A hot summer afternoon of skinny-dipping

August 13, 2016

It's the dog days of summer and rated R headlines are all the rage, especially if you are vacationing, sipping rose' under the striped umbrella at Soho beach house. If you are cooling off in Montauk, you are not exhonerated either, this is a headline that is supposed to attract the highest traffic.

You will not be disappointed.

In chic-landia (here) you know not to expect #OOTD, celebrity spotting or make-up tutorials because

we don't follow trends, we set them;
we don't believe in the force of the outfit-of-the-day, because what works for me today doesn't necessarily work or mean anything for anyone else's body or wallet;
we wear "barely there" make-up, instead we take skincare as religiously as the morning coffee;
also, we don't wear skinny pants and this is a long story you'll fid more about in the book

So, what the heck are we talking about?

Thank you for reading until here, because what's about to unfold is as juicy and sultry as skinny dipping.

For real.

It all started with a bunch of wild girlfriends and a conversation in which we established that European women wear lingerie outside the boudoir, yet also go braless when they feel like it, and that includes the beach (with a certain filter when children are prancing around) because we don't fancy tan lines.

Then, it continued with the reality that when it's time to start wearing a bra, in Italy, we are accompanied to the lingerie store where the expert sales associates (aka, the owner that has dressed the entire family, generation after generation) find us THE bra.

That everyone's size is composed by a lot of elements, the ribs, the breast, the shoulders, her posture, her walking and sitting habits that cannot be just confined to a number and a letter.

That whatever the bra is, a triangle, under-wired or balconnet, padded or semi-padded, lace, tulle, lycra, cotton, it is supposed to make us feel naked, it doesn't show, mark, cut, shows too much, holds the breasts enough not to make it overflow or unflattering.

That we hand-wash said bras and let them dry flat. In other words, Sophia Loren in her heated 1963 movie "Ieri, Oggi, Domani" didn't do anything far away from reality. Not that every Italian woman looks as damn sensual while manipulating black stockings and garther, but that stockings, bras and underwear hanging in the bathroom is pretty much a true scene as that truth that we talk with our hands.

As you can imagine, the conversation went BEEP and exponentially happier by the many chilled glasses of rose' circulating. Shortly after, it was decided to all go spend an afternoon at La Perla, the quintessence of Italian lingerie, to make all gf's acquainted with the wolrd of luxury lingerie and feel a bit closer to Sophia.

My first job in Miami was in the showroom of La Perla from where I was representing, distributing, merchandizing, marketing, speaking, breathing, wearing their bras and underwear to the Caribbean. And you may imagine how, walking into the boutique, was for me a joyful flashback, to when I had the luxury to be handling every day the most gorgeous collections and was privileged to fit their sample size as a glove.

Reminiscing of all the techniques, history of the looms and the family who used to own La Perla, sparked up the passion again and the desire to know more of a luxurious world that one can wear without anyone knowing (or maybe only the ones that should know.)

Lace under-wire or removable pads? coffee or prosecco anyone? is blush or white the most neutral color? fuchsia or sapphire lace? bralette or triangle for home lounging, Leavers lace or Chantilly? laser-cut or soutage bathing suit, hand embroidery and the Maison collection.

It was a deep-dive into a world where every piece is luscious, sultry, plush, luxurious, alluring, evoking a moment between you and your skin. And there you have the skinny-dipping.

How easy it is to get used to luxury? Luxury is a state of the mind that prescinds from the monetary value and allows you to be a kid again. Anyone can be a queen for a night, a moment, an afternoon, just act "as if" to feel that richness that nobody will be able to take away.

On second thoughts, an afternoon at La Perla should be required by law before obtaining a license to be a woman.

In conversation with Dijana: from Goldie Hawn to sustainability, bikinis allowed

August 10, 2015

You know that feeling of knowing a person before meeting said person?

What I knew of Dijana was very little and consisted of the booklet on my seat and the 15 minutes of the runway show at the Bass Museum. I generally trust my guts and let them work for me when they want to, and, as it turned out, my impressions were not far off.

Dijana swim celebrates “symmetry, purity, sensuality, renewal and beauty” it said on the booklet, enough to peak my curiosity. The right amount of fashion poetry and I wanted to read more, while seating among the A-listers waiting for the show to commence.

