I've had my mind wrapped around buying a pair of "old school" leather hiking boots for two years now ever since I saw a beautiful pair in a store window while vacationing in Cortina. I tried them on for fun and I really liked them. But in an unfamiliar moment of restraint, I left the store telling the saleslady I'd think about it, assuming this crush was just the mountain air getting to my head and the inspiration to feel part of the great outdoors. How often would I actually wear them in the city? Well, two years on, I still like them and darn it, this may be just the year to invest in a little bit of hiking inspired footwear. I feel they're definitely trending at the moment but are something that will never truly go out of style. I'd wear mine with skinny jeans and an oversized sweater. Even in the city. 😊

Below are my top picks for every price range. Click on the photo for link to purchase.

Lately I've been obsessing over kimonos. There's something about the way they can make ordinary, extraordinary. Take the photo above. Without the kimono, one wouldn't even look twice at the basic jeans and striped tee combination. Add the kimono and you have something interesting, cool and unique. The trick is to wear it like an afterthought. Who would actually think to match it with a striped tee? That’s the trick, and you can take this look from day to evening by just changing your accessories. Runners to flat mules or heels, straw tote to clutch and you’re ready for a night out.

In March, I found an embroidered, navy blue, sequinned kimono dress with flower embroidery and a fringed hem. I found it on the Zara “last sizes rack” and it has quickly become one of my favourite pieces. That just goes to show that something can look expensive without being expensive. Now I am looking for my next, lighter weight style, but I may just hunt down the Japanese kimonos I bought in Tokyo in the 90's (now somewhere in storage) and see if they'll work the wonder I'm after!

Here are my top picks for every price range:

Sale season.
The bank was low immediately after Christmas but a month has past and prices are dropping along with my shopping guilt while I look for the "deal of the century". It's easy to get carried away with how much you're saving instead of how much you're actually spending! This can eventually lead to some impulse buys that you may be disappointed with later. During the sales, I either look for a really special piece that I wouldn't justify spending full price on, or a classic item that I know I'll wear day in and day out. It can also be an opportunity to find something for next season that you can be excited to wear in the upcoming months. In this way you can often find discounts on discounts.
Here are my top deals to be had!

Good luck!

Summer is becoming just a memory and the cooler weather is creeping in. I still need to do my seasonal "cambio di stagione" as we would say in Italian, or literally "change of season". This bi-annual tradition consists of moving and storing the past season's clothes (summer, in this case) out of the closet, and bringing the upcoming season's clothes in. I guess this tradition stems from the fact that most people own smaller houses in Europe where wardrobe space tends to be minimal. I dread the work involved since my stuff is packed in immensely heavy suitcases in the attic, (which involves teetering on a ladder to get them up and down), but I love the fact that my things feel almost new again after 6 months of not seeing them!

Now, since I've forgotten what I actually own for winter I've been very tempted to just go out and buy those coveted new items to update whatever is hiding up in my attic!

​These are my 5 Must Haves this season:

White is a hot color in general for Fall/Winter. It's chic and fresh and is at the top of my must haves for this season. A white pair of shoes or boots jump start any outfit, giving it modernity and that extra edge. ​

What is nicer to put on than a warm wool or cashmere sweater when temperatures drop? I favour large knit styles, turtlenecks and intarsia patterns and I especially have a weakness for beige coloured cable knits. This season buy it oversized.

Corduroy is back. In all shapes and sizes from culottes and baggy styles tapering just above the ankle to wide legs and bell bottoms straight down to the ground. I'm loving the thicker ridged styles. 

L-R from top
Cos 89€, Etro 270€, H&M 49,99€, Golden Goose 305€
Click on the photo link for more information on each style and where to buy it

Nothing screams COOL CHICK as much as a leather shearling coat. Get one. 

L-R from top
Acne Studios 2,400€, Marni 663€, Sandro 995€, Saks Potts 1,292€, Balenciaga 3,350€, Natasha Zinko 4,543€
Click on the photo link for more information on each style and where to buy it

By now we all have a much loved pair of sneakers, but it's time to get that 2nd, 3rd or 4th pair! They are insta-cool and give any outfit a laid-back but fashionable vibe. Worn with skirts, dresses and even suits, they juxtapose dressed up with dressed down in a perfect way. Below are some of my favourites but the market is so saturated right now you'll easily be able to find the right ones for you. 

L-R from top 
​Golden Goose Deluxe Brand 420€, Maison Margiela 684€, Stella McCartney 495€, Converse 35,69€, Premiata 149€ Adidas NMD 139,95€
Click on the photo link for more information on each style and where to buy it

Or...personalize your favorite sneaker at Adidas.com. I've done this a few times and love designing my own combination of colours and patterns with my initials or name inscribed on the shoe. Below I've highlighted in many different crazy colours, all the different parts of the shoe you can design. Give it a try!  Starting from 119,95€.

Up early and ready to shop! In line for the Kenzo for H&M launch in Florence.

A new concept store in footwear has opened in Via Tornabuoni. Situated right in front of Salvatore Ferragamo, SOTF is the store of the future. Sister store to Playground, SOTF has changed it's name from Space and now offers a variety of trendy sneakers.

As you enter the store, the product is displayed on the right wall, hosting brands such as Golden Goose, Adidas (Originals, by RAF Simons, Y-3), Common Progects, Eyty's, Buttero, Le Coq Sportif, Puma, Ports 1961 among others. The left side of the store proposes 3 minimalistic square cubicles of sort, set with monitors and white marble seating. If you look at the shoe, you will not find a price tag. Instead, by placing the product underneath the monitor, and with the help a microchip placed within the shoe, all the necessary information about that particular sneaker will pop onto the screen. You may even research all the styles available in your particular size.

