The Ladybug plays “Slip dress & the City”

The slip dress may be considered the “it- piece” of this spring-summer but as you know I hate it-pieces and trends, then I would say in my words that the slip dress is one of the best vintage investments that you could do, especially if you choose a pure silk piece.

In my hunt for the perfect vintage slip dress I found my +1 in this black vintage Malizia silk dress from my adored Jo, Josephine de Vintage. For those who don’t know Malizia, it was one of my favorite brands when I was a young girl in the 80s: Malizia was part of La Perla group and proposed nightwear and swimwear for the young girls of the time. I had some cute bikinis and pajamas and the quality was simply top, still La Perla in the end!

When Jo proposed this piece from a vintage 80s deadstock in pure silk I couldn’t be happier: the perfect piece for my collection! The silk is amazing, so soft and pleasant I couldn’t imagine a better slip dress, to be honest!

As I received the dress when I was still in Milan and I really wanted to wear it, I decided to go for a city version of the dress. In my dreams I imagined it for a sunset drink on the beach, on a tanned skin, with flat sandals and African brass jewelry but this image didn’t fit my Milanese experience, especially on a Saturday morning when meeting my friends for a guided tour of the Liberty buildings in Porta Venezia!

This is why I went for a different idea: I wore it with an organic cotton white tee and a pair of comfy fluffy Japan-inspired sandals from Marni, everything paired with a vintage Gucci Ophidia bag.

What do you think of this version?

Fun (?) fact: I forgot to put this dress in my suitcase for my summer holidays then I had to say goodbye to my sunset drink with this dress 😦

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The Ladybug’s weapon against the heat: vintage fashion!

Spending summer in a city far away from the seaside can be very hard sometimes.

Milan is one of the hottest Italian cities in summer and the heat can be unbearable without relief for weeks; the stuffiness is almost constant in July and you need tangible weapons against this heat, especially when you have to go around in the hottest hours of the day.

I found my personal weapon in vintage clothes! When the heat becomes unbearable I say goodbye to synthetics and I only wear cotton and linen fibers as they are a real barrier for the body, especially if they are vintage. The reason is simple: fibers were produced in a different way in the past and the difference is not only visible or touchable, it is very clear in this warm weather. They are less aggressive and it is easy to let the body breathe when wearing them: green light for these pieces then when the season is too hot as they are a true relief compared to the synthetic fibers!

These pictures were taken during one of the hottest days since the beginning of summer: I had some meetings in town and I really needed something easy and fresh to resist the heat of that day!

Then I wore my vintage white linen embroidered blouse from Freja Vintage (I found it on Vinted): this piece is not only fresh and pleasant on the skin, it is also incredibly beautiful! I love the deep embroidery on the neck that makes it really old style and sexy at the same time!

I wore a pair of large silky handmade black trousers from Madame Ilary (my passe-partout trousers!) and my super Marni fluffy orange sandals (best sample sale find ever!), perfect piece to add color and jap style to a simple outfit!

I completed the outfit with a vintage Cartier shoulder bag from Gray Vintage and my favorite vintage pendant necklace from Live In Vintage in Milan. Rings are vintage + eye ring from Crazy Pig Designs in London.

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The Ladybug’s Hell Design Week

For those of you who have been following my blog for while it is now a fact that the Design Week in Milan is my favorite event/time of the year!

I love the international atmosphere and even if the installations in town are not always at their best, I can’t help loving the people and the mood of these days.

But this year it was the worst Design Week since I live in Milan: I was sick during the whole week and I could only get out quickly on Sunday to have a look around in some of my favorite spots but I was a bit disappointed. So I’m just sharing a few pictures of my “Design Day”.

As it was a sunny day I first headed to the Blue Velvet market in Sant’Ambrogio where my friend Madame Ilary was selling her turbans.

We enjoyed the sun and the swing dancers, then I moved to Rossana Orlandi showroom in the same area, probably the best thing that I saw during the Design Week, especially in the beautiful area outside.

From there I headed to Marni showroom as last year I was in love with their installations for the event. I cannot say the same this year: the theme to present their outdoor design pieces made in Colombia was the Playland. Colored sand and playful children were everywhere and it was a bit of a mess although the overall idea was pretty cool.

I wore Acne Studios black jeans, Primark striped tee and my new vintage Burberry’s trench from Napoleone Vintage. I added white sneakers by & Other Stories, vintage bag from Cavalli e Nastri, Madame Ilary crochet headband, Metalica Creazioni brass loops and Valentino sunglasses.

I finished the day with the worst thing a girl can see in the street while peacefully enjoying the day and the sun: her ex with his new girl.

Design week over.

Sick again.

The Ladybug is a Colombian cumbia dancer at Marni Ballhaus!

