The Ladybug (the Woman and the Sun) Vs. Van Gogh (The Man and the Earth)

About a month ago I visited one of the most crowded exhibits ever held at Palazzo Reale in Milano, the Van Gogh expo “L’uomo e la terra” (The Man and the Earth). The exhibit focuses on the importance of the simple life, the life of the farmers, of the villagers and the attachment to the earth (intended as mother of life) in Van Gogh’s art. This wasn’t the best Van Gogh expo, I must admit. Especially because this part of his artistic career is very often underestimated and not particularly famous, except for some pieces like The Postman.

To be perfectly honest, I was a bit disappointed… maybe because it was quite small (compared to the Marc Chagall exhibit for example) or simply because it wasn’t my favorite of Van Gogh’s artistic eras!

But it was a wonderful sunny day, maybe the first real spring forward day, and I was in wonderful company so I decided to take some pictures around Palazzo Reale and just enjoy the blessings of the day!

I wore a Please burgundy sweater, Acne Studios black jeans, Max and Co coat, Replay biker boots. My folk clutch is from La Maison Momonì, sunglasses are Céline. I added a lovely brooch from Hidden Forest Market in Verona and vintage red leather gloves from Sofia Vintage in Como.

The Ladybug’s Vintage Vacation: From Russia with Love – Day #4, Moscow

Moving from Saint Petersburg to Moscow was a real change… I felt as if I went from a quaint Nordic town to… the big city! I’m telling you, Moscow is just… Moscow!

It’s not easy to describe the feeling and the atmosphere.  You’d think that I, an avid reader, could put it into words- especially considering I’ve had it in my wish list for about ten years! But I’m nearly at a complete loss.

I had the incredible opportunity to spend my time at the Metropol, the oldest hotel in town, and just few meters from the Red Square and the Bolschoi Theatre. When I headed from the subway station and saw the red stars of the Kremlin and the Saint Basil’s Cathedral at night, I just wanted to cry in awe and emotion.

The day after, I woke up very early to enjoy as much as I could of the whole area and to take some pictures of the beauties all around that square. I also headed to one of my favorite poets’, Vladimir Majakowskij’s, house. I was a bit disappointed because, apparently, it was closed some time ago (not sure why it’s not a museum anymore, but it’s due to the usual problem to understand Russian!).

Every time that I felt too cold I stepped inside the GUM Center, the ultimate luxury mall in the middle of the Red Square to taste some Russian tea and fruit cakes or to admire the luxury shops. There was also this very interesting expo that was taking place along the entire corridor of the mall with vintage dresses from the late XIX century (mostly Russian I guess) through the ’90s.

I also got, as a souvenir, a soviet cap with pins already done while I’m waiting to create my own with the pins collected in Poland last year!

As I was quite tired from the intense day, I decided to get myself a proper Russian treat at the oldest Spa in Moscow, the Sanduny. Let me tell you that this was another crazy experience there: I will just say that after almost two hours of the warmest steamy room and the coldest showers, the delicious tea and the vigorous birch branches massage, I came out of that place completely renewed (even if a bit shocked!). Believe me, I had a couple incredible experience during these days!

PS: For the freezing day I wore my usual grey Woolrich parka, Zara black wool leggings and UGG boots, paired with vintage gloves, a Russian vintage real fur hat and a checkered scarf from MUJI. Bag by Max & Co.

The Ladybug’s Vintage Vacation: From Russia with Love – Day #1, Saint Petersburg

A few weeks ago I had the chance to make one of my dream-trips come true: I know it may seem strange, but I’ve for many years nourished all sorts of curiosity and interest in this huge, contradictory and controversial country called Russia.

I’ve always dreamed of visiting the Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg or the Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, but more than anything I was curious to see how daily life was, how people lived and of course, what is the status of Russian vintage!!

So when I finally got the the call from Russia to visit I didn’t think twice about it, and booked my flights, hotels and visa in less than 2 days!! My only concern was the weather… it was very cold and it snowed a couple of times, but the big blue sky was priceless, especially if you compared to the rainy grey sky I found when I came back to Milan! I will try to tell you about my trip here and share a couple of tips on local vintage in the event you decide to visit this incredible country!

My first day in Saint Petersburg was all about the Hermitage Museum: I was so excited to finally visit one of the most beautiful museums in the world. I bought my ticket online a couple of weeks before the trip to avoid having to stand in line; even if, with that cold weather not many people are in the mood to visit Russia!!

I literally spent my entire day there: I got completely lost in the beauty of centuries of art from Leonardo to Kandinsky and Matisse that I even forgot to eat! From the Ancient Egypt to the XXth Century I enjoyed one of the best journeys into art of my whole life!

As for what I wore… well… I found out that if you’re not Russian you cannot be stylish in that cold!! Seriously, I was so cold that I couldn’t imagine myself without gloves, hats, UGG boots or layers of clothes!! But I saw amazing women in amazing stylish outfits with fur and high heels, but as it wasn’t very comfortable for me, I tried to do my best with what I had!

I brought my Topshop leopard print coat, and I paired it with a Topshop faux-fur Russian hat, a Sisley wool scarf and vintage suede gloves with fur inside. I also wore a wool pleated Zara skirt over Calzedonia grey wool tights and black UGG boots… which became my only shoes for the whole holiday (except for a gala night, but we’ll talk about that soon!). The final piece is my Max & Co leather bag which is the only bag I brought for the trip… way too comfortable and lovely a messenger bag to leave at home!

The Ladybug Wakes Up In Her Recurring Dream: A Modern Day Princess Leia

One of the most fun things that I did with KNAGUI while he was in Milan was our visit to the Star Wars expo at the Museo del Manifesto Cinematografico. It was a really interesting visit to the Museum and of the expo itself, but I will let KNAGUI (as he is the REAL Star Wars fan!) tell you about the expo in one of his upcoming SSwK.  In the meantime, I’d like to share my outfit for our “Night at the Museum.” (pun intended).

As it was a beautiful and unseasonably warm day in Milan I wore my navy Max & Co coat-cape and I paired it with a thrifted Primark jacket (a charity shop bargain from London last year!), a vintage navy and white polka-dot shirt from A.N.G.E.L.O. (that I bought at their temporary store in Serravalle’s Outlet during the Vintage Fashion Festival last year) and a pair of Replay jeans.

I am also wearing a navy hat by Whistles and Isabel Marant Dickers booties in tan and two more vintage pieces: suede gloves with warm faux shearling inside and a beautiful navy handbag from Un’altro giro di giostra, a beautiful vintage shop that I spotted in Reggio Emilia last year.

[Photo Credit: KNAGUI]