Un “outfit casual” secondo me!

Quante volte vi capita di ricevere un invito che dice “causal outfit” e di non sapere mai come vestirvi?

A me spesso, ma credo dipenda dal fatto che casual outfit può avere valenze diverse a seconda del contesto (lavorativo, un evento, una celebrazione religiosa, tempo libero etc.) e soprattutto dell’idea che ognuno di noi ha del concetto di casualwear.

Premetto che non sono affatto avversa al vestirsi in modo informale e comodo quando sia possibile (dopo il Covid questo mio concetto di possibilità si è ulteriormente allargato!) e che non trovo, come sostengono alcuni, che il casualwear sia contrario alla femminilità anzi…la femminilità e il proprio modo di essere femminili sono concetti fortemente personali e quindi automaticamente non giudicabili dall’esterno e che non dipendono necessariamente dal nostro modo di vestirci.

Detto ciò anche io ho il mio concetto di casual outfit che nel caso specifico si adatta al contesto del tempo libero: estate, no trucco, comoda, fresca ma che si capisca che sono sempre io con la mia personalità. Come?

Così:

Tee e panta super comfy sono il mio mantra estivo ma entrambi sono stati scelti con cura ed entrambi dicono delle cose su di me: i) la tee rosa è di Marché Noir, il brand di cui vi ho parlato QUI non molto tempo fa e che ho visitato a Parigi durante il mio ultimo viaggio. Vintage di “terza mano” recuperato dai mercati africani e capi sostenibili realizzati in Africa con il logo del brand che ho amato molto, proprio come questa tee. Cosa dice di me? Vintage, sostenibilità, Africa, Parigi. Direi che ci siamo! ii) i pantaloni comfy in cotone color corda sono invece di Lazzari, uno dei miei punti di riferimento della moda Made in Italy. Loro invece raccontano di qualità, made in Italy, safari (per lo stile e il colore dei pantaloni direi!). Anche qui ci siamo.

E poi il tocco inconfondibile: un foulard tra i capelli a mo’ di turbante. Lui dice tutto sempre per me ma questo è un foulard speciale. E’ un foulard vintage di Missoni che per me è soprattutto il ricordo di una persona speciale, mia zia. Lui in particolare parla di amore per ciò che rappresenta la famiglia e ovviamente di una persona (io) che ama anche sbirciare negli armadi di famiglia!

Last but not least i gioielli vintage e handmade: ognuno di loro ha un significato preciso o è legato a un ricordo, un evento, un luogo. Ci metterei troppo a raccontarveli uno per uno ma posso dirvi che tutto ciò che indosso rappresenta sempre qualcosa di specifico e di rilevante per me.

PS: Le Birkenstocks le ho già definite l’estensione dei miei piedi in estate, credo che anche questo dica tantissimo lol

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La Tanzania in Sicilia…con un outfit!

Abbiamo già parlato di Endelea su questi schermi ma quando mi appassiono di un’idea o di un progetto non mi stanco mai di parlarne! Ho conosciuto Francesca De Gottardo, solare ed energetica CEO di questo brand sostenibile, nel 2021, durante il primo temporary del brand a Milano in zona Isola e grazie a lei ho scoperto un mondo bellissimo dietro il suo impegno e passione per Endelea e per il continente africano.

I capi di Endelea sono ideati in Italia e realizzati a mano da sarti e artigiani locali a Dar Er Salaam in Tanzania: i tessuti scelti sono quelli della tradizione locale (kitenge, kikoi, wax), i lavoratori e lavoratrici sono artigiani che lavorano in trasparenza e rispetto dei lavoratori stessi e dell’ambiente e in questo senso la continua formazione è fondamentale.

In pochi anni Endelea ha fatto tantissima strada: fondata nel 2018 è passata presto da start-up a società benefit, poiché integra agli obiettivi di profitto, lo scopo di avere un impatto positivo sulla società e sulla biosfera. Nel 2022 Endelea è stata premiata durante la settimana della moda come miglior brand emergente ricevendo anche il Gaetano Marzotto 2030 Social Impact Award.

D’altronde il nome stesso, Endelea, in swahili ha un significato preciso: significa andare avanti, non arrendersi di fronte alle difficoltà, e questo motto Francesca ha saputo farlo suo, partendo da una piccola collezione di pochi capi e arrivando a collezioni complete anche di accessori e ormai pluripremiate.

