use of macrame' is sophistication, made of appliques of little flowers of two tones over boxy coats, jackets and skirts. The aim is decorating clothes with a romantic effect. The colours are delicate, light blue, green, pink, salmon.

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Bottega Veneta, Made in Italy

Everyday luxury: Bottega Veneta collections give me always the idea to be thought for a woman who wants to stand out against the wild mass wearing luxury fashion. A reserved woman who don't flaunt - don't need a tag on her clothes - her distinctive sign is the appreciation of quality, both of materials and manufacturing and a modern retrò taste. This catwalk is a synthesis of masterly research on hand-crafted and sartorial pieces, with the purpose of combining the charm of discretion to a flair made of details, feminine and sleek shapes.

What predominates are delicate prints in orange, green and purple, thin and light fabrics, fluid dresses to wear in the city in midi lenghts. All in a mix, kind of urban-intellectual-ethnic, which lends a contemporary allure, nothing banal. What I loved most is the outfit beside, a bustier dress in purple print, a little sweater with geometric figures and orange profiles. See also below the elegant intrecciato plastic degradè-tone bag.

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Saturday afternoon

"Sometimes we need to stop analysing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens." Carrie Bradshaw

 

That's my mood today and this is what I'm wearing this afternoon, a silk printed top, heels you already know, forgot to show you the blue shorts.

 Have a nice Saturday!

Relaxed chic fall: suede inspiration

In order from the left: Isabel Marant suede leggings (1680$) and Notify skinny pants (805$), MiH shirt (175 $), Reed Krakoff (Wonder!) suede jacket (2500$), Alexander McQueen silk chiffon scarf (295$), Yves Saint Laurent Opyum suede pumps (665$), Yves Saint Laurent Tote (1995$), Cartier Love bracelet.

Charlotte Casiraghi on Vogue Paris

This editorial expected on the September issue of Vogue Paris dedicates Charlotte Casiraghi to becoming a new icon of style and beauty like her mother Princess Caroline, was at her age. Like any icon she is that naturally. An unstudied elegance, a gentle sensuality make her admired by the girls all over the world and in the shooting signed by Mario Testino and styled by Emmanuel Alt, emerges a feminine girl, who doesn't folllow fashion trends: somehow she looks at old glamour given by classic clothes with a touch of personal taste, in a cool posture, with an intellectual-chic way of being.
She wears basic pieces carrying forward the French and Italian heritage of well-dressing: Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Balmain, Isabel Marant, the highly-appreciated-designer-in-Paris Giambattista Valli, Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Versace, Pucci, Gucci are her favourites and her choises in the pubblic events and in her casual looks.
Which is your favourite picture, guys? I love how she looks lay down in the Alberta Ferretti blue dress.

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Inspiration du matin: Tomboy

 

No rule inspiration. Picasso

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The Row Handbags

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Low cost-High style: Best Zara shoes

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Summer Scrapbook part 1

Hello darlings,

Sorry for my absence, my holidays have started only a week ago, very later than expected, I spent some days in my summer home where I could relax.
My baggage included few things, light dresses and comfy shorts, no heels, passed my days getting up late in the morning, staying outdoors, and apart going to the sea to sunbath, during my parents' absense, enjoyed cooking fish dishes - it was the occasion to try simple and tasty recipes at my friends' expense! To tell the truth am a little disaster in kitchen and generally I cook only to survive...Ha Ha! - loved also taking care of the garden and the fruit trees and applied myself to improving my green fingers!
Only very late we went down in the village to have dinner and drink at the bar (skipped the club).
So peaceful habits, idleness, sleeps, no phones, no noises, just a lot of pleasant chats with friends in front of the view of the still sea, thanks to the location we enjoy on a little hill. And you, how are spending the vacations?