Dijana expresses love and gratitude to everyone who helped with this journey, 118 to be exact and that includes Wuppi, her beloved dog.

The recurring symbols throughout the collections are the lotus flower, the bamboo and the triangle.

The first representing the rebirth from the mud, is a tribute to a friend who passed away recently.

The bamboo is the predominant print which represents the balance between flexibility and resiliency against adversity.

The downward triangle is the ultimate representation of femininity.

Wasn’t that enough to wanting to meet with her?

Our conversation went from drones to generosity, from Nespresso to compassion, from puppy love to entrepreneurial hurdles, from Goldie Hawn to sustainability, and, how much our patience and compassion get put under test by people with no manners.

Dijana is an all-encompassed business woman who started her new adventure from scratch, that is: coming from an artistic background, having no previous experience in fashion but a clear intuition of what she wanted.

Sheer determination and a great dose of humbleness characterize her personality and her approach to everything, from friends to business.

“I need to understand”

— Dijana on the production process

“I need to understand” is a way of approaching life that brought her to put together a flawless collection in a few months. And you have got to believe me in this: the samples are impeccable, they went through the rough waters of a runway and three days of exhibiting at the Cabana show. They have been touched, worn, taken inside out, tested, washed and yet, not one thread out of place.

She wakes up as early as 6 am and is at the mill all day, something unusual and out of the ordinary in Miami.

DM - “You have to understand that nobody has ever been allowed in as consistently as me, but everybody, from the owner to the seamstresses and the drivers, has been so compassionate and understanding that we almost became an extended family."

Same with Roberto, the grumpy and intimidating big guy of the only place in town that makes strings (you know those strings that tie your bikini top or bottom) when he seemed not to be leaning towards her idea of a thinner string without internal elastic. You know that annoying feeling of having the marks on your skin from your bathing suit when you lay on the chaise longue?

Well ain’t gonna happen with her bikinis, Roberto caved in, went the extra mile to accommodate her requests and agreed to produce the most subtle and imperceptible string that ties her bikinis.

Because she is like this: she works hard, as hard as anyone else that she surrounded herself with and doesn’t get no as an answer, not capriciously though, but with an intent and the sweetest disarming smile.

Putting up the Ritz in a few months with so many telling her she was crazy, faced her with the ‘impossible’ word one too many times that the Leo in her took over and, voila’, she made it happen.

However, not all roses come without thorns and challenges became the inception of a dream come true.

“I love to be put in the dark spot”

— Dijana on challenges

“I love to be put in the dark spot, to have that grey day, because all that comes out of it is a success, a solution, like a rebirth into a better me.”

Like when, this past December, she couldn’t find the fabric she wanted and was originally directed to look into the wrong direction by whom had diverging interests from what were her requests. It took her the spur of the moment determination and one full Sunday of emailing from her office in Miami Beach, to find the mill she is currently working with.

How did you know that it was that the one?

DM – They were the first one to promptly send samples, within that same week.

Was it what you wanted?

DM - Exactly it, 5000 miles away they got it.

The exclusive bamboo print with her signature had more or less the same trajectory: found the best of the best, adapted to her vision and produced. A common path, passion and workmanship are a commitment for life wherever you are.

Her seamstresses were sitting first row at the show, not exactly a publicist's dream in a restricted seated environment, but she didn't want them standing, because if she made it there it’s thanks to all who have passionately contributed.

And it proved her right, who, if not them, would be proud of every piece that went down the catwalk?

She believes in the energy and its power infused in every hour spent sawing a piece. Every seam is impregnated with the feelings of the seamstress, it reminded me of “Like water for chocolate” while she touched one long billowy dress and remembered when Margarita was making it. See? That’s what Dijana stands. As a responsible fashion entrepreneur, she has a strong opinion on sustainability, hence the use of polyester, a synthetic fabric yet the one with the least environmental impact. It was in a blink of an eye that she mentioned the movie “The True Cost” produced to document the environmental and human cost of fast-fashion and the reproachable consequences on economy.

Her friends tell her “you need a vacation”.

“Not now, I can’t, I’d feel like abandoning my creation after having worked so hard.”

When they say if you do what you are passionate about, it won’t feel like work.

