The Ladybug’s second stop of the virtual tour of Messina

My second stop of the tour of my hometown Messina couldn’t be anywhere else than here: near the sea.

The pictures were taken at the Messina Fair building, just a few steps from my beautiful turquoise sea; such a shame that you couldn’t see it clearly as it was a cloudy day again but this is one of the most loved places in town, the place where everybody goes for a walk especially at night in summer to enjoy the fresh air and the scent of the sea. Now you see it empty but this is one of the most crowded areas of Messina, also because from here you can enjoy a great view on the Straight, on the other side of Italy and on the famous Statue of Mary built and dedicated to the town after the 1908 earthquake that destroyed the city.

I was walking there with my sister and we decided to take some pictures there even if the weather was not great…but I wore my turquoise wool vintage skirt from Humana Vintage that perfectly matched the sea!

I got this little gem for 5 euros a few months ago and I am totally in love with it! I wore with a simple black jumper (from Benetton) and my new white ankle boots from Miss Selfridge at Asos. I’ve been struggling against my will to buy white ankle boots because I have always hated white shoes but when I found the perfect pair for a bargain price I just couldn’t resist! What do you think of white shoes trend lately? I must confess that even if I hate white shoes in general there are a couple of nice pieces that I definitely like. If I have to be honest the first pair that I saw where a bit too expensive for a pair of white boots that’s why I gave up until I saw those online! I mean, white boots are cool but spending too much money on them was not in my plans!

I added a polka-dot handmade turban from Madame Ilary (it’s my sister’s turban but I just got it for the shooting!) and handmade lovely cactus earring from Monica Pria. I told the story of these earrings on my social networks lately because they were a present of one of my best friends for Christmas. She told me that cactus represents strength and resilience and that’s what she wished me for the upcoming year…such a lovely present! All the jewelry created by Monica has “a purpose” that’s why I love it so much; I also went to see her during one of her markets to meet her and talk to her about her work (and to get a beautiful gratitude ring that I showed on Instagram some time ago!).

The Ladybug says Goodbye to Munich

I really hate this last set of pictures of Munich just because they are the last ones of an incredibly amazing three weeks spent in Germany!

I must confess that when I left I really needed a sort of detox from Milan: it was not Milan itself it was just some situations that I couldn’t stand anymore and from which I needed to stay away for a while. And this unplanned work trip to Munich was exactly what I needed: I loved the project, the company of one of my best friends and colleagues, the city that I was exploring for the first time in summer, which was a real  surprise for me. It was so vibrant and full of life, we met a lot of old friends and we made new ones: it was exactly what I needed to reboot my whole body/mind system.

It was so painful to leave but I was leaving to Sicily just a few weeks after so I convinced myself that it was time to go home, but not before a last day shooting!

The spot was as usual a new corner of Munchner Freiheit, our favorite area of Munich this time! It was a beautiful warm and sunny day and I remember that we made friends with a lovely woman while shooting who was incredibly curious about who I was and where I was from!

For the last day I wore my new African printed pompom top, another handmade creation from Heka Couture with Ankara fabrics that I love (do you remember the circle skirt made with the same colors that I wore in Munich a couple of weeks before?).

I paired with black culottes from Dixie and loafer mules from New Look at Asos.

The Ladybug’s graffiti wall in Munich

During my three weeks in Munich, we passed every morning by an underground passage in Munchner Freiheit that we never used. We used to say: tomorrow we’ll take that one to go faster but we always forgot until a few days before leaving!

What we discovered there was a world full of graffiti and we couldn’t help stopping to take a few pictures also because the graffiti matched my African print shirt!

This Ankara fabric is one of my favorite ones: I bought it online on Ebay and used it for a lot of things: two pillows, a turban and this lovely handmade shirt! Considering the bold colors I wore it that day with black denim jeans from Acne Studios, Mango oversized denim jacket and New Look flowery loafer mules from Asos.

Anyway I couldn’t help adding big handmade silver statement earring from Metalica Creazioni (Francesca has been my favorite earrings provider since we met a couple of years ago!).

The Ladybug goes green in Munich (part 1)

I am really sorry, I know it’s fall, I know I should wear tights, I know I should post fall outfits but No, I can’t do it! First of all because I still have loads of outfits from this summer to show you; second it is still quite warm in Milan and I want to enjoy “tightless” days as much as I can; third I am not accepting winter this year, so you will see colorful and summer outfits for a while before I surrender to the cold temperatures!

So let’s go back to Germany and Munich, where (I realized it later) I worn a lot of green.

I wore these green wax trousers from Heka Couture on my first Saturday off in town: it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a typical Bavarian lunch in the city center, we visited again the city center as tourists would do and we did a little shopping in town (it was still summer sales season!) before heading to Mädels-Flohmarkt, a garage sale where private sellers could sell their stuff while enjoying music and beer. It was the perfect place to find a good bargain (as my sales session was quite disappointing!): indeed I found an amazing vintage leather biker jacket for just 17 euros!