Here you have some random pictures, taken yesterday, of the things used to go to the sea: a see-through flower shirt, that's ideal to match with a cherry bandeau swimsuit or a yellow or green bikini (all La Perla), my beach towel and a rafia bag (bought on a Sicilian island last year) which I can totally fill with books - am alternating some pages of a classic detective story by Agatha Christie to an essay I had in mind to read - camera and sun creams.
Showed also the flat sandals I used for the village and the capacious blue bag (Furla) to go to the farmers' market to buy fresh bread and vegetables. I have fun going to the markets and talking with farmers, I find out always new things, am totally inexperienced and like learning all about organic products.

With the strong sun, during the day I never use make up, at night only a light illuminating tinted moisturizer by Elizabeth Arden, a thin layer of Dior blush, and a line of eye pencil to shade the eyes with rimmel. Essential for me is also paying much attention to clean perfectly the skin: to this purpose can't renounce to the Carita eau lactee, until now the best cleanser I've ever found out.

Talk to you soon!
Ciao belli!

Dreams VS Real Economics

The pictures are from Valentino Haute Couture collection, a symbol of an intimate luxury, 
reminding of an aristocrat woman of Russian origins, who wears light but hyper-precious dresses
with romantic and flattering shapes.
 Couture is a privilege for few people and we all can only dream of it, but to be honest, in these times of financial and economics crisis, I relate in particular to the public debt crisis that is involving Italy (but also Usa) and the consequent always growing fiscal pressure, the fall of the stock exchange indexes (FTSE mib in Italy) and the high levels of volatility, the growing spread of Italian government bond yields compared to German's ones, judged to be in decline, the negative opinions of American rating agencies on Italian markets and the speculative attacks, and more concretely,
a problem that concerns the whole Euro zone,
the widespread unemployment from which only Germany seems to be safe,
Greece and Portugal seem to be closer and so on...
I don't want to bore you...I feel that there's very little space to dream.

 (you know I have sometimes a critical approach to fashion, though knowing that fashion is besides a big game, an industry with many employees)

Do you have some considerations about it?
I think young people must have "broad shoulders" for the future.

The coolest of the moment: SUPER

 

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We could have had it all

Summer Set 1

 

This set contains my latest obsessions:

My favourite shopping bag at Prada's, the colour matches with anything and it's very handy. I'm appreciating the ease of a bag more than the shape and I have a thing about shoulder strap.

The mini by Missoni (I'm looking for that), very sexy, so also during the day we add a  bit of colours in a black-oufit, it would be perfect also with a white shirt to wear knotted in the waist.

Something sheer like that shirt.

And a pair of simple black sandals but without a stiletto heel.

Inspiration from Milan

Pictures by Tommy Ton (from Style.com)

I love the absolute freshness of the first and the last pictures, what do you think about?

They remind me of those feminine clothes we can find in our mum or grandma's closet, aren't they? 

 A style that is never unfashionable, just matched with new accessories or revised in a contemporary key,  like the mini dresses made of white laces proposed by Dolce&Gabbana for this summer
(Anna Dello Russo wears an embellished version, with swarowski, in the picture).

I find also that an elegant note is in the effortless way the girls wear in.
Plus j'adore the hair cut, terribly chic!

Versace and H&M new collection!

Born This Way

If you have some minutes check it out. Extraordinary live performance by Gaga.

She has such a great voice. Really love this.

Low Cost-High Style

Thin-strap high heel sandals by H&M, 70$

Beauty Secrets. Beauty Awards.

A renovated skin - cause some exercises and a healty diet -
during these days makes me interested in the last news of the beauty industry.

When summer is going to come, you know, we all have an increasing care in beauty

So...I have a bigger care in exfoliating and moisturizing face skin to protect it from hot temperatures.

Add it the desire to change my beauty routine
- don't you get to try always new products even when you have a full cabinet?-,
add it a little confusion when you read so many product reviews on the magazines (everything seems to suit me and at the end I dunno which choose!), and last but not the least, the reading of Emily Weiss's blog "Into the gloss" that has aroused the impulse to buy ANYTHING-I-READ.

