The other day I was perusing the winter sales while online and I happened to notice that there were a lot of capes for sale. I already have a beautiful wool zip up cape that I bought a few years ago and I was inspired to take it out and wear it! The only issue is that underneath a coat a cape is actually quite uncomfortable so I layered it overtop of my oversized coat and voilà!
I'm sure I must have seen this somewhere before, but my husband did question my style blazing efforts by saying "Ma....hai inventato tu questo look?" meaning "Ummm....did you invent this look?". Whatever, sometimes you just need to break away from conventionality and wear your clothes however you want to wear them!
Is it just me or are there are lot of clothes (like capes) that are a little impractical. I mean, those of us who are cold all the time wouldn't wear a cape on its own in the winter, and yet they are so beautiful! I love having mine around for when I am indoors to wrap around my shoulders in case I catch a draft. Oh Italy, you've made me delicate!
The Reason I Dressed
This was on a Saturday. A typical Saturday for us in Modena involving all of my simple pleasures......a late breakfast / early lunch at the Caffè del Collegio of gnocco fritto (fried savoury dough), a soy cappuccino and a sip of prosecco! I've written before about the Caffè del Collegio here and gnocco fritto as well. Plus, if you've signed up for the magazine this month I feature a great place to enjoy this typical Italian "street food" in the Fashion city of Carpi!
Saturdays are an institution in Italy, I've written before about why they are so important here and why you shouldn't plan to do much on Sundays! On Saturdays the Caffès are open, the market is open and the stores are open..... Saturdays are for walks, even in the winter! Whereas Sundays are for pjs, cleaning the house (*tear*) and other such things!
We love to walk to the centre of the city, window shop, let our son hang out on the steps of the Duomo, take a spin on the merry-go-round, grocery shop at the Market, go for lunch and coffee and then head home with our groceries to start a big dinner.
What I Wore
The other day we went out with friends for a "Cioccolata Calda", which literally translates to "Hot Chocolate", however the Italian version is so thick, creamy and intense that your spoon hardly sinks! I was in a rush to get ready and left the house looking a little unkept and I felt just awful!! We ended up running into 10 people we knew and I kept thinking... "I should have gotten ready!". This is why Italians never leave the house looking shabby, there is a 90% chance you will run into people you know everytime you step foot outside of your house!
So on this easy Saturday, for no particular reason I wore a black wool tunic dress and my black python booties from Vic Matie. These are still available here in a beige leather at less than a third of the original price! In Canada I don't think I ever wore a "dress" to go for a walk, but somehow in Italy it just feels so right!
I'm also testing out some of the new items from the collection and this real python belt is part of that. I designed it with a solid brass buckle custom-made by an artisan in Florence. Later on I will get into the difference between commercially available buckles and accessories and accessories that are made to measure by artisans. I'll also talk about the differences between a cheap metal finish (the ones that chip, turn a different color and look like they have little imperfections and bubbles on them) and our finished that are "bathed" in a metal that contains real gold, silver or in this case palladium!
I LOVE the weight on this, it totally keeps me together and makes me feel like a lady. It is lined in a very soft French calf leather and finely stitched and painted along the edges.
My fold-over leather tote is by the brand Stefanel and I did a whole post dedicated to it and how you can get the look for less here! My cape is no longer available, however, this is a very similar hooded option in felted wool by the brand Mackage. It zips and has detailing in genuine leather trim, plus it is currently on sale at Shopbop here.
My neutral cream oversized coat is by the brand SELECTED FEMME, they are pretty famous in Italy for their outerwear and this similar style is currently available on sale here.
The Building of A Brand
This month in the magazine I wrote about the new series on the blog The Building of A Brand, part of that is going to be sharing these first prototypes of the collection with you and I would love to hear your feedback. Interestingly enough although I do a lot of research into trends I'm trying to make this collection as "untrendy" as possible.
I really want to make classic pieces that are a bit outside of what is "alla moda" to ensure that the buyer will love them for the long term and not just for one season. Even though they will be 5- 10 times cheaper than the exact same items from designer brands (after all we make those luxe items !) they still aren't cheap, so I prefer to design based on longevity and not on trendiness.
Some News!
I have just been accredited as an official Fashion Blogger of the Milan Women's fashion Week!! More on this to come. In other news I *just* bought my tickets home to Toronto for this summer. The last time I went back home was for my son's first birthday party.... 3 years ago! I can't even believe three years has passed, it seems like only yesterday.
I will be going in August and I may try to head out East to see my other sister as well, but that has yet to be planned. Anyways, I really needed this, for the first time in a long time I am homesick. Looking forward to my Saturday strolls in Toronto and I'll be bringing you along!
Have a great tuesday!
Now onto YOUR style...
#REASONSTODRESS Street Style Linkup
