The biggest leap of my life

Happy Leap Day!

I find the very idea of Leap Day totally mind-blogging. A magical day, that appears every four years. I am not sure you did, but when I was thinking about it this morning I asked myself: what was the biggest leap I ever took? The answer came natural. Becoming a parent for the first time. When you look at those lines turning red on the pregnancy test, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Since I have become a mom, every day is a leap. Am I making the right decision? Am I doing what's absolute best for my son? It can drive you nuts. But you learn to master this life on the edge, and you forget how it was before it even began.

Sorry I went philosophical on you. It is Leap Day, after all.

P.S. The picture above is of my son learning to skate in Montreal last winter.

SS12 trends | How much neon would you wear?

How much neon would you wear?

This question has been nagging me since my recent outing downtown (that you may remember from this post). One of my main goal then was to try on a pair of the neon yellow jeans that are so much in fashion for SS12. I ended up trying on a pair by J Brand at Banner (one of the hippest stores on Via Montenapoleone) and it was a big letdown.

These were the thoughts running through my head as I looked at myself in the mirror with the pants on (in random order):
1. I am too old for this color.
2. I could never take my son to a playground in these because a) they will get dirty super-fast; and b) I would be ridiculous.
3. Will yellow neon pants be as fashionable here in Italy as in the mostly-American magazines I have been checking?
4. My mother will never approve.
5. I would never spend 300$ on these.

The thing is that, independently of the cost consideration (I sure you can pick up a pair of yellow neon jeans at Zara or H&M for less tha fifty bucks), I really thought I would look ridiculous wearing them. I am now rather considering neon accessories for SS12...


Photo: Taylor Tomasi Hill (left) wearing neon yellow J Brand jeans at New York Fashion Week, via Fifiluxe.

The crickets and a starry night

Happy President's Day! What did you do this weekend?

My husband is away for work so we had a quiet, homy weekend. On Saturday morning I treated myself to an outing downtown (you may remember it from this post). On Sunday, we tried a new nearby place for brunch (full report coming soon!). Then my dad and I took my son to the Planetarium for an afternoon presentation.

Since we were early, we spent some time in the nearby park, where my son had lots of fun riding a "cricket". I was so amazed that it was an original 1959 model! All crickets for rent had been built by the grandfather of the business owner, a young guy approximately my age. At the Planetarium, my son discovered the zodiac constellations, and could not wait to build a Lego Scorpion (his sign) once we got home!

Déjà vu

How do you normally get familiar with the new trends?

My preferred source is the internet. It is the fastest way to access fashion information (and God knows if I have little time for this kind of things) as well as the most comprehensive source, generally. I say generally because many Italian brands I like have no or little representation on the web, which in turn is because Italian women still overwhelmingly prefer to shop in regular stores rather than online. Since my husband is away for work, this morning I took advantage of my parents' babysitting and did something I almost never do: go downtown to check out what's new in the stores.

Never like this year I had a feeling of deja vu when looking around. On the spot are now the spring collections (in a couple of weeks resort will go on sale), and their mix of pastels and neon colors. What's new then? One important piece of "fashion wisdom" passed on from generation to generation is that pastels are the color of spring. Last year introduced neon (do you remember Christopher Kane's amazing SS11 collection?) and this year the same trend continues, a bit to the extreme, one might say. Finally, a few of Fall's shades are still in for spring. For instance, burgundy red continues to be a strong shade for Spring clothing (as you can see in Longchamp Spring 2012 Ad Campaign) as much as yellow does for accessories (remember Fendi's Ana bag in mustard for Fall 2011?).

There are a few new elements. The Fifties are the key inspiration for spring's peplum tops and pleated skirts. Vertical lines such as Emporio Armani's (in the bottom picture above), as well as other "grafismi," are creeping up from pants and handbags to take center stage. Yet overall I am still a bit disappointed...

New York, New York

Do you follow fashion shows? Which one is your favourite?

