The Ladybug latest vintage fashion taboo broken!

When I look back at my old fashion style I realize – as everybody I guess – that my sense of fashion has changed over the years (even if some things always stay the same!). But also some of my fashion habits and credo has changed. An example of this is the vintage jeans: I have been convinced for years that vintage jeans wouldn’t fit me, that I preferred to buy modern ones etc. To make long story short I haven’t bought a vintage jeans for ages (it was a sort of fashion taboo!) until I realized (in a vintage shop in Barcelona last year) that vintage jeans are great on me and that they have shapes (depending on the eras) that suit my curvy body way better that the new ones.

I started with an 80s mom jeans then moved to vintage Levi’s, now I fell in love with a 90s designer boyfriend jeans from Jean Paul Gautier that I found on Opherty & Ciocci site!

I loved the style but I tried to “work it my way” by wearing a vintage 80s blazer from Humana Vintage in Milan and a lovely printed tee by La Bigotta (she is an amazing tattoo artist and she created a clothing line with her most famous drawings; in particular I love these series that my friend Simona got for me in a vintage and handmade market in Rome!).

Final touch the ultra-feminine golden and black Baroque style turban handmade by Madame Ilary paired with a pair of huge hoop earrings from Gogo Philip. Snake-print ankle boots are from Zara.

Photo Credit: Milena Molinari

The Ladybug in 1976

1976: the year I was born. Yes, I am a proud 40 something woman and I love the fashion and style of my birth decade. Super hippy and ethnic clothes and accessories are among my most adored vintage finds and I love to try a 70s inspired look every now and then.

That day I was getting ready with Ilaria for a very intense say: first stop, our new tattoo with the amazing Stefania Pallestrini!

I created the whole outfit starting from this little wonder, a 70s checked flattering coat that I bought in London at Pop Up Vintage Fair (spotted by my friend Sabrina who announced: I found the perfect coat for you! And to be honest it was one of the three perfect coats that I found that day!) for a bargain price and I couldn’t be happier than that! I am totally in love with its pattern and shape and it goes almost with everything! I decided to add another vintage piece found at the Pop Up Vintage Fair in London that same day: a golden Blackamoor brooch that I got for 10 quid and that is big enough to perfectly match my coats!

Another 70s vintage piece that I added was the beautiful camel and ivory scarf from Humana Vintage that I wore as a headscarf.

All the other pieces are modern: cropped jeans are from Mango, turtleneck sweater is from Benetton and messenger bag is from L’Autre Chose (do you remember about my crazy shopping at their sample sale?!). Golden large hoops are from Gogo Philip.

Just a few words on the shoe-sock combo: I wore these shoes for the first time that day even if I bought last year because I wasn’t sure about how comfortable they would be. They are from Jil Sander and I got them at a sample sale here in Milan (yes, I am Miss Sample Sale!) because I fell in love with them  – and they were 70% off! I was very surprised as I wore them almost all day and they were just fantastic, now you will probably see me in them more often! I just paired them with my adored Bonne Maison green spotted socks (btw, did I tell you that I love Bonne Maison socks?!).

I’d love to always have enough time to get ready  in the morning to try fun combos but unfortunately most of the times I am still almost sleeping when I get dressed! And no, I don’t prepare my outfits mentally the night before because it happens that I forget about them the next day when I wake up!!! Another reason is that I like to dress with the mood of the day that may be completely different from the night before! I should only learn to get up earlier but I am not a morning person and I will probably never be…

The Ladybug and the joys of the “total outfit”

I still remember that I was in Japan when I saw that Madame Ilary posted on Instagram a picture in her new Marlene trousers. I liked them so much that when I came back to Milan I asked her to try the new trousers in the different patterns that she made.

When I saw the black pair with the white roses (a very vintage inspiration!) I realized that these were the pants that I wanted: the shape is incredible and fits so well and the pattern…well I just loved it! “I also made a 30s inspired turban with the same fabric” – she said. “Do you want it?”. What you can answer if not “Definitely yes”!

