The Ladybug wearing a touch of vintage sartorial kente

Even if Vinokilo is not one of my favorite vintage events, I have to say that when I can I try to have a look at their events in Milan because, if I am good enough in hunting the gem, sometimes I also find it!

In particular I have a close look at their ethnic vintage dresses because it happened a couple of times that I found lovely Indian, Chinese and even African pieces there.

The dress that I am wearing for my usual visit at the Duomo of Messina last summer (I love this place and I go to see it every time that I am back home) is one of those finds: it is a very unusual dress, sartorially made with a printed cotton imitating the patterns of traditional kente! Not comparable with the original pieces, not even with the printed kente-inspired wax, but still rare enough to catch my attention!

I also love the sleeves and the fact that it was clearly handmade convinced me to make it mine: considering the kilo sale I got it really cheap.

I wore it with my new Cult platform studded sandals (I think that I have already told you how happy I was when I found out that this brand is still producing shoes with the same vibe of the late 80s-early 90s when I first discovered it!) found during a store final sale in Sicily for around 15 euros and with two of my iconic pieces: Gucci squared black frames and Cartier vintage cross-body bag. I finished the outfit with an African wax headwrap and oval earrings, handmade with love in Rome and they are a lovely present from my friend Simona for my last birthday.

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The Ladybug feels a bit nostalgic of the 90s (just a little bit!)

Don’t you feel sometimes this desire of a flower 90s dress like those worn by Brenda and Kelly in Beverly Hills 90210? I have to be honest, I was born in the 70s, enjoyed the 80s as a kid and I was a teen in the 90s but that decade, fashion-wise, was not my favorite at all. The only thing that I keep loving about that era are the lovely flower dress, often worn on a simple white shirt! Kelly in particular was my style icon (way before SJP in Sex & The City and – I must confess – still today!).

In the last few years, as the 90s made their comeback, I started buying a couple of vintage pieces that reminded me of my youth, especially that Kelly/Brenda style that I enjoyed so much at the time. One of them is this cute long flower black dress completely buttoned that made these two girls pop into my mind as soon as I saw it! It was during a Vinokilo sale in Milan and it was hanging alone among men denim jackets (probably out of place!): it felt like it was waiting there to recall my memories!

But you know that I love matching different styles then I added only another 90s inspired piece (a pair of black Cult studded wedges – btw, do you remember this iconic shoe brand from the 90s? I found out that they still produces shoes with the same vibe) and I paired this 90s style with a touch of African flavor!

African wax headband is an handmade gift from Madame Ilary (I love the green and tangerine print) while the Fulani earrings are handmade in Africa.

This match will definitely remove a bit of the 90s vibe but it is still there and I liked it. Also, I was going to meet Marica and Faburama, founders and creators of Kanö – Sartoria Sociale in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (near my hometown) and I really wanted to wear some African pieces to honor them!

What do you think of this very personal match? Yay or nay?

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The Ladybugs returns where she left off (aka the Blue outfit)

When I checked my photo albums I realized that this was the last shooting that I did with Madame Ilary before the pandemic wave started. One week after this shooting we were highly recommended to stay at home and to work from home before the big lockdown. It was almost two months ago. It was still cold in Milan but sunny enough to warm our hearts and souls, ready for the spring to come.

Now spring is here and we cannot even enjoy it.

I called it the blue outfit because that day I mixed some of my favorite pieces in different shades of blue:

• Dark navy for my beautiful pompom sweater, a piece from Sézane archives that I grabbed just a few weeks before the Covid-19 emergency;
• Classic blue for a very special vintage 60s coat that I bought during my first Vinokilo event in Milan, in December last year. When I put it on me it looked like it was just made for me and I got it for less than 30 euros!
• Metallic blue for this pair of AMAZING Frida boots from Miss L Fire: I have been chasing them for a while because I loved the color and the vintage style…I still cannot believe that I put my hands on these wonderful boots!
• Velvet navy for this old Madame Ilary handmade turban made of soft velvet with a plexi button, that she created for me years ago. I still remember that she gave it to me before a night at the theatre and I wore it immediately!
• Navy denim for these lovely culottes-jeans, from an old Massimo Dutti collection;
• Vintage navy for this cute vintage cross-body bag that I got during a super sale weekend in Turin at Humana Vintage.

Golden earrings are handmade from Metalica Creazioni.

This is where I left my life before Covid-19, I wish I can reboot from here, hopefully soon, with a new blue outfit. Prayers.

The Ladybug love declaration to Catania (and to her granny)

Wearing green means wearing hope. I couldn’t find a better outfit to explain how hope is living inside of me these days: hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel; hope of living healthy and full lives; hope of enjoying the world again; hope of ending soon this war against the virus.

When I wore this outfit I couldn’t even imagine what was about to happen in a few weeks. I was enjoying some time at home with my family and celebrating my sister’s graduation in one of the most beautiful cities of the world: my beautiful vintage Catania.

I cannot explain the beauty of this city, the richness of its decadent buildings, the history, the cultural vibes…it is one of my favorite cities in the world. I have memories of Catania since I was a kid and I used to take the bus to Catania to spend time with my grandmother there: her world was so amazing to me. African prints, vintage pieces, homeware from the east of the world, she introduced me to a world that now is exactly mine.

I think of her a lot when I am in town and I miss her so much but she still lives in me, in my way of dressing, in my African prints and in my many vintage pieces and homeware that I find during my travels.

That day I went for a total green outfit to share my hope with my sister, the hope that she will start a new life after her graduation, and that she will feel proud of what she did.

The beautiful green 50s coat is one of my best finds ever from London Vintage at the Pop up vintage fair in London almost one year and a half ago. I paired it with a more recent find: a velvet long dress that I found at the Vinokilo event in Milan in February.

Snake-print shoes are from Carmens (one of my best winter finds this year!) and the cute 50s velvet black bag with the golden chain is a vintage find from A Rebours Vintage in Milan. Golden bamboo and snake earrings are from Giovanni Raspini.