Monday 28 May 2012

What would you save from a fire?




Hello everyone and Happy Memorial Day!

In Italy, today is not a holiday, in spite of the fact that many other Catholic countries celebrate Assumption. My long absence (sorry!) is thus not due to the fact that I was happily vacationing somewhere nice. Rather, I was sick in bed with the flu (the fourth of the year, don't even get me started). I totally sympathized with Paula in this post. It is never fun to be sick when you are a mom, especially if your son has been sick himself a lot and you worry you may pass the virus on to him. :-(

In the attempt to prove that I was not so sick after all (even though I was), we went to the countryside over the weekend. I wanted to go also because we have only three weekends left in Italy (next week we should be in Belgium), and I am not sure how many other chances we'll have. I needed to say my goodbyes to my grandparents' countryside home, to the tallest-than-the-house pine tree that was planted in my birth's occasion, to the vineyard that stretches further away than the eye can see, to the sunset, to my grandmother's rose garden, to the mementos from my own childhood that are piled in the garage, and to my own grandparents who are buried nearby.

This goodbye stuff is hard. Hence, when we got back to Milan I tried to distract myself by starting to pack, and got immediately disoriented. I know I will have to leave some things behind. Since I do not know when will we be coming back and I am struggling so much with this goodbye stuff, it felt like trying to save only a few things from a fire. What would you save? I honestly do not know yet.


Sunday 20 May 2012

The vault




Hello everyone! Have you ever had a moment of true envy towards somebody else's closet?

Today it was raining, so we spent most of the day at my mother-of-three best friend 's house. During a short moment while the kids were all entertaining themselves, she allowed me a peek into her closet. She wanted to show me what she had scored at Brunello Cucinelli's sample sale a couple of weeks ago -- obviously (although fortunately for my wallet), while I was away in San Francisco.

I am not sure you are familiar with this brand, but it is one of the most expensive Italian clothing brands. Brunello Cucinelli is famous for his laid-back weekend style and cashmere sweaters, all with a starting price of 1000$. the sample sale my friend attended offered in-season clothing at 75% off: she got one bag priced at 2000$ in the store for a mere 400$. She then also had two overflowing drawers of assorted tops, shorts, and sweaters, which at full price would have totaled close to 10000$.

Talk about true envy...


Photo: Grazia.


Saturday 19 May 2012

Getting ready for Spring | Think outside the box




Hello everyone! Do you think it is still worth to talk about Spring clothing?

I'd say yes, totally. In my previous post, I promised to give you a few tips about shopping for Spring. Then I looked at the calendar. It is mid-May. Indeed, my Inbox is filling up with advice about how to best prepare for beach vacations in expensive far-away resorts. On a regular year, summer would be in full bloom in Milan right now, and I would have already packed away those cotton sweaters.

Temperatures have been quite cool around here, however, and those cotton sweaters are the main staple of my daily dressing. Paradoxically, the weather in Montreal has been uncharacteristically warm. This is thus what I anticipate: by the time we get back to Canada at the end of June it will get cooler, lengthening the time I can wear spring clothing.

If you want to shop for spring clothing (or to shop some more), you may want to start strategizing, since sales of spring merchandise are everywhere now. I find shopping for spring and summer easier than for fall and winter. It is more difficult to get a cotton t-shirt wrong than a cashmere sweater. In other terms: SS clothing materials are, with few exceptions, cheaper and easier to care for than FW ones. Hence, there are a few items you can easily save on by shopping at Zara and GAP.

You gotta be careful because lower-cost clothing is generally targeted towards customers under 25. The big chains often offer the least "conservative" trends -- think striped neon yellow cotton sweaters and underwear. So, if you want to pick up for cheap those neon yellow jeans that are so much in fashion right now, your local GAP could be a great place to start.

There are a few things you may not want to buy in the same places. The key categories here are jackets (who does not need one for a tailored cover-up in spring and summer?), as well as shoes and accessories. Nonetheless if your budget is limited it may not be worth splurging on a fuxia handbag that you will not be able to wear past Labor Day.

Most importantly, keep an eye on what's coming, since pre-fall collections are coming into most stores. Obviously, I am here to help you with this vision... Stay tuned for the next post!


Photo: Vectips.


Thursday 17 May 2012

Mother's Day in the blogosphere




Hello everyone! What were your favorite Mother's Day posts?

In occasion of Mother's Day I realized, once more, how much blogging has made me discover a whole new world. Who knew that no other than Christy Turlington Burns could think of a campaign to boycott Mother's Day, in order to reiterate the importance of every mother for her family? And who knew how many mothers would just like some "me" time on Mother's Day?