Result?

Result#1: I made a little research on the world wide web to find out the best last beauty products and I've discovered that the CEW (cosmetic executive women) award the top beauty products of the year. Yeees...this is exactly what I was looking for!

So for the facial skincare here is the 2011 list:

Acne (but I think nobody among my readers has it!): heat treat blemish prevention-Zeno Corporation

Anti aging mass: Ageless Vitality elasticity Recharging System day-Aveeno

Anti aging prestige: Even better clinical spot corrector-Clinique

Cleanser and scrub: White Lucent Brightening cleansing foam-Shiseido

Eye Treatment mass: Brilliance eye beautifier-Roc

Eye Treatment prestige: Advanced night repair eye sinchronized- Estee Lauder

Moisturizer mass: Regenerist Night resurfacing Elixir-Olay (in Europe Olaz)
Moisturizer prestige: Genefique Repair Activating Youth Night Cream

If you want to see the other top awarded products and the finalists, concerning also body, hair and make up, men's grooming, scents, sun products, and eco-bio or want to read the winners reviews click here.

Result#2: From Into the gloss, you know, you can find out the beauty confessions of fashion insiders, models and beauty experts. So which better place to know what works?

As I love Julia Restoin Roitfeld, post here some products from her beauty routine:

Eve Lom Cleanser
Lancome Genefique cream
Ysl Touche Eclat (I love and have it too)

Lancome Teint Miracle foundation
L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes
Ysl Blush variation (I love and have it too)
The Multiple stick from Nars

And if you want to read the complete list in the article click here

In the next post tell you my beauty secrets and my top list

Pictures from Into the gloss

Metallic

Elizabeth and James

Chiyo

Hermes

Ah...Hermes! Totally a dream...Birkin and Kelly, aren't the most coveted bags?! They are the summa of the chic you can add to embellish your look. Exude glamour evoking past divas, they are like a jewel, charged of history, in the hands of a classy-uptown girl.
But Hermes, you know, represents overall a sort of goal of success and status of a working-woman. It's a symbol, an object with an intrinsic value. It's said you don't have to get it before 30 years old.
It's not yet the right moment for me, in the future who knows?! I think it's something you have to earn only as times goes by. I wish I deserved it.

For now let's try to close the eyes and imagine colour, shape and materials among the unnumbered ranges of this dream. And then keep this vision as a secret wish.

Couldn't be the awaiting cathartic? If I will be able to have it in my hands, at the end, am not so sure I'd buy it...at least new immaculate. It's something that can't be kicked around, right? So where is the fun?

Pictures from The Coveteur (Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's closet)

So my ideal is: vintage, used so I don't have to be too careful, Kelly Retourne, 32, black leather,
gold hardware. Although am not an Olsen fan, I'm totally crazy with this look from head to toe:

New in

Do you remember last weekend I had to go to find a new dress?! What do you think?:-)

A bad wedding guest?

Hi dears,

did you spend a good week-end? I did a little trip to my seaside home with my friends and in the best tradition we organized a barbecue to stay outside and in the nature.

In these days as you know there's a lot of talk about the royal wedding, -2 at the count down, every media is dealing with the event of the year...that Cinderella's tale fulfils, and a commoner gets married a Prince, (blonde, blue eyes, the most blazoned in Europe) is not an everyday thing...as Tony Blair well said British monarchy is an affair for tourists, charms and he is totally right: the ceremony catches the attention of the whole world and hundreds of thousands of visitors are coming in the City. About the couple everything is said, newspapers are analysing Kate's style, family, origins (the British pay a lot of attention at these kind of things with the inevitable comparison with Diana), and pages and pages are wasted since months. The girl actually, nice and intelligent, excites the interest and the curiosity of all of us for her simple appearence, standing to be the princess of the people, almost like Diana but more as from the middle classes she comes. We will see!