The domino-effect of becoming a contributor - Episode n.2

September 2, 2014

The hottest month of summer was a busy one chez nous that brought an avalanche of love. In an attempt to return at least a portion of that affection, I would like to jolt a few notes on how grateful I am for having met the two beautiful women behind www.DDmag.it , Isabella and Luisa.

The galeotto [as intermediary] of our meeting was Instagram - yes, that thing that glues my nose to the phone consistently. I would say I am dedicated to its growth, not addicted nor obsessed, like to a plant that needs to be watered, nurtured, vitamin infused and talked to.

We had our first meeting in an elegant, unusual, stucco-ed and delicious cafe-bookstore-gallery in Piazza della Scala chatting along like old friends do.

In reality, we became friends and we are not old, for the press. What happened after, was a first of a series of stories on how live in Miami Beach as an Italian - no matter if a one-time visitor or a local, the flair and spirit are the same.

'You discover a door with a graffiti message you have never seen before and you can buy locally-grown produce [...] and that opens a whole new world' ... continue reading here

Just because they are splendid hostesses, the following week I got the whole contributor feature - the VIP treatment on the mag for which I had to be paparazzed. I mean I had to answer questions, my moment of fame, I had to dress up for press time like at the Festival del Cinema di Venezia.

It's time to graciously return the favor, host them in a third episode of the domino-effect series and dedicate them some space like in a salon littéraire.

CHICfb 4 Wowcracy: 'Heavenly Beauty' by Dawid Tomaszewski

August 22, 2014

http://wowcracy.com/en/lab/user/11614/project/865#

Berlin-based Dawid Tomaszewski has been a brilliant presence at the German edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and has presented 'Heavenly Bodies' for the fall.

It's where the curves of a woman's body meet with 'geometric abstraction'. The rigueur of the color black and the sartorial cuts let femininity prevail over lines and structure. A subtle game of courtship where the woman wearing any of the creations is the winner.

The looks are layered with pieces that have their own independent life: a tunic can be a dress, a pair of silk cropped pants can live without the top and mingle with a simple white cotton blouse you have in the wardrobe. Heavenly Bodies inspires a sense of sophistication that slips into minimalism.

Luxurious materials, comfortable styling are the most prominent ingredients to a poised medley of tailored and fluid pieces. A sensible research was applied and it resulted in a mature presentation worth our attention.

Silvina Maestro @ WOWCRACY

July 26, 2014

That moment when Wowcracy selected chicfb.com as one of those blogs 'to keep an eye on' : the WOW factor. I will be watched by a team of experts of the likes of Diane Pernet, VOGUE Talents, Harper's Bazaar and Susie Bubble. It feels like a tremendous responsibility, but isn't writing, commenting, analyzing, reviewing, matching, reading, being behind the scenes, brainstorming what someone like me with a fashion nose has always dreamed of?

So #justdoit.

WOWcracy is a fashion platform that offers new talents the opportunity to showcase their latest collections and pre-tail them without any financial burden and allows influencers like me to preview them, review, widen the exposure to an extended audience, potentially infinite.

'Theorema' is the collection designed by Silvina Maestro that I will be reviewing. It is part of a project called 'Call The Tune' by Wowcracy in collaboration with Vogue Talents.

“I like to explore the tension between the presence and the absence of beauty, love, and light, all sides of the same thing.”

— Silvina Maestro

Once it was said that the clothes of a woman should follow the movement of a woman's body not constrict it, and that is a Chanel quote mesdames et messieurs and it is relevant when defining style.

If there's a word that comes to mind looking at Maestro's lookbook is 'fluidity': each garment is inspired by a concept as the fabric runs on the body, stops where supposed to and continues to completion. Feminine is what perspires and cohesively hints throughout the collection.

Rouches, cut-outs, asymmetrical hems all show up at the right moment in the body, enough to enhance sensuality without being inappropriate.

In the interview published in Vogue Talents, Maestro explains how she is interested in the 'tension between the presence and absence of beauty, light, and love all sides of the same thing'. We see black and white, short and long, shine and matte and they all blend masterfully and without edges.

My work is a progression on itself, each collection is a conceptual continuation of the previous one, like chapters in [sic] a novel. Narrative is important to me.

Silvina we take you by the word as the collection promises many more chapters to come.

