Get Your Art On: Mario Testino "Todo o Nada"

I finally made it to this exhibit at the Fondazione Palazzo Ruspoli Memmo on Via del Corso. It opened in July and closes on November 23rd. The show is co-hosted by the foundations of Fendi, Gucci, and Valentino.

Testino is one of my favorite fashion photographers and I heard great things about the show. It did not disappoint. I really enjoyed it.

As we walked through the exhibit, my friends and I were talking about how celebrities have replaced models on fashion magazine covers.

When you look at the photographs, it's clear while this could be good for sales, artistically it's depressing, boring, and lazy.

Many actresses are drop-dead gorgeous, but they are not models. I know many people think anyone who is tall, and pretty can be a supermodel. Despite what reality shows say, that is not true.

There is something about the way the camera captures the faces of models that makes them stand out. Also, I'm not surprised many models used to be dancers. You do have to know how to move your body when you're posing for photos. Not all actresses have the physicality.

The exhibit was heavy on models, but there were a few actresses in the mix. It's no shock that Cameron Diaz's portrait was one of the most interesting. Cameron was a model.

Some of my favorite portraits were of Daria Werbowy. Stunning.

It was nice to see some of the ladies from the '80s, Naomi, Linda, Christy, Stephanie, and Cindy, represented. I miss that era.

I'm glad we're moving away from the "hanger" phenomenon. I disagree with the notion that famous models are too distracting for the clothes. Look at the '80s. Those model were super famous and yet you noticed what they were wearing on the runway, in ads, and editorials.

If you're going to be in Rome during the next few weeks and you're into photography and/or fashion, this show is fantastic.

Here's a little video about the opening:

Hermès exhibit... sigh.

There was a short-term Hermès exhibit at the Chiostro del Bramante in Rome to celebrate the opening of the new men's store on Via Campo Marzio.

It ended on Sunday. My friend C. and I made it just in time on Saturday.

I don't remember how old I was when I first became aware of Hermès. I walked into their store in St. Martin one day during a summer trip to see my grandparents.

The store was incredible. The salespeople were so chic and very nice.

My friends know I'm somewhat obsessed with Hermès bags. One friend even sends me snapshots of Birkins she sees in Rome.

I don't own a single one. Years ago I saw a used Kelly bag at a yard sale in Georgetown. I could kick myself for not buying it. Then again I was a junior congressional aide on The Hill making less than 18k a year. I doubt I could afford the bag.

I still can't afford the bags. But I can appreciate them from afar.

The exhibit was fantastic. Well curated and the write-ups were beautiful. I know they were writing about leather and bags, but it was poetry.

We were able to touch the leather samples. Like butter.

There was one display comprised of only Kellys and Birkins. My friend asked me if I was okay because it looked like I was hyperventilating.

They had bags on display that were over hundred and fifty years old. The level of craftsmanship is unreal.

The company was founded in 1837 as a harness workshop and is still family owned. However, the big multinational LVHM wants like to buy them out.

Hermès bags are made by hand, unlike some other luxury brands.

A craftsperson works on one bag at a time.


C. used to ride horses. We spent a lot of time in this room.


When I see this picture I crack up. This was in a little room to the right of the big Kelly/Birkin display. As we walked toward the room, we heard this smacking noise. It was a couple completely making out behind the display. The crazy thing is, they didn't stop when we walked past them. We were in that room for a while and when we walked out, they were still making out. Really, folks, in a museum?!


Hermès store Rue du General De Gaulle. Marigot, St. Martin, French West Indies. Where the love affair began.

Friends, Cookies and Campari – Rome’s Fashion Night Out.

Italian Vogue's editor Franca Sozzani


The delicious cookies given out at Gente on Via Babuino


Cool display at the Campari party which was held in the "Roman Holiday" palazzo on Via Margutta


A model in the archway on Via Margutta.


Cocktails!


Leaving the party. Next stop, Stella McCartney.

Last Thursday night, Rome held her version of Vogue’s Fashion Night Out. Anna Wintour, the EIC of American Vogue, started the event a few years ago to kick off Fashion Week in New York City.

There are rumors this year will be the last one in NYC, but nothing has been confirmed.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. Two of my fashion loving friends met up with me at Miu Miu and off we went.

Courtney invited a young Italian friend of hers to join us. She was super sweet and it was interesting to hear the POV of an early 20-something. I don’t know if she realized all of us were technically old enough to be her mom. Heh.

Just as I arrived at Miu Miu I saw Franca Sozzani, the EIC of Italian Vogue. She was surrounded by a ton of press.

The night was a blast. We kept bumping into friends. I couldn’t believe how crowded the streets were. Red Valentino served the best cocktails.

Several stores hired DJs. The Stella McCartney store had a hot popcorn machine. Erica heard a rumor they also had cupcakes, but by the time we got there we didn’t see any.

Gente on Via Babuino served cookies (they were very cute and delicious), prosecco (in nice glasses) and appetizers. It was my first time in that store. Oh Mio Dio, why did I do that to myself? They sell Repetto ballet flats and other wonderful things.