Mine is definitely New York Fashion Week. Americans do know how to put up a great show. I am not talking here about the runaways, rather about the streets. After a couple of weeks of bleak sightings at Milan and Paris men's fashion week and pre-fall presentations (what's pre-fall anyway? I will talk about it in another post though), finally here they are: the model-bloggers, the editors, the stars, all giving us a glimpse of the season to come. Hanneli Mustaparta Mustaparta sporting her favourite Phillip Lim satchel (that she had already worn at SS12 Fashion Week back in September), this time combined with a mint top -- a color staple for spring. The ubiquitous Jason Wu sweater (worn in the bottom picture by actress Jami King and available from net-a-porter, in case you were wondering), which has just the right amount of sparkle and neon for spring. Neon and pastels in the look of one of my favorite non-mom bloggers, Chiara Ferragni.


Even though it is still cold outside, I am inspired to spring into spring, so stay tuned for my spring fashion report!

P.S. You can find a full street-style report on Fashionologie, and you can check out more of my favorite looks on Pinterest.

Thinking about it some more

I could not help it, but this morning I almost regretted writing (in my post from yesterday) that I do not buy into Chic Mom's philosophy. My son is at home from school and my husband is away for work. I have a bad cold myself and yesterday I stayed up late for a business phone call with North America.

When my son woke up this morning full of energy and wanting to play with me right away, I wished I could have slept in, while he went playing by himself. When I finally pushed myself out of bed, I wished I could have taken a shower when I wanted to, and privately. I also caught myself thinking that, if my son would be more autonomous "a la française", I could get some work done when he is at home from school (which was a bit of a mute point today because my parents live across the hall).

Then I realized: we cannot and should not expect kids to behave like adults. I love the attention my son gives me, the fact that he wants to share with me all his experiences, whether it is rearranging his Lego set into a new dinosaur or watching his favorite cooking program (yes, you read it right, we are in Italy after all). By the time he hits puberty I will be history, anyway.


Photo: AskMen UK.

The globalization of parenting

Do you remember Tiger Mom? Last year she wrote a book, a Wall Street Journal article, and landed the TIME magazine cover about her Chinese parenting style. She horrified the world by telling stories of abuse (no playing, harsh-worded critiques and so on) for her children's greatest good with firm maternal confidence. Everyone agreed she is a monster and that her parenting style should not be an inspiration to anyone.

After Tiger mom, this year seems to be the time of Chic Mom. And who better to impersonate her than a French woman? The even invented the word. The book "Bringing up Bebé" by Pamela Druckerman is indeed having everyone talking.

The word going around is that French women are better mothers than American ones. Shock and irritation at first, but once their secret is unlocked everyone is forced to agree that discipline has its perks. We are not talking discipline à la Tiger Mom, which is not chic at all. Rather, we refer to a parenting strategy that privileges waiting to respond to kids' needs in order to teach them more autonomy. This strategy is supposed to be in everybody's best interest, because while children learn more autonomy, their French moms can have the time to cultivate their identity as chic women.

I am all for not losing sight of yourself as a woman when becoming a mother (why would have I otherwise started this blog?). I also agree that spoiling your kids rotten is not in anybody's best interest. Yet I do not buy it. If raising my son has taught me something, is that the best parenting rules allow for a lot of flexibility. For instance, I am sure Chic Mom would be horrified to know that sometimes, even today that he is five years old, my son sleeps in our bed. Is it right or wrong? I do not honestly care. It works for us. As Sarah Maizes correctly pointed out in her review of the book:

Some kids need a bit of “this” and a heavy dose of “that.”  Some need a dash of “that” and a sprinkling of “this.”  But in the end, the only time-tested ingredient you can add is a heapin’ helpin’ of love, then sit back and hope your child will rise.

My favourite Valentine's Day post

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! How are you celebrating? As you planned, or in a different way?

We, guess what, have spent the past three days in another child sickness hell. We attempted to spend the weekend skiing with my mother-of-three best friend and her family, but sure enough my son got sick almost upon arrival, which was particularly sad because he had fallen asleep by saying that it was going to be the best vacation ever. At least we spent Saturday morning skiing for a couple of hours, and we are trying to make sure that this is the memory he will have of the weekend, rather than the emergency doctor's visit at midnight, the medicines we had him swallow every two hours, the chills and the sleepless two nights.