Il concetto di Endelea però rimane semplice e nella sua semplicità molto ambizioso, con il sogno di creare un polo della moda tanzaniano in cui collaborino artisti e designer locali con i quali spesso collabora.

La tee che indosso in questo total outfit Endelea sfoggiato in Sicilia la scorsa estate rappresenta bene la collaborazione di Endelea con gli artisti tanzaniani: è infatti realizzata in cotone biologico africano e la frase è tratta da una poesia dell’artista tanzaniana Valerie Asiimwe Amani. Parte dei ricavati della vendita di queste tee sono state devolute proprio al Nafasi Art Space di Dar Er Salaam e a Uhuru Republic.

La gonna invece, una delle mie preferite in un modello classico di Endelea che richiama la tradizione masai, è realizzata proprio in kikoi, una stoffa in cotone intrecciato tradizionale della cultura swahili, indossata principalmente dal popolo Masai del Kenya, nonché dagli uomini della Tanzania e di Zanzibar.

Per rimanere in tema ho indossato un headwrap in indigo del Mali di Sarakule e borsa vintage anni 70 di Humana Vintage. Anche molti dei bijoux che indosso sono made in Africa, come la collana masai di Miss Zanzibar e l’anello senegalese di Achichi.

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Un bubù africano da indossare tutti i giorni a Milano…Ke Chic!

Indossare il grand bubù tutti i giorni (o quasi) è sempre stato il mio desiderio: non è un caso che lo faccia spesso quando vado in Africa proprio perché è un capo con cui mi sento a mio agio e che mi permette di esprimere il mio grande amore per questo continente e l’onore di indossare un capo con una tradizione millenaria. E’ anche un capo che indosso per ballare sabar per cui non è una sorpresa che nel mio armadio ci siano molti bubù, la maggior parte dei quali vintage o realizzati a mano in Senegal durante i miei viaggi.

Quando ho scoperto che a Milano c’era un bravissimo sarto senegalese (Cheikh della Sartoria Kechic, fondata insieme a Valeria) che aveva immaginato il bubù come ponte tra Italia e Africa mi sono incuriosita subito tantissimo e ho voluto scoprire di cosa si trattasse. E’ nata così l’amicizia con Cheikh e Valeria, nella loro vecchia sartoria a Isola, prima dell’apertura del loro negozio in via Pepe, proprio grazie a un bubù! Cheikh mi spiegò ai tempi che aveva realizzato questo bubù un po’ più corto rispetto alla lunghezza abituale mettendo insieme due tipologie di tessuto diverso: un freschissimo cotone stampato italiano con un wax africano. Questo l’avrebbe reso più semplice da indossare, anche con un pantalone e una gonna sotto, senza alterarne però le origini e i significati che riveste nella tradizione africana.

Non credo sia necessario dire che lo acquistai subito.

Sull’onda di quel modello che poi ho utilizzato tantissimo in svariate situazioni (viaggi, ufficio, danza, serate) la sartoria Kechic ha lanciato un altro modello, sui toni del giallo, che è quello che vedete qui in foto: freschissimo, adattabilissimo e ampliamente sfruttabile come il suo predecessore, in un colore che adoro, anche questo bubù è arrivato nel mio armadio.

Li uso entrambi tantissimo e sono praticamente sempre in valigia quando parto: che sia per il mare, per uno stage di danza o per un viaggio, anche nel deserto (proprio il modello giallo mi ha accompagnato nella mia prima esperienza nel deserto del Sahara!)

L’intento di Cheikh, di normalizzare l’uso di questo capo, in qualsiasi situazione e a qualsiasi latitudine, senza dimenticare mai le sue radici africane, è stato pienamente centrato!

Qui lo indosso come piace a me: in Sicilia, nel suo caldo torrido estivo, in versione multistrato sopra un pantalone color corda in cotone di Lazzari, un altro dei miei passpartout preferiti! Per non parlare delle Birkenstocks marroni (naturale estensione dei miei piedi in estate!) e della borsa vintage anni 70 di Humana Vintage. Gioielli vintage e handmade…come sempre!

