The Ladybug at Milan Design Week 2014, pt. 2: Milano Vintage Week

So let’s recap: we said that the most important week in Milan is the Milan Fashion Week. Then comes the Milan Design Week, but what if I tell you that we also have a Vintage Week?

Indeed, during Design Week, Milan hosted the first Vintage Week ever- with stalls, expos and workshops all dedicated to Vintage. Let me say first say: compared to last year, I was very surprised by the relevance of vintage during this year’s Design Week and not only in terms of inspiration for design, home-ware and decoration, but also in terms of vintage related events.

So the last day of my Design Week, on a sunny and warm Sunday morning, I brought my friend Kay who was visiting me from UK to the first event of the day… the Vintage Week at the Riccardo Grassi Showroom. This vintage marathon attracted different kinds of customers: from buyers to vintage lovers and addicted, from fashion lovers to simply curious people trying to understand what vintage was about.

Clothes, accessories, handbags, glasses, jewels, shoes, books, home-ware… every kind of vintage article was exposed to fulfill everyone’s expectations on the theme!

The Vintage Week was an event in collaboration with A.N.G.E.L.O. who brought his beautiful collection of 24 wonderful silk vintage Hermès carrés.  Another small expo, “Vintage for Love” was dedicated to the vintage brides and weddings worlds.

It was great to see my friends Marco from Opherty & Ciocci and Nicoletta from Shabby Chic (two of my favorite vintage sellers in Italy), but a part from them the area was a bit bland: maybe because it was Sunday morning, but nothing “new” was really exposed and it was quite “standard business targeted on Italian customers” (what I mean is: “the more labels the better”). I was a bit disappointed by this event that was very well advertised- which is why my expectation was so high!

Still; I tried some cute pieces from Telma Vintage, (what do you think of these frames?)

and some amazing headpieces from Shabby Chic (yes, I bought the straw hat with the purple net and flowers!!).

For the occasion I wore a vintage sparkling sequined top from Humana Vintage, Zara trousers, an H&M biker jacket, Sam Edelman ankle boots, Balenciaga red handbag and Peter Pilotto for Target sunnies.

…Oh, and how could I forget my TOG “create” canvas bag… my Design Week favorite!

(Photo Credit: Kay Wilkinson)

The Ladybug Hears Arsenale Cry, “Where For Art Thou, Ladybug” as She Plays a Vintage Juliet in Verona!

A couple of Sundays ago I decided to take advantage of the good weather for a trip with some friends: the excuse was the Arsenale Vintage Market in Verona, but we really wanted to have a good meal (and wine… as it was the same days of Vinitaly) and have a nice stroll to see Verona’s most interesting places since we’ve never visited it properly (though I know Arsenale very well!)

Let me say that we had the meal and wine that we expected (which may explain my sleepy face in the pics!). Verona as well, did not disappoint: from the riverside to the internationally known Piazza delle Erbe, to Juliet’s house and famous balcony (yes, that balcony!) we spent most of the day walking and visiting as proper tourists!

I wore an amazing vintage ’80s dress that I bought long time ago in a lovely vintage shop in Ljubljana (Moje Tvoje), my H&M biker jacket, and Strategia studded boots (I told you some time ago how I got them in a temporary shop for a quarter of the price!). I added my lovely handmade crown of flowers (perfect to play my Juliet!) from Giocanda (remember? I got it at Fa’ la Cosa Giusta!) and my folk Russian bag from Off in Saint Petersburg.

It wasn’t until 7pm that I remembered the real reason for being in Verona: the Arsenale Vintage Market! You might remember my last visit there for the Blogger Tour last October; that time I was alone, but it was fun as usual meeting old friends and to make new one alike! One of the things that I like most about Arsenale is that there is not only vintage: in fact, if the first room is mostly dedicated to vintage sellers (Dorotea Vintage, Stondo, Magnifica Preda, Bloody Edith and many others, mostly the same that were there last year), the second room is a tribute to creativity and handmade and I know now that I never leave there without something in my bag!!

This year I bought a straw hat from Stondo (yes, I can’t resist their hats!)

…and another straw hat from Post Post (very Venice gondolier style!)

My girl crush of this season was Olivia Iron… a rare vintage beauty with a rare talent for making beautiful retro hats and fascinators. It took me a while to decide which one to get from her, but in the end- I went for this lovely black one with vintage pearl button.

The Ladybug’s trip into vintage fashion starts from Milano Centrale…

I don’t know what it is about 2014 that’s reminding me about all the 2013 shoots I’ve never posted! Maybe I just feel that there is a lot great stuff (as there IS!) unseen and I want to post everything now!

So, this is a shoot from June (or May?) 2013. It was taken in Milan at the train station and done completely by chance: I was waiting for KNAGUI to arrive from I don’t know where and BOOM!, he decided to take pictures of me right there!

The result is quite cool even if I wasn’t prepared at all… in other words I wasn’t wearing makeup!!!

But some natural style is not as bad as many of us think, so I decided to give these pictures a public tour!

I am wearing another of my vintage dresses from Humana Vintage (definitely one of my massive vintage providers lately!): an ’80s black shirt dress with a Topshop black skinny belt and a biker jacket from H&M.

I added a pair of black suede boots from Vic Matié, a black sequined fascinator from Topshop (but I got it thrifted from a charity shop in London) and a lovely orange ’70s bag that I purchased in Florence at Officina Vintage a couple of years ago.

[Photo Credit: KNAGUI]

The Ladybug Proves Vintage Comes From Within: What I Wore for the AVM, Verona

I told you last week about my great experience at Arsenale Vintage Market in Verona and about the Vintage Tour Blogger, but I didn’t take the time to share more pictures about my outfit from day.

Funny, I didn’t wear anything vintage, even if the whole effect had a retro-inspired flavor!

I wore a H&M black lace dress (one of my latest finds from a few weeks ago!) and a H&M faux leather biker jacket that I bought a few years ago.

I added designer shoes from Marni (I love these wooden platforms from a few seasons ago: they are comfortable and absolutely beautiful with this ’70s vibe. Ah… I got them for half their price on Ebay last year!) and designer handbag from Balenciaga (do you remember the story of the bag with Angela Eupani from Sculptures to Wear at the Next Vintage in Belgioioso last April?!).

The last retro touch was this lovely headband from Traffic People that I bought at their lovely shop in Old Spitalfields Market during my last trip to London.