We are big believers of Mother's Day in our family, and this year it was particularly special to me because I got the impression that my son really got it for the first time. He made a craft in school, and he really understood that it was something special he made for me, and he loved telling me how difficult it had been, and how proud he was with the result because I liked it. Then on Sunday morning, he let me use the bathroom first, because he told me that it was my special day and I should come first.

Back to the point. Here is what I liked most around the web in occasion of Mother's Day:

My mom, the style icon transformed into a virtual greeting card.

A lot of people uploaded the photo of their stylish mom on the HuffPost Style Blog.

Domestic Reflections posted beautiful pictures about mothers (make sure you check out those from last year as well).

Today Moms reminded me to remind myself and others (maybe with this certificate) why I am a great mom.

Although it is from last year, Joslyn's post about the privilege and honour of being a mother still rules in my book.

Then there are the recap posts about Mom 2.0. One of the evening parties was held at the Versace Mansion, you know, and I was not there. I do not even want to talk about it.

P.S. I'd love to hear if you liked our "Happy Mom Attitude" initiative for Mother's Day!


Photo: Daily Candy.


Wednesday 16 May 2012

SS12 trends | Going Fifties




Hello everyone! Have you noticed how reference to Fifties' fashion are a bit everywhere?

Prada's ad campaign (above), for instance, seems to come straight from Grease -- minus John Travolta, of course. I absolutely LOVE pleated skirts. I must have tried on a ton and I came to two conclusions. First, for those lovely thin-pleated skirts in silk or light knits, you gotta have really small hips or be quite tall to look good in them. Second, even for pear-shaped women like me, there is hope for full skirts with big pleats, especially in a dress. Remember the great Sofia (Loren, obviously), after all?

P.S. This post concludes our series on SS12 trends. Earlier posts:
  1. The mint, the pastel and the neon
  2. The Cinderella syndrom
  3. Beware of the pyjama pants
  4. Mini love
  5. Of pants and knits
 A few tips about how to complete your spring wardrobe in the next post!


Tuesday 15 May 2012

SS12 trends | Of pants and knits



Hello everyone! How long does it normally take you to get over jet lag?

I came back from the West Coast on Monday last week. I spent eight days of back-to-back presentations, meetings, and social networking activities in san Francisco. I accomplished a lot professionally, but also on a personal level. In my field, there are only a few conferences a year so I loved the opportunity to see old friends and colleagues. Plus, I got to do some shopping!

In my view, the US is the best place to shop. In Europe, shopping is more glamorous but is almost completely centered around European designers. American designers, whom I love, are increasingly represented and much in fashion there, but buying their creations is quite expensive. The opposite, however, is not generally true, and after the beginning of the economic crisis the prices of European designers in the US are equivalent to those one can find in Europe. Canada is a totally different story: options are more limited (at least in Montreal), and prices much higher due to VAT.

I went on a short shopping outing in San Francisco to look for two things: a pair of patterned pants, and a light sweater -- the latter to best cope with the weather, which was chillier than I had expected. Along with colorful pants (as I mentioned in an earlier post), patterned pants are a key item for SS12. Think polka dots, stripes, flowers, and everything else in between. This is one of those trends I love, in theory. I mean, who would not want to rock the flower pants as well as Olivia Palermo does in this picture by Garance Doré? I do not think I can (although net-a-porter has good suggestions), but fortunately J Brand comes to the rescue with this houndstooth-printed skinny pants (image via Shopbop). They are mid-waist and cropped -- the trendiest length for SS12. Voila.



As far as knits go, I find their styles a bit difficult for me this season. There is a lot of cropped, sheer or both. Throw in oversized styles (as this one by Acne, which Style Heroine correctly labels the accidental dress) and super-expensive statement knits (like those by Jil Sander, which  complement the brand's offer for FW11) for good measure as well. I thus decided to save some money and stick with my neutral T by Alexander Wang cardi, the best cotton cardi I have ever own (styles are still available at the Outnet, if you are interested).



How about you? Would you wear floral pants and sheer sweaters? I'd love to hear.

P.S. This is the fifth post of our SS12 trends issue. Earlier posts:
  1. The mint, the pastel and the neon
  2. The Cinderella syndrom
  3. Beware of the pyjama pants
  4. Mini love
I have one more post coming up in this series, so stay tuned!