One thing that jumped out at me was seeing so men out and about with their girlfriends/wives. People really got into the spirit of the evening.

Some of the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross. This would explain why we saw so many nurses wearing vintage Red Cross uniforms. Fashion + function.

EMMYS

I woke up at 1:55 a.m. to watch the EMMYs.

An intense thunderstorm rolled through Rome around 3ish and the cable went down for a few minutes. I didn't get to see Peter Dinklage's win.

Overall, I thought Jane Lynch was funny. She had some great one liners.

I was confused by Charlie Sheen's comments. Dude, it's not about you. Clearly, he's doing his apology tour. I wonder what brought the change of heart. New publicist?

Can wait for the new season of MAD MEN. When will it air, 2017?



Some favorite moments:

When the women nominated for Best Actress Comedy ran up on stage.

The MAD MEN sketch during the opening montage.

Ashton saying he was looking for the half man during THE OFFICE sketch.

I fell out over the Michael Bolton (!!) Akon/Maya Rudolf mash up.

My former boss Don Cheadle looking sharp.

Guy Pearce winning. He is one of the nicest people in the biz.

Julie Bowen, who played Amy in our movie, surprise win.

Ty Burrell's great acceptance speech.

Seeing Idris in a tux. Bummed he didn't win. LUTHER is amazing. I heard nothing but negative things about THE KENNEDYS mini-series. Did you see it? I was surprised to see how many nominations it received.

Loved Sofia, Kate and Lea's red dresses and the color of Dianna Agron's dress.

I think Gwyneth's dress would have been gorgeous if it were one piece.

I was perplexed by Julianna Margulies' dress. I just started watching THE GOOD WIFE. Great show.

Flashback Friday - Earth, Wind & Fire - "September"

Last night I had my weekly conference call with my manager. She had some not great news regarding one of my projects.

I started to go down that negative road.

Then I had to run out the house to meet my friends for Rome's Fashion Night Out. One them asked me how things were going and I vented for a minute.

I stopped and not just because I had a delicious prosecco in my hand. I realized earlier in the week I had received excellent feedback about another project. I barely spoke about it. Instead I was zeroing in on cryptic comments made by one person.

Like I said, I'm trying to Live More and Worry Less. Instead of doing the whole "woe is me, why aren't things better?" rant, I focused on the moment and had a blast with my friends.

This morning I ran to Borghese Park and heard this song on the way up the hill.

Wait, I'm confused by those things in the video. Right, they are instruments!

Earth, Wind & Fire had a killer horn section. They are one of my favorite bands OF ALL TIME. Their outfits in this video are a trip. I love the enthusiasm of the bass player.

Have a great weekend.

COMMITTED by Elizabeth Gilbert, A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan, THE CARRIE DIARES by Candace Bushnell and a few other summer reads

I read a few excellent/good books this summer. Below are a couple of them:


COMMITTED by Elizabeth Gilbert
I zipped through this book.

After her Brazilian-born Australian citizen boyfriend Felipe (they met toward the end of EAT, PRAY, LOVE) is arrested in the U.S. at the airport, they faced a tough choice. Either get married or Felipe would be barred from entering the U.S…. forever. Both Felipe and Elizabeth had gone through tough divorces. While they were committed to each other, they swore they would never marry again. The United States of America thought otherwise.

Elizabeth writes about marriage and the strain on their relationship as they live outside the U.S. waiting for Felipe’s paperwork. One little thing that jumped out at me was her comment that they were living off the fumes of her last book. While all this drama was going on, Felipe’s business was severely damaged. EAT, PRAY, LOVE had not been released yet. While Elizabeth was a respected writer (her book THE LAST AMERICAN MAN is excellent), her life completely changed after EPL became a phenomenon. As a broke writer her story gives me hope. You never know what the future holds.


A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUARD by Jennifer Egan
The winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Price for Fiction. I get the hype. Egan wrote one of my favorite articles about the fashion industry, “Jamie Is A Girl” years ago, but this is the first novel of hers I’ve read. The book chronicles the lives of a group of friends as life takes them in unexpected directions. It jumps around in time, past, present and near future. Most of the characters are connected somehow with music, but it’s not about the music industry Some say AVFTGS more of a series of short stories and the narrative is confusing at times. The “power-point” chapter told from the POV of 12 year-old Alison Blake is brilliant.

The book has been optioned for a series by HBO. Egan said THE SOPRANOS was one of her inspirations. Can’t wait.



THE CARRIE DIARIES/SUMMER IN THE CITY by Candace Bushnell
Yes, I read these YA books and loved them. I’m not into sparkly vampires, but books about nerdy/geeky girls trying to fit in… I’m there. These books are a wonderful palate cleanser for those who sat through SATC 2. The 17 year-old Carrie had more depth, and intelligence than the 45 year-old knucklehead caricatures in the movie.

TCD takes place during Carrie’s senior year in high school in a small town in Connecticut. Her mother has died. Her father is a good dad, but overwhelmed raising three girls alone.