SOTF is a welcome addition to Florence, especially with the new found trend in sneaker fashion. Can it beat the competition? Brands like Adidas' online personalization is hard to beat, especially when SOTF is pointing towards the technological aspect in the purchasing process. I'd be interested in seeing brands like Premiata and out of the ordinary Converse in their selection. I think they could still broaden their offer...
​In this demanding market, hopefully they'll find their niche.

Fly (Fashion Loves You) is hosting an event on Sept 20 from 6-9pm to promote emerging accessory designer, Brunellesca. Take advantage of the exclusive promotional shopping experience while enjoying an aperativo in the midst of a fashion "crime scene". A little mystery needs to be solved! 

Fly is the non-profit retail store of Fashion and Accessory Studies and Technology (FAST). It showcases unique student work and handcrafted items alongside emerging designers based in Italy, as well as high quality vintage and consignment clothing and accessories. 

In addition to fashion design, the retail space allows students a hands-on learning experience in fashion marketing, store management and sales strategies. Internships in Store Retail and Management create a professional environment for students to interact with the local community. What a great way to learn!

Take part in the fun on September 20 in Borgo Pinti, 20r in Florence from 6-9pm.

Remember the Pink Ladies? Rizzo, Frenchie, Marty and Jan?
I don't want to age myself...(Where's a good emoticon when you need it!) but, I was obsessed as a girl and I even hand-made myself a replica Pink Lady bomber jacket to play the part.

Now they're back and it'll be on my Fall must-have list. While I adore the above Gucci style for a modest 2980€ (yikes), I have my eye on a Zara Limited Edition reversible one. On one side there's a chinese dragon, tiger and floral print and the other side is plain black and dusty pink. Since my youngest son was born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon and my husband, the Year of the Tiger it couldn't be more fitting!
Check out Zara's collection. At the moment there's a wide variety of bomber styles for everyone from 50-100€.
I also love Zara's Special Edition embroidered floral style. 

In order of appearance:
Gucci silk bomber, 2980€
​Zara Limited Edition bomber, 99.95€
Zara Special Edition bomber, 89.95€
For more information on these products click on the photo to go to the relevant website. 

I was finally able to see the Karl Lagerfeld exhibition, Visions of Fashion at Palazzo Pitti and I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't been through the museums in many years and it was the perfect opportunity to do so. 

The first room you enter is a display of photographic editorial images printed on paper and hung in large panels from the ceiling. The effect is quite beautiful. Behind this room are two smaller rooms that show Lagerfeld's vision of scenes from Daphnis and Chloe. 

Thinking the exhibition ended here, I was a bit discouraged about the 13€ ticket but thought I'd ask to see if there were other rooms I could visit. Fortunately I asked! The best part was yet to come! They sent me towards the Palatina Gallery where room after extraordinary room, the photographs were mixed within the galleries creating a striking divergence with it's Renaissance surroundings. It was a breath of fresh air. In one of the rooms hung a "portrait" of Karl Lagerfeld in a gold gilded frame on the wall along side all the other 500 year old paintings. (See photo above.) Quite the touch of humor...

Interestingly enough, if you actually had Mr. Lagerfeld himself  lounging in one of these rooms he would look quite at home with his stiff shirt collars, white hair drawn back in a low pony tail and signature black gloves. His photography however, is in stark contrast to the environment in which it's displayed. Images which we habitually see within the covers of a magazine create the perfect juxtaposition, making the old seem new and adding a refreshing twist to a modern exhibition.

​Visions of Fashion ends October 23rd. 

Forte dei Marmi has long been the chic seaside getaway for Florentines (and beyond). The Hamptons of Tuscany...
Just an hour away by car, it offers a variety of beautiful and trendy boutiques, tasty seafood restaurants and many a bar to relax and enjoy a before-dinner "apertivo." Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Apuan Alps, the town is incredibly picturesque. It gets it's name, "Fort of Marble", from the 16th century Fortress which you can still find in the main square, originally used to defend the coast from intruders. Later in the 19th and early 20th century the world renowned Carrara marble which was quarried from the nearby mountains used to be stored in the town before being shipped off. (When I first visited Forte dei Marmi I thought the white of the mountains was snow before finding out it was actually marble!)

The beaches are lined with private "bagni", or facilities where you can pay to spend the day at the beach. Some are more exclusive than others and offer you a spot on the beach with an umbrella or tent for shade, various chairs, lounge chairs or lawn chairs to relax and sunbathe on, sometimes a swimming pool, your own changing room (for an additional fee) and a restaurant. Many of these places also have their own paddle boats that you can rent by the hour. 

​As for the shopping, the town is famous for the market they host 2 times a week on Wednesday and Sunday morning until 1:00pm. Here you can find some designer name brands for less as well as shoes, bags, belts, cashmere, fur coats, linens and houseware and decor.  
For those who need shopping therapy, you've come to the right spot! My favorite store at the moment happens to be Fiachini. There are 3 of them here, but I prefer the one on Via IV Novembre. A couple of months ago I bought a lovely black and white Self-Portrait dress that I just wore to a recent wedding and was pleasantly surprised when they gave me a discount at the cash for no apparent reason. They definitely know how to create customer loyalty! The store is trendy and tasteful, and carries designers such as Chloé, Isabel Marant, Self-Portrait, Givenchy, Saint Laurent and so much more! If anything, it is definitely worth a wander.