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The Ladybug and the long hunt for a vintage smoking jacket

A few years ago I decided that I wanted a vintage man smoking jacket: I couldn’t stop thinking of the many outfits that I could create with it, even easy ones, and I believe that this is a collector piece that would stay forever in the wardrobe.

I started then a long hunt for my perfect smoking jacket knowing that they are very hard to find mostly for two reasons:  1. As I said last time I’m not really a fan of oversize jackets then I would have needed to find a small men size (very rare!); 2. Not many sellers deal with this type of jackets as they are not easy to sell.

As many of my vintage hunts it lasted a few years and it ended with the help of Ilaria from Madame Ilary who found this perfect olive green piece for me: it’s just amazing! The shape, the color, the size, I think it was really made for me! The long wait for the perfect piece was over but I can say that this piece was really worth the wait!

This is a very important lesson for those who want to buy vintage and want to do it sustainably: don’t rush on the first piece you find thinking that you cannot find better. You’ll always will. Trust vintage and you’ll see that the perfect piece for you is just around the corner. Maybe it could take some time (sometimes even years) but don’t be in the rush, it will appear sooner or later!

I immediately wore my new vintage smoking jacket with a simple black organic cotton shirt, a pair of vintage Levi’s jeans  and a pair of aqua ankle boots from Ouigal.

Last important touch: a vintage hairdo realized by the amazing Kitty Vintage Style and a precious comb created by Madame Ilary.

What do you think of my first outfit with this fantastic piece? Easy peasy!

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The Ladybug on the Oversize way of living!

Oversize clothing is often a trend: oversize pants, oversize jackets, oversize tees we have had them all as a trend in the last years and they keep coming back every now and then. But be careful: oversize is not just a trend and we can’t make it ours if we don’t really feel it!

In the last couple of years for example vintage oversize jackets had a huge comeback in the vintage shops; men blazers in particular were everywhere in shops and in town! I really love a man jacket on a woman but hey…that’s not for me! It’s just not my style!

The result is that if I see it on a girl in the street I think it’s cool but when I wear it I feel it’s not me at all.

You want to know why? It’s easy: oversize is a way of living, not just a trend. Many people love this style and I think it suits them perfectly, because it’s theirs, they can really feel it! This is applicable for every style I guess and it is important to acknowledge that, especially when we buy by trends because if it’s not ours we won’t wear it! If we won’t wear it we wasted money and we acted unsustainably.

Nevertheless, with my Sicilian mate Leli Green Closet I decided to give it a try: she offered me this beautiful gray vintage men blazer and I decided to style it my way. With a sweater from Madame Ilary, a pair a jeans from Rouje and two incredible pieces that I found on Vinted last year: a vintage Celine shoulder bag and a pair of Texan boots from Roberto Cavalli. Indian earrings are vintage from my mum.

I must confess that I felt quite comfy and at ease with this jacket even if I have never worn one before. It was a test and it worked. I keep using it and I also tried this style at work with a floral dress. It works.

Still it is and will be probably the only oversize jacket in my wardrobe.

How do you feel about them? Is that your style or you don’t wear them? Or maybe you just follow the trend…let me know, I’m curious to hear about that!

Photo credit: Marco Di Terlizzi

Find women dresses here

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The Ladybug on vintage pride and prejudice

It has been almost 30 years that I buy vintage and I start having a sort of attitude like: “I know what it’s good for me so leave me alone when I do my vintage shopping”. This is not a very good attitude for a vintage shopper: the fact that we have clear vision on what we like and what we are looking for dors not mean that we can underestimate the surprising power of vintage!

I am wearing here the vintage suede jacket that started my thoughts and considerations on how vintage can still surprise me, as well as the eye of a vintage seller who convinced me to try it even if I did not want to (“It’s not my style” – I said – “I don’t like the color either!”). The good part of it is that the vintage seller was Tiziana from Vintage Afropicks and I have such a consideration and estimation of her work that I always give it a try when I see that she is insisting on something!

And I must confess that she was totally right: not only this jacket was amazing and fitted perfectly but I also loved the style and eventually thought that the color was great on me!! Unbelievable!!

When I left the shop I thought that I should never say no to a vintage try, even if I’m not convinced at first, because I’ve got my best pieces exactly like that, when I didn’t expect them!

