I've been thinking about it a lot
A string of random thoughts and a lot of opinions
Ladies and gentlemen,
please join me in welcoming all our new guests to the group-who-likes-thinking-about-things-a-lot. I feel we are in a summer camp!
I must thank Andrea Linett, who invited me as a guest editor on her I Want To Be Her! Substack. We talked about a lot of stuff like long-time friends do and somehow Debo, Duchess of Devonshire was mentioned. And if you haven’t already, subscribe and get on the cool side.
Some housekeeping.
The non-negotiables: we don’t do trends, don’t talk to me before my morning coffee, no flip flops or skinny pants allowed at all times, I can’t eat with my hands except French fries, when in doubt in Miuccia we trust. Expect the all-in-between, like Jeremy Allen White here and there, runway collections read through the lens of Fashion history, fashion critics, not influencers, there will be a hell of a lot of the Italian way because I can’t help it, even after a few decades in the States (namely Miami, but that is a touchy subject), so you’ll get used to not wearing makeup, not skimping on fine fragrances, borrowing from the boys’ tailoring and big watches, adding the disruptive element and never fearing of being over-dressed.
This year I follow what’s known as #theRuleofFive
I lost count of the things I sold or sent to sell, donated to actual people, not dumped at Goodwill, brought to a swap that I left empty ended. But June was all about upcycle couture in collaboration with two designers/friends, Alejandro Barzaga and Pangea Kali Virga.
Love
Beauty cushions from Korea. I didn’t know it was a thing until I did one search and now A) I am stunned by the sheer number of people that swear by it; B) I am fascinated by the record number of YouTube tutorials for a cream and a cushion, one of the most ancient forms of makeup application and C) horrified by how much trash they produce. The End.
I finally put my hands on one summer Fourbeadden La Zia necklace. Mine is La Zia Fulvia, the orange one. This edition has bells and who wouldn’t want to walk around sounding like an Elf? If you aren’t Italian you may not be familiar with the brand, the brainchild of stylist extraordinaire Viviana Valpolicella and three of her best friends/collaborators.
A good Victoria sponge cake with buttercream and raspberries.
A good monochromatic and nuanced outfit that gives you the freedom to play with jewelry, textures, handbags, shoes, and glasses, dress it up and down, from work to cocktails. To me, that is the difference between “getting dressed” and “being dressed up”: always aim for the former never for the latter.
Hate
This is going to sound bougie, but I used to live for the summer season back in Italy. Instead, I live where summers are hurricane-infested, hot & humid to a non-humane degree and we don’t go on vacation. No day goes by without talking with some friend or family member under the umbrella at the beach club while I wait for the deluge to finish to venture to the car to go to work. I can turn into a very petty version of myself.
Those clickbait headlines that want you to do something right now. Geez bro, calm tf down, you are just asking me to buy those running shorts that everybody wears not to run and are made of polyester. Right now is for a hurricane evacuation or a root canal.
Last week I talked about how I can never find good apricots. It sounded pretentious, but NO, it was a wasted $6 on a plastic container of round orange nonedible fruits of dubitable consistency. As if we were all generational wealthy. This week I must add figs. In my summer memories, figs fall from the tree in the backyard and you rescue them and chain eat them, and can’t stop because they are juicy, sweet, messy, sticky, and humble, they occupy that indelible and romantic ideal of summer. THAT I am even willing to pay for, not a plastic container of dried moldy chewy stuff. Take that for bougie.