Blank stare, period




I am borrowing the title of this post from one of my favorite blogs, Blank stare, blink. But I am not blinking, just staring. The jet lag coming back from San Francisco last week has taken a big toll on me, since I had no time to go to bed early because I had too much laundry, chores, and missed family time to make up for while I was gone (minus 41 days before I can use a dryer again, yes!)

In addition, coming back from San Francisco has marked an important milestone: we have less than 6 weeks left in Italy and, as happy as I am to go back to Canada, sadness related this departure is seeping in as well. Do not even get me started on the organizational challenge: we arrived with 7 suitcases (remember this post?), we can take up to 9 to go back, and you know what? I am sure they will not be enough. This email from Yoox thus really made me smile: travel light and in style, because summer is basic. Ya, right.

P.S. In case Yoox's advice may suit your summer needs, you can find the source here.


Sunday 13 May 2012

The Happy Mom Attitude




Hello everyone and happy Mother's Day!

Feeling tired, guilty, overwhelemed? Lately I keep coming across posts about moms' negative feelings. We have all being there. Chances are you have been there at least once today already. Kids' tantrum over breakfast choices makes you late for work. Toys everywhere to pick up. Chances also are that you shared complaints the last time you talked to another mom. Husband not helping enough. Being too tired of making an 8-hour work schedule plus all household chores.

Wait. Why do we always talk about the negative aspects of motherhood? We decided to bring children into our lives. We love them. As the video above reminds us, being a mom is the best job in the world. Yet I do not remember the last time I told my girlfriend that it is all worth it: the sleepless nights, the constant worry, the guilt for not doing enough.

I am obviously not the first person to realize this. There are books and blogs where one can learn a great deal about what to do to be a happy mom (especially this one, which is my favorite). I challenge you to do something different however: to remind yourself that you are a happy mom already. Next time you think: "OMG how can I juggle today's work schedule with the birthday party I need to take my child to and make it home in time to cook dinner?" or "OMG I am so tired I wish everyone would shut up and let me watch Gilmore Girls", PAUSE. Look at the flip side of the coin. What is it that you are happy about right this minute? Yes, it can be that new pair of shoes, if you want. :-)

P.S. Let's share our happy thoughts by adding #happymomattitude to our tweets.


Sunday 6 May 2012

On my mind in San Francisco



Hello everyone! Are you having a fun weekend?

It is my last day In San Francisco, and there are a few things that have been on my mind this week:



Cable cars. Living in Milan I rediscovered how much I like to take ground transportation and look around. I felt like I fit right in San Francisco with its cable cars! Did you know that Milan actually contributed two trams to the city? (Painting by Phil Mottola)



Fresh produce. Don't you love fresh fruit and vegetables? I think they make every dish taste better. This is why, in my opinion, food in San Francisco, as well as in Italy, is so good. We have been spoiled this year, and it will be one of the biggest adjustments we'll have to go trough when we go back to Canada.



Tech upgrade. Tomorrow I am flying back to Italy with 2 iPhones, 2 iPads, and 2 laptops in my carry-on. I had patiently waited for this trip to upgrade all my devices and it was worth it! Plus, thank to the new iPhone, I was finally able to sign up for Instagram, and you can now follow us there as well.



Grab a hat! Yesterday's Kentucky Derby felt like the royal wedding all over again, but with better hats! This one is my favourite (Photo: Getty Images).


Friday 4 May 2012

That neon clutch






Hello everyone! Is it spring already where you live?

I feel like I keep chasing it and getting glimpses of it, but I never quite get it. Right before I left to come to San Francisco, we had two gorgeous spring days in Milan. That's it, I thought. I diligently packed away (finally!) my winter sweaters as I was preparing my suitcase for the trip, and I fantasized about showcasing the little army of colored pants that I have been assembling since February (in the picture below).

Unfortunately after my departure the weather in Italy has turned rainy again, and in San Francisco it is uncharacteristically cold. That has not stopped me, though. What I have been getting the most compliments about is one of the spring items I am most proud to have added to my closet: a yellow neon tote. Do you remember the yellow neon clutch I was obsessing over a month ago? I did go to the Werelse for Mango launch in Milan (official pictures here) with the idea of finally buying it, and I realized three things: 1) Chiara Ferragni is as beautiful in person as she looks on her blog; 2) her boyfriend is real, and he is hotter in person than on her blog; 3) the neon clutch is not quite age-appropriate for me, and a bit overpriced. I left the store with another item in the collection, this "octopus" scarf, which my son and I love (although for different reasons; his being the sea creature depicted on it).

To fill my urge for a yellow neon bag, I ended up with the Furla tote pictured at the top of this post. What do you think? It makes me smile every time I look at it!


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