For this shooting during a warm end of October day in Milan I wore this beautiful jacket from Vintage Afrocpicks with a handmade green pussycat bow shirt from Madame Ilary and my favorite black trousers from Rouje.

The bag is an old L’Autre Chose piece found during a sample sale, the shoes are vintage from Damsels in Distress. Ginkgo earrings are handmade from the amazing Made in Camper.

You can find women cheap shoes here

The Ladybug can hear the “African Voices”

One of the most vibrant and interesting exhibits that I have attended this year is African Voices hosted by one of my favorite art galleries in town, Officine dell’Immagine.

The exhibition was entirely dedicated to the complex and multifaceted African artistic panorama: Safaa Erruas (Morocco), Mounir Fatmi (Morocco), my beloved Maïmouna Guerresi (Italy-Senegal) and Kyle Weeks (Namibia) pieces are showcased with their different yet dynamic views of the African continent. Each one of them with their characteristic form of art and thinking. Not only different views but also different languages adopted by the artists involved, whose works can range from videos to installations, from photography to sculpture. All these pieces were exhibited in Milan for the first time.

No need to say that I enjoyed it very much and I loved spending time in analyzing and interpreting the views of these incredible artists.

Officine dell’Immagine is not new to this type of event: I suggest that you follow them to keep informed on the new exhibits as personally I loved each and every one of them.

You can find some of my favorite pieces here and a special sustainable outfit for the event:

  • Second hand short-sleeved jumper from Sézane on Vinted
  • Vintage leather skirt from Vintage Como
  • Vintage 80s boots from London Corner
  • Second hand man blue shirt
  • Vintage bag from Humana Vintage
  • Vintage Mila Schon headscarf from Archetipo
  • Handamde earrings from Metalica

Can’t wait for the next Officine dell’Immagine event (also I love the fact that every time we go we are always alone and can enjoy the whole gallery only for us!!)

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The Ladybug tells the fascinating story of Aran textiles

If you love vintage, especially vintage sweaters, you need to read this post as I’m going to tell you something more about the fascinating story of Aran sweaters (a piece that is a must have in our wardrobe!).

Aran sweaters (or cardigans) get their name from the Aran islands off the west coast of Ireland, islands of fishermen and farmers, known all over the world for their precious textiles. Their weaves tells stories: stories of the families who gave them birth or have them as a social code, they often contains codes to be read and they are handed down from one generation to another. Many of their stitches are reflective of Celtic Art.

From their origins Aran sweaters are strictly linked to clans and their identities: the different stitch combinations can transmit a lot of information to those who can interpret them; they were a reflection of the lives of the knitters and their families and they stay within the same clan for generations.

Can you imagine that in the past the weaves were used to identify the fishermen washed up on the beach? Today an official register of Aran weaves exists and it is possible to refer to it in the Aran Sweater Market on the Aran islands.

The yarn is very heavy and robust, perfect for warming the body especially in the sea because it is also water repellent as it absorbs more than 30% of water before getting wet. The natural wool fiber is breathable and helps maintaining the body at its ideal temperature, protecting from excessive cold or heat.

Even if nowadays it is quite easy to find good quality Aran wool sweaters produced with modern machines, it is quite difficult to find handmade ones new. The good news is that you can still find handmade original traditional Aran cardigans and sweaters in the vintage stores and markets. I often found them in UK and in Ireland (where my vintage cardigan comes from – a garage sale in Dublin…even if I had to change the original buttons, which was such a shame!) and the second positive thing is that, being quite resistant, they don’t fear time passing: most of them was in excellent conditions!

I am wearing mine here with a thrifted (but new) Realisation Par animal print silk skirt, an organic cotton tee and a pair of old Carmens ankle cowboy boots. The bag is vintage from Live In Vintage in Milan.

Do you own an original Aran piece?

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The Ladybug’s sustainable flowers are BLOOMing!

When we talk about sustainable fashion – in Italy but not only – we can’t not mention Gaia Segattini, definitely one of the Italian pioneers for everything knitwear sustainably created.