I found the event on Facebook while I was there, this is why I always suggest to have a look online before traveling somewhere, you never know if a cool event is in town when you are there!

I paired my wax trousers with Asos short frilled striped top (yes, naked belly again!) and Nike 4 & Other stories white sneakers (perfect for my long walks!).

Photo Credit: Marco di Terlizzi

The Ladybug is pink in Munich!

As you may have seen on my social networks, I spent three weeks in Munich in July for work so I took advantage of a new location to shoot a couple of new outfits!

I will start with this pinky one, it was one of the first days, incredibly sunny and fresh…a real pleasure to be there and enjoy the German summer while the heat was unbearable in Milan!

Here I am wearing two of my new online finds: this lovely Mango pink striped top with one frill sleeves (I found it on ASOS during the summer sales!) and these Hush pink 40’s inspired frames that I left in my Hush wishlist for a while before buying them because it was the first time that I bought from their site and I didn’t know that much about them. Now I am totally addicted to this site and the sunglasses are amazing!

I wore them with black Dixie culottes and with my adored (and super old!) Jeffrey Campbell sandal-boots!

I will show you more “German” outfits in the next few weeks, so stay tuned and let me know what you think!

 

The Ladybug’s hunt for 90’s denim

Denim Denin Denim: this is my obsession this year!! Why? Very simple: I sold most of my used denim on Ebay because I lost weight and many of them were too large…to make long story short: I realised I only had two jeans left in my wardrobe, a mom jeans and a skinny one. Not good!

I then made a list of the jeans that I needed:  denim culottes, flare 70’s jeans, cropped jeans, 90’s large jeans and vintage Levi’s. Huh…too much hunting!! I should do a little step at a time!

Let’s start from the first one, that turned out to be a three-pair 90’s large jeans/culottes…more than what I needed actually but the price was too good and I couldn’t resist!!

I left for Munich on the first day of sales, so the following weekend I decided to go for a sales session in town. I started from Zara of course and I found many interesting jeans 90’s style for less than 15 euros each. I couldn’t find my size so I started my Zara denim’s hunt across all the shops in Munich and Frankfurt but without any positive result. I was so upset that I went online and checked the availability in stores to find out that all of them in my size were available in…Milan!!

When I came back home I first headed to Zara to try them all and they were perfect! 40 euros for all of them was a good price so I got them all! After all, I needed jeans right?

This is my first pair a 90’s shape mixed with culottes….two pieces in one! I also love the side split and the colour. I paired it with a thrifted Twenty8Twelve red tee, a 70’s inspired red little bag from Zara and my new adored New Look floral loafer slippers found on Asos for half the price (20 euros!).

The Ladybug About Keith Haring Art

When I saw the advert of the upcoming Keith Haring exhibit in Milan I couldn’t help thinking of my last (and first) Keith Haring exhibit. I was in New York in 2012 and I was staying in Brooklyn in a B&B. I found there the flyer of Keith Haring exhibition at Brooklyn Museum and I felt so happy and grateful to have the chance to see his art for the first time in New York! I enjoyed that exhibit so much that I could never forget it! It’s definitely in “my best memories ever” archive!

The good feelings came to my mind immediately and I wasn’t sure if going or not as I didn’t want to ruin my Brooklyn memories. I decided to have a look anyway and it was a great decision! The exhibit that I saw in 2012 was more focused on Keith Haring adverts and drawings in New York subway stations and even if I found a few here in Milan the exhibit was basically different.

110 of Keith Haring works were exposed, from public and private collections from all over the world. Some of them were shown in Italy for the very first time. The exhibition tries to create a link between Keith Haring works and their source of inspiration: from classical art to pre-Columbian art, from American Indian and Pacific masks to his favorite artists, such as Pollock and Klee.

His colorful pieces are a joy for the eye but very often pain and frustration for the world lie behind them. I have always loved his art and I was happy to discover that some of my favorite pieces of him were exposed there.

The exhibit will be in Milan at Palazzo Reale until 18^th of June 2017, so don’t miss your chance to discover (or re-discover, as it was my case!) this incredibly talented artist-activist. 

For the exhibit I wore ASOS black dungaree, Topshop palm shirt and an almost vintage leather jacket! I paired with Madame Cosette velvet ankle boots and Michael Kors Bucket bag.

The Ladybug Feels at Home at Sofia Vintage in Como

Two weeks ago I told you about the party for the Gloook opening in Como and guess what? It opened just a few steps from my adored vintage shop Sofia Vintage, so as you can imagine I couldn’t help heading in to see what’s new and say hi to Roberta and her crew!