Source: http://wowcracy.com/en/lab/user/1425/proje...

What happened when I met Carlos Huber @ Babalu'

May 10, 2014

I bought a new perfume after 23 years of being married to one.

If you know my adversity for synthetic colognes sold with discounts and gift-with-purchase, you know it wasn't any of that.

It was a walk in the past into one of those mid 17th century literary salons.

I will not be abandoning my Patchouli, but 'it's like choosing what to wear in the morning', that's how I was broken into the New Me by Carlos Huber, the one of the only two Latin American 'noses' in the world and the creative director of Arquiste parfumeur.

Here's how it started.

This is how Babalu looked before the party

As I am getting ready for the event where the master perfumer will be doing a one-of-a-kind appearance, I realize I am walking to Babalu without wearing my own perfume.

(Un)consciously naked. This is going to be interesting.

Unusual to say the least. The fixation with my own scent started from getting acquainted to the Galateo of Giovanni della Casa: a debutante is supposed to own her own personal fragrance. God only knows I am long past that decade.

Carlos is behind the counter like a master mixologist and we are welcomed with a refreshing gin cocktail, the perfect concoction for a steamy Miami Beach afternoon. (Don't you even think I got drunk and bought the perfume like one would get married in Vegas and not remember the following day. )

The atmosphere is understated and chic as usual at Babalu, the 'antithesis to a department store' [Greg, one of the owners - cit.] boutique cornered in the most unusual real estate spot of Miami Beach.

Huber sniffs (baaad pun) I am Italian and Paolo, the other owner of Babalu, says he is too - 'molto piacere'.

As I ask where is Carlos from, I realize I didn't come prepared. Another sign that this is going well: no expectations.

“Huber collaborated with internationally recognized noses in order to recapture the olfactive notes of historical moments. ”

— www.arquiste.com

The nose behind Arquiste is from Mexico, 'but I spent all my summers in Florence, as long as I remember' he adds.

Signs of the unexpected are folding over me like an origami flower.

Miami, the ocean and at one point there must be those essences in one of the perfumes

FB - "How did you begin the path to fine fragrances?"

CH -'I am an architect specialized in historic preservation.'

History, Tuscany, travel, a unique zeal for the past and the aromas of past moments.

I am charmed and intrigued to hear how those stories got trapped in the bottle and I want to spray them out. But since I cannot keep my mouth shut, we diverge into talking about heritage, living in different countries, national pride. An engaging conversation with a stranger who wasn't a stranger anymore.

FB - "How were you drawn from designing homes, rooms and bridges, to the ethereal job of combining essences into fine fragrances?". They seemed two opposite worlds, one tangible and the other ephemeral.

The fil-rouge unifying both worlds is time - and memories. Buildings have their own unique scent fruit of the combination of materials used, events that happened there, people that populated and visited them.

WARNING: if you are intimidated by old constructions or don't like history, do not proceed.

The gardenia is in one of the fragrances ... for sure!

Each fragrance of the Arquiste line is an olfactive reminiscence of events of centuries past in detailed minutiae .

Life in 1695 in a Mexico City convent, the celebration of a good harvest in a Calabria 1175 (before the Americas were even discovered), the day when Louis XIV married la Infanta in June of 1660 that, by Carls interpretation, produced two fragrances, masculine and feminine.

FB - "How would you convert someone like me who has had one perfume forever?" And then my rant about patchouli bla bla bla went until he said:

CH - 'Let's not give too much credit to a perfume. It becomes who you are, not the other way around.'

I start getting the whole essence (I swear this is the last pun).

CH - 'What the perfume smells on the sliver of paper is not how it develops on your skin', Carlos continues. 'When you spray it on your skin, it goes through phases and it builds on you in a different way it does on anyone else.'

CH - 'Let's say you remember that day you spent in the garden in Florence, the cypresses, the honeysuckle, poppies, jasmine, you wore a linen blouse and leather boots.'

Carlos is good. He brought me back to my summer vacations. This is getting better by the minute.

“A scent is a time capsule. It can invoke our most intimate memories and dreams, and open doors to distant worlds.”

— Carlos Huber - Arquiste parfumeur

Gotta say we took a train ride on the Orient Express, did a VIP tour of the world through centuries and landed on our almost exclusive fragrance. Our essence in a capsule.