Still talking about weddings, I have a wedding of a dear friend at the beginning of May.

When a friend says she gets married you think in order:

1 Oh my God! I'm so happy for youuuuu!

2 Ok, let's forget all the nights spent together drinking and chatting about men and all girly matters.

3 Oh my God! What I'll wear?!

4 Wedding? Somebody still gets married?! This, with the closed mouth, just in my mind.

About the last point, have to admit I have contrasting feelings, am not much for weddings in general for a precise reason: the weddings would be beautiful, don't misunderstand, if only lasted and didn't finish so miserally in many cases. Too many. And when I see a couple vowing to be together for the whole life, I can't think about but all the breakings-off. Not so romantic! Moreover I convince myself more and more they have not to be just a love affair, I mean, a good amount of rationality helps, as nothing more than the heart can make big mistakes.

Never say never but this kind of big promises scare me. Anyway, these thoughts don't take anything that am glad for my friend, though knowing we'll see less.

About the dress I haven't decided, have so many elegant silk-chiffon dresses worn once that seem wasted to languish in my closet, so even if could be a good cause to buy a new one, think I'll drop (not completely sure, we'll see this weekend). Have a handful of possible choises trying to avoid black and white dresses, the pastels colours are terrible for everybody unless you are 80 y.o. and are the Queen Elizabeth,  just to keep the point. I could wear a long green dress, peplum style, bought in NYC last year...but I want to wear something short. Simply light, swirling, tasting summer like that. 

Giambattista Valli

Jogging Time

Dear readers,

this is a brief post to excuse me for my absence and lack of posts, almost 2 weeks in the blogosphere seem to be an eternity, I was very busy and have to admit I missed my blog so much...so I promise to dedicate more time and care to it. Shortly we''ll have Easter holidays, mine will be full of commitments and few holidays, but so that's ok. I'm discovering that I like to be absorbed in my must-do-things more than fun and relax. It's quite strange, isnt't it? In some periods seem a work-aholic! Does it happen to you? The only negative note could be that the travel I had planned should be put off until the end of May, but after all that's not bad, I'll have a milder weather for my strolls.

Also in these days I'm feeling like jogging, it's a super good method to relieve tension and stress, staying open air, having a super healthy diet as much as good habits like going early to bed and waking up very early in the morning. Specify it has not to do with losing weight, but with a good way of living Latins summed up in "mens sana in corpore sano".

Well...ok...the last two things will be very difficult to keep. How long will it last? Maybe will do all that for some days - someone is having a bet if I will do it for at least 4 weeks and am well-known for wishing to win all my bets - anyway I'll keep you up to date. The plan starts tomorrow :-)

Here the always-supercool-very inspiring-Gwyneth Paltrow

Lovely things

Have a look at these heels from River Island (65£), I find they are really lovely and I'd like to buy them.

 Why doesn't it ship to Italy?! Suggestions to know how or where to buy them (aren't even sold on Asos)?

And have a look at these very nice Isabel Marant-style jeans from Asos (46$), really the exact copy.

 

HATE\LOVE

Love:

my favourite shades, a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer I keep with me everywhere, also in winter days.
English countryside.
authentic generosity from people you wouldn't expect.
reading an absorbing book. Boring books are awful, aren't they?*
friends (very few).
people who fights for the ideals, men and women who have courage at the cost of their life. How incredible is that?
white dresses in summer and leather jackets always.
driving
fucking what people says (Even if it would wiser to listen).
American People**.

Hate:

wasted time I can't get back.
time I don't have at the moment to travel abroad. Dreaming California. :-)
French Countryside.
those who don't practise what preach.
having fear.
thinking that world will never be changed.
tights in spring.
France that pushes the immigrants away.
when people doesn't have an opinion.
silly movies.


*By the way, I will ask your participation about this.
** I will talk about it in a post.

Hanneli

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