It is amazing how incredibly at home I feel in this place: it’s an atmosphere that you can breathe, feel and bask in because it looks more like a home than a shop. There are books, sofas, a sewing machine, a wardrobe and all the things that you usually find in a house- plus there is always something to drink or eat like in the home of any perfect host.

But this feeling doesn’t come just from the furniture and location, it originates mostly from the warmth of those who “live” there, beginning with Roberta, the owner and founder of Sofia Vintage, who also serves as “the host” of this beautiful house!

Many new arrivals from Roberta’s trips around the world were there, and I couldn’t help having a look and buying some new vintage stuff… like this lovely ’40s white hat that I can’t wait to wear!

It’s also always nice to hear her stories about her trips to the States (where most of her pieces come) and to get some tips from her on vintage hunting especially in New York!

Outfit: Anymoore jacket, H&M faux leather midi skirt, ASOS blouse, Marni sandals, Sofia Vintage bag

The Ladybug is All About Eco-friendly Design: The Opening of Gloook in Como

A few weeks ago I was invited to the opening of a very special concept store in Como. I already knew of the brand because it was already one of my favorite shops in town, but when I heard about a new concept store opening in the lovely historic via Vitani- I got all excited and curious to see what it was all about.

The brand I’m referring to is Gloook, the Italian brand of eco-friendly design that proposes a new way to decorate our homes in a very sustainable way: you can find objects and home-ware mostly created in paper, all handmade in Italy, with great attention to detail and creativity.

In addition to their displayed offerings, you can also choose to get a customized object or piece. Because Gloook works with Italian and international designers and architects at their disposal, they can make you happy with what you need to decorate your house- giving special attention to your environment. The keyword is recycling and creating with sustainable materials!

I love that more and more people are choosing a more natural lifestyle; moreover, I love that they don’t need to renounce creativity, functionality and innovation to achieve their personal perfection.

No need to tell you that I would have bought half of the shop. I already imagined many pieces in my house (you can see many of them my pictures here)!

New Eventi Como, which organized the opening, put on quite the block party on via Vitani. It felt very much like the LA scene complete with paparazzi.  And of course, I was just a few steps from Sofia Vintage, so I couldn’t help heading in… but I will tell you more about that next week!

For the occasion I wore Anymoore jacket, H&M faux leather skirt, ASOS blouse and my adored Marni wooden platform sandals (which almost caused an incident on the small stones of via Vitani… in other words, I nearly took a loss in the middle of the shop!). I accessorized the outfit with my vintage bag from Sofia Vintage, a lovely gift from Roberta for her store opening in September.

The Ladybug Thinks It’s About Time to Talk About Rachel McAdams’ Modern Vintage

A couple of weeks ago I went to see one of the loveliest movies I have seen this year: About Time.

They call it a romantic comedy, but About Time is a bit more than that… and very well so since I usually hate romantic comedies!

This one was really special: the plot, the moral, the actors and of course, Mary’s (Rachel McAdams) beautiful retro inspired wardrobe! Was it a coincidence that when Tim takes her home on their first date, she lives above a vintage shop??!! Yes and no!

I was convinced during the whole movie that she was wearing vintage pieces, but guess what? I was mostly wrong! I couldn’t help looking for her looks on Internet when I got home, and what I found out was incredibly surprising! I indeed read an interview with Verity Hawkes, the costume designer of the movie, where she explained the details of Mary’s closet. She said: “We wanted Mary’s look to be eclectic; a combination of vintage and modern that would give her an original quirky cute look. At the time, we used references like Kate Moss, one because Mary’s character admires her and because she is a perfect style icon. Although, we had to tone the “Kate style” down for Mary as her character is much less confident and stylish. I also referenced Annie Hall or her kookiness. But, as always, you start from a reference point and then the character takes on their own identity throughout the fitting process until hopefully you have a totally original unique character.”

What is crazy about it, is that most of her pieces comes from economic high street labels. For example, the blue dress that she is wearing when she meets Tim for the first time is the Henry Holland for Debenhams Navy Eiffel Tower and Poodle Print Dress.

The red cardigan from their first date(s) night is from New Look and it came from Verity Hawkes’s closet.

Some of the dresses and the handbags that she often wears come from Zara- like the yellow Guipure Combination Dress or the tan handbag.

Other lovely pieces are from Asos, like the neon yellow elephant-print shirt or the Floral Embroidered Shirt Dress

Even the famous red wedding dress was a vintage ’50s piece from Angels, a UK based costume shop, that was altered to create the final piece. Miss Hawkes said, “I wanted the dress to look like Mary had found it in a vintage shop and fell in love with it, I didn’t want her to look like she spent any time in wedding dress fittings.”

Isn’t it an amazing idea to create retro inspired outfits mixing vintage pieces with high street and designer? This was an amazing choice in my opinion and her wardrobe gave Mary’s something more to like her for!