As every year Milan was the perfect stage for the most hated-loved event in town: the Design Week and the even more hated-loved Fuorisalone. The town is full of people from all over the world and hundreds of events take place almost everywhere.

As every year I receive the catalogue for all the events and choose my favorite ones but as every year I manage to see only a few! But my favorite events of this last Milan Design Week was definitely the Marni Ballhaus. Marni showroom in viale Umbria was transformed into a ballroom for the occasion mixing fashion, design and dance to present the new design collection and the traditions of the country that inspired it, Colombia.

It was also the occasion to discover the “cumbia”, a traditional Colombian couple dance mixing different rhythms and cultures, and the beautiful long circle skirts worn by cumbia dancers as well as the colored foulards worn by men. The colored choreographies of cumbia are the perfect frame for the new design pieces from Marni: chairs, tables, lamps, vases with all the beautiful colors of Colombia, all handmade by Colombian women. This year again part of the proceeds from the new design pieces will be donated to charity.

The visitors of the event were actively engaged: it was possible to see the cumbia dance exhibitions, participate and take lessons of cumbia but also wear the beautiful skirts…which I did of course! I picked up this amazing green and red skirt and the magic happened: it is true that wearing beautiful pieces can change a woman’s mind! I immediately felt the atmosphere of this exotic dance and started dancing with my new skirt in the middle of the room where other fantastic skirts where hanging from the ceiling!

Congrats Marni for the best event, again!

I wore Topshop shirt and mom jeans, Zara coat and – occasionally – Marni skirt!

The Ladybug Pollinates Marni’s Flower Market

My last event of Milan Fashion Week in September was also my favorite one!

On September 21^st Marni started the celebrations of its 20th anniversary with the opening of the Marni Flower Market at the Rotonda della Besana. Perfect location for a lovely, adorable event!

It was a real Flower Market with beautiful flowers wrapped in Marni prints papers, seeds sold in beautiful printed packages (the same seeds were given as a press invitation to the event!), flower bags and gardening tools- all especially designed for the event by Marni.

During the entire afternoon, the public could shop and take flowers and the unique memories from this one-off event home. There were many workshops for children held in the park outside the Besana where you could find beautiful flower compositions with handmade creations representing birds were exposed throughout.

But Marni Flower Market it’s not just a happy and colored event: it comes from an active collaboration of the brand with the MUBA – Museo dei Bambini Milan, whose headquarters are located inside the Rotonda della Besana. Moreover, this project comes from an important charity initiative held by Marni.

A part of the proceeds from the sales of all the limited edition products are indeed donated to the Vimala Association which guarantees seriously disabled Tibetan children living in India for medical care and physiotherapy, as well as food and the maintenance of their school-house.

A beautiful event in a wonderful location for an important cause: could Marni do better than that? Nah…

For the occasion I wore a pineapple printed shirt from Lazzari, Zara skort, ’80s vintage envelope Yellow clutch and Miu Miu Golden gladiator sandals from many seasons ago!

The Ladybug Checks Out Beyoncé’s Little Sister with the Big Fashion Sense: Say Her Name… Solange Knowles

Can you go to an artist’s concert not knowing their music, but instead because you love their style?

I can… especially because the concert was free and because the artist was Solange Knowles!

So let me start from the beginning: a few weeks ago Beyoncé came to Milan for a live concert: I’m not a huge fan of hers; I like her, but nothing more. When people ask me about her I reply that I prefer her sister, at least for style. But I wanted to see Beyoncé live because she is a beast and everybody I know who have experienced her shows have enjoyed them very much.

Last week I read in the newspaper about a free fashion event sponsored by Glamour at the Caserma del Pane in Milan, Solange was scheduled to appear as a performer. I decided to go and have a look at her look (she is one of my favorite upcoming style icons!). I also remembered that a few months ago KNAGUI wrote a very nice post about enjoying Solange in concert in Dallas and he posted a few pictures of the show, but he didn’t mention the lovely way she dressed for the show (…men!!).

It wasn’t a “proper concert.” She sang for less than an hour, but her Marni dress was worth the trip!! To be honest, I enjoyed her music too. KNAGUI told me that her ’80s sound was something that I would have enjoyed and he was right. I could hear that “Prince influence” which I liked a lot, and her voice was definitely interesting.

Having her sing at a free fashion event meant that the audience was what I call, “the fashionable Milan”…a crowd of fashion bloggers, PRs, editors, models, addicts and what I call fashion wanna-bees!! (I left the event right after her concert indeed!)

Oh… and here’s a lovely coincidence: being a print addict at the show of the “Queen of Prints,” I was wearing a vintage printed skirt (bought in lovely vintage shop “Live in Vintage” in Milan) from the late ’60s!