But this is only one of the reasons why I love her brand so much and I am thinking of enlarging my personal Gaia Segattini Knotwear collection! I will try to give you a list of things that I love about her (as a person, for as much as I can see from Internet) and as a brand:

  • Sustainability of a brand is not only a matter of fabrics: Gaia Segattini creates her wool and cotton pieces with recycled yarns from other companies’ scraps. Don’t think of scrap as a bad quality yarn: most of times companies don’t use all the ordered materials and for this reason they sell what they don’t need for their production. Additionally, she owns a factory where people are correctly treated and she doesn’t produce more than what customers will buy; mainly the colors of her standard pieces depend on the availability of the yarns and she uses monthly drops with the produced pieces instead of permanent collections to reduce waste.
  • The wool: I can’t get enough of a brand that produces mostly 100% wool pieces…it means that I don’t necessarily have to look for vintage pieces when I need a quality sweater made with natural fibers!
  • Colors and shapes are always super fun and adaptable to different people’s styles: every type of woman (no matter the age, the style, the fashion preferences) can use and adapt a Gaia Segattini’s piece to her personal style. This is very rare for a brand!
  • I just said women but she has a variety of pieces that are totally unisex and can be shared with other members of the family!
  • She is super fun (as her pieces!): her colored world and warm smile are irresistible!

The sweater that I am wearing here is from her famous Bloom Collection (it took different months to find it during one of her drops…no need to say that they sell out super quickly right? But hey this is slow fashion!) and this was the first piece that I purchased from her. I love it because of the wool flowers on the shoulders and because you don’t need much more to feel “dressed”: I wore it with a simple Rouje jeans, a pair of Carmens cowboy boots and a vintage cross-body bag from Live In Vintage in Milan and it just made my style bloom!

Next purchase for winter: a Friend sweater (striped or simple, I don’t know yet!). What’s yours?

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The Ladybug on the joy of knitting

When I was a kid we used to spend part of our summer holidays at the countryside, at my mum’s home village. I particularly loved those weeks spent in the nature for many reasons: I could spend a lot of time in the country with my dad eating fruits from the trees or drinking pure water from a lemon leaf; I could pick fruits, play with dogs and cats, ride my bike, wear my granny’s clothes and…learn a lot works. I used to spend a couple of hours per day with an old lady of the village who thought me to crochet, to embroider, to tat and my granny also thought me how to knit (she was so good that sometimes when we had no needles she did it with my colored pencils!).

When I grew older I slowly stopped loving my holidays at the countryside as I preferred to spend time at the beach with my friends and with time I lost all of the good things that I learned in the village.

I feel so bad if I think about it now: you cannot imagine how much I wanted to restart at least crocheting and knitting but I thought that it was too late and I was too old to get back at it. Well, I was wrong.

During a very intense moment at work, I understood that I needed some side activity to relax. Knitting was the first idea that came to my mind: I desperately looked for knitting classes in Milan but I couldn’t find what I was looking for, until I saw an ad on Instagram. It was from We are knitters. They promised to make you learn with their tutorials and that you could start from beginners’ pieces to practice your skills. I wasn’t convinced that it could be that easy! I asked them if I really could start from scratch, telling them that I have never knitted in my life. They answered: Sure, no problem!

It’s only when I had an impartial review from a friend of mine that I decided to give it a try: not only it was true but I loved it!! I spent all my afternoons watching tutorials and quickly learning the basic stitches and in a couple of weeks I finished my first paired cinnamon snood and headband (those that I am wearing in these pictures). I then made another headband for my mum and a maxi mustard scarf. Now I want to start also crocheting!

The benefits are multiple: not only I can make myself clothes (which I find extremely sustainable and satisfying!) and make them for the people I love, I can also relax and leave all my problems and stress outside when I start knitting. The fact is that you must be so focused that you automatically stop thinking of other business. Isn’t it amazing? You also have the gratifying feeling of learning something and of creating a piece from your own hands, which is really amazing!

While I keep practicing my knitting skills and starting my crocheting ones, let me show you how I paired my creations for a Sunday at the vintage market with my friends: a wonderful navy vintage coat from Je m’en fous vintage, a pair of old Zara brown trousers, a pair of vintage cowboy boots from the French brand Sartore found on Vestiaire Collective, a vintage cross-body bag from Live in Vintage and my vintage and handmade rings!

As a detail for my snood, I added a beautiful handmade butterfly brooch, a present from Giorgia, owner of Je m’en fous vintage, created from vintage Japanese fabrics. Isn’t too cute on the snood?

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