It follows that yesterday evening we were in no mood or shape to go out for dinner as we had planned. Rather, we hope this evening to enjoy a quiet family dinner and maybe watch a movie, which is ok. I just hope my husband will remember to get me some flowers on his way home :-)

But let me get back to what I wanted to share with you: a great post by Tracey Clark that you should check out. The heartwarming picture above is from the same post, and if you have time you should peruse Tracey's other posts for more amazing pictures. She is the founder of Shutter sisters, "a collaborative photo blog and thriving community of female photo enthusiasts." Tracey's blog and her pictures have inspired me to develop my passion for photography, which is one of my main new year's resolutions. I hope they inspire you as well!


Photo: Tracey Clark.

Everyone needs a fashion mom coach

Last month, I read an interesting and amusing article on Today Moms about the fact that everyone needs a mom coach, that is, someone there to help you through your tough moments (breastfeeding issues, anyone?) and to share with you the good ones. 

A few days ago I thought back at this article as I was talking to my best friend, who is the mom of two little ones about the same age as my son. She is the one I always turn to when I need to know about the latest trends, the good brands, or what to buy for a birthday party. Then it hit me: she is my fashion mom coach. Do you have one?


Photo: Japan Vogue, September 2011.

Beating the blues

Did you experience any "January blues"?

"Design Mom" Gabrielle Blair introduced me to this expression a few weeks ago (in this great post). I remember feeling: what blues? It is 2012, we are going home to Canada this year, I have so much planning to do! Today I looked at the calendar and I realized that something must have been going on with me though because I had little energy and neglected my favourite activity, this blog. I thus decided to beat the blues and catch-up with all the posts that have been sitting on my iPad for the past two weeks. I begun with the end of my trip report to Canada, about my "wardrobe malfunction", the emotional reunion with my housekeeper, and an unexpected discovery.

Stay tuned for my views on French parenting, men repelling and, most of all, my Spring Fashion series!

P.S. Did I mention that blue is one of the key colours for Spring?


Photo: Peter Som SS12 via Style Notes by Laura.

How do you get ready for San Valentine's Day?

Do you make any special preparation with your kids for San Valentine's Day?

I generally do not. In Italy, San Valentine's Day is not to be celebrated with kids. It is the day when mom and dad exchange flowers and gifts, and maybe go out for dinner. (To make me feel involved, my dad would always bring flowers for me as well). Primary schoolers would not, however, exchange gifts, cards or anything of that sort. In fact, while talking about it a few days ago, my mother-of-two best friend indicated that she thinks inappropriate to encourage "love" feelings at this age. Yet nowadays one would have to keep their kids under a rock in order to avoid them knowing about San Valentine's Day. So, I explained to my son that on such day we celebrate the people we love, and he therefore decided to bring a chocolate for his three best friends, one boys and two girls. I am curious to see how this exchange will turn out!

As for me, my husband is not a big believer of San Valentine's Day. He does not like the "commercialization" of love, and he thinks that one should show his love and respect for his wife every day. We will definitely go out for dinner though, and I am planning of sporting a red bag for the occasion :-)


Photo: The Mommyologist.

Crazy fashion

What is the craziest fashion you have ever come across?

Up until yesterday, I would have said 99% of the outfits worn by Sara Jessica Parker on Sex and The City. Then I stepped into Louis Vuitton. Yes, you heard me right. One of the names you most likely associate with "classic". I stopped by the store to check out the messenger bag that has been winking at me from the Cruise 2012 ad campaign.

Imagine my surprise when the sales attendant pointed out that the main advantage of the bag is the possibility to be opened from both sides. Because, he explained, it is meant to be the most functional when hang as a saddle on a horse. No horse? Maybe a bucket bag would suit me best. The new Monogram rayures (which means stripes in French) "Noe" bag can hold up to 10 champagne bottles, for any last minute desert escapade. True story. Crazy funny. I had to run out of the store before laughing in the face of the poor sales attendant.

P.S. More crazy fashion here.

Photo: Louis Vuitton's SS12 ad campaign.