The trousers are super easy to wear with shirts, tees and even thin sweaters and so is the turban, even if the elegance of its inspiration (30s decorations and shape) makes it look a bit more “engaging” (which is not: like every turban it goes absolutely with EVERYTHING from denim to velvet to sequins, you just need to use your imagination!).

BUT, the perfect match for this two-piece combo was the elegant and super chic organza black shirt from Madame Ilary (actually this is part of her HEKA Couture collection). I loved this shirt since it was still in progress: it is so classically chic that I couldn’t help loving it and making it mine!

Of course this is not an outfit for the day but it is perfect for a dinner or a party, although the pieces can be used separately and mixed with other styles. I must admit that this was for me the perfect combination, at the point that Ilaria herself used this trio for her last shooting campaign.

PS: for those in Milan, these pictures were taken at the incredible vicolo Santa Caterina, near the Università Statale. The graffiti were so cool, it was the first time that I checked the area even if it is very close to the University where we often shoot (also near Ilaria show room!).

(Big hoop earrings are from Gogo Philip, black ankle boots from Francesco Milano at Merry Go Round).

What do you think of this outfit? Would you wear it for a night out? Maybe a vintage themed one?

Photo Credit: Milena Molinari

 

The Ladybug’s three outfits challenge with Zaful

Do you remember when I offered you a discount code for Zaful site last November?

Well, I used the discount code too and I found it quite hard to pick up only a few items on their site! I got lost in teddy coats, bomber jackets, lovely skirts and sweaters, tons of retro inspired accessories that I needed days to decide what to buy from them! To make my final decision I followed one criteria: what do I need? Or, better said, what do I want to buy? I knew I wanted a dungaree and a leopard print skirt so I went straight for them. The crazy thing is that there are so many adorable things on their site that I ended up buying two dungarees, the exact animal print skirt that I was dreaming of and a lovely silky scarf with the loveliest print!

(By the way, at the end of this post there is another surprise for you! )

I decided to create three different outfits with these pieces, let me know which one you prefer and what is your favorite piece!

1.       The romantic pinky outfit

I must confess that I have a passion for dungarees but also that I always feel a bit ashamed when I wear one: am I too old for a dungaree? When I got this black dungaree from Zaful I really didn’t know how to wear it and make it look “for not very young anymore” girls! While thinking on how to do that, I decided that I wouldn’t care less; even worse that I would have worn with pinky colors and make it very young because I am not 20 anymore but hey! I am not 80 anyway!! So I matched with a vintage pussybow dotted shirt from Aramayo Vintage in Madrid and with an adorable silky scarf with printed pink flamingos from Zaful again. I am totally in love with the scarf and I am often wearing it on my head as well as on my neck.

2.       The leopard lady outfit

When I saw this animal print silky skirt I knew that it was going to be mine: it has the exact print that I have been looking for for ages and it is so soft that you can easily wear it bare legs in summer or with tights  in winter like I am doing here. It is elasticated at waist which makes it pretty adaptable to different sizes and it is a bit longer on the back which makes me love it even more! I used it at work with a total black outfit (Zara sweater, Francesco Milano ankle boots and statement earrings from Gogo Philip).

3.       The grown-up dungaree outfit

For my second dungaree I decided to play it safe. This is a military green corduroy piece from Zaful again, that I changed a little bit because I removed the buttons to make knots on the top! It is soft and very easy to use, especially when you decide that this time you would make it look more “grown-up”! In fact I wore it with a silk & Other Stories shirt, a Mango black blazer and Ouigal laced ankle boots. Too serious? I added big Gogo Philip hoops (the same of the pinky outfit!) and a fun Basquiat pin from Ex Child Genius!

If you liked my outfits and you want to prepare for the perfect Valentine date you can find a lot of Valentine’s day outfit ideas, free shipping code and Valentine’s flash sales here

Also, if you use the codes ZFACTION  or ZFMOVE at the check-out you will have 15% off discount on your order!

Photo Credit: Milena Molinari