SITC is set during the summer before her freshman year in college. Carrie is in NYC for a summer writing program. She meets Samantha (the older cousin of a high school classmate) and Miranda, a very opinionated young feminist. Both books have been optioned for a series on the CW. Writer Amy B. Harris is adapting. I would so watch that series.


ONE FIFTH AVENUE by Candace Bushnell
Ms. Bushnell is kicking butt this year. This book was just optioned for a series on ABC. Unlike SATC, Bushnell will be a producer on both projects. People assume she made a bunch of money on SATC. She did not. Once she sold the TV rights, she was not involved with the series.

OFA is about a very chic building in NYC and the lives of several women who live (or want to live) there. Good, soapy fun. I loved hating the humorless Mindy character. And Lola reminded me of many obsessed with becoming famous early-20 somethings I met in L.A.



FALLING MAN by Don DeLillo
This was tough read. It’s a fantastic novel about September 11th. Keith is a lawyer who escapes the rubble. He was recently separated from his wife. His young son is having major problems, post 9/11. Keith’s struggle to reclaim his life is haunting, but hopeful. Somewhat.


THE ART OF ACTING by Stella Adler
A good resource for actors and writers. The book is a little dated. However, there’s a reason Stella Adler is considered one of the most important teachers of acting in America.



DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas
This is an excellent book on the $157-billion luxury industry, globalization, class and culture. I am very anti-fakes anyway, but reading about how some sweat shop factories break the legs of kids so they can’t leave made me sick. Thomas writes about how several luxury brands are not selling luxurious well-made items anymore, but just the brand. The portrayal of LVMH is scathing.

One luxury brand that walks the talk is Hermès. It’s not surprising it’s one of the few brands that is still family owned and operated. LVMH wants to buy them. I think that would dilute the brand and basically kill it. Why the heck would anyone pay serious money for a Birkin or a Kelly bag if they are no longer made by hand? In order to meet the profit margins demands of a big multi-national, Hermès would have to use cheaper labor/raw materials.

More books next week.

Snapshot Rome - The GAP

Shot on Via del Corso. I'm very curious to see how the clothes in this store will differ from the clothes Stateside. The cuts will definitely have to be smaller. Baggy/loose clothes are not popular here. Even hip-hop loving teenagers don't do baggy.

The last few times I've been in the GAP (at the Grove or Century City in L.A.) were disappointing. The GAP used to be the place to get good, well made basics at decent prices. Now, it's maybe one step above Forever 21. The clothes look and feel cheap. What the heck happened? That said, GAP BODY is fantastic. They have the best cotton underwear, PJs, etc.


UPDATE:
A friend just Tweeted me to say, the GAP opened on Sunday. The cuts are smaller. She bought eleven shirts. Clothes were made in Turkey and Egypt instead of Vietnam.

Flashback Friday -I Say A Little Prayer For You - My Best Friend's Wedding

Continuing with the wedding theme... here's one of my favorite wedding movie scenes. Rupert Evert and Cameron Diaz were great in My Best Friend's Wedding.

This also happens to be one my favorite Aretha Franklin songs.

I did watch the Royal Wedding and I am surprised how much I teared up. I loved everything about it. The pomp and circumstance, Catherine's beautiful House of McQueen dress (Sarah Burton is crazy talented), the handsome princes in their uniforms, the gorgeous Westminster Abbey.

I lost it when Prince William said, "You look beautiful" to Catherine.

Have a great weekend.

Fendi, Kim Carnes, Lasagna And A Naked Man.

Yes, these things are connected.

Erica has a great POST about our evening, along with a cool slide show.

I was her date for the annual Fendi performance art show. The show is held in the Old Jewish Market by Circo Massimo. I've stepped into that building many times and never notice the Star of David in the ceiling until Erica pointed it out to me.

When Kim Carnes came out and sang "Bette Davis Eyes," I cracked up. It was so random! She sounded great.

The show was very interesting. I can't say that I understood everything that was going on. For example, I'm not sure what was the point of the extremely well-endowed naked man who stood onstage.

The crowded was eclectic... fashion forward young artists mixed with old money older crowd. I think Erica and I were the only Americans there.

There was small post party at the palazzo of Alda Fendi on Via Giulia. She personally greeted every guest, which was very Bella Figura.

The lasagna was delicious. I wasn't expecting food at the party but was very happy to see it.

It was a surreal evening. Despite the rain, it was one of those nights that reminded me of why I love living here.

Karl Lagerfeld Photography Exhibit in Rome

If you love photography and/or fashion, I highly recommend this show. The exhibit ends April 10th.

I went with two friends last week.

I knew Sir Karl was a talented photographer but it was the first time I've seen a collection of his work. Amazing.

The first section is dedicated to portraits, fashion, landscapes, architecture and nudes (including his muse Jean Baptiste Giabiconi). The second section showcases Lagerfeld more experimental work.

The Bramante gallery (Chiostro del Bramante) is one of my favorite spaces in Rome. It's worth a trip for the building alone.

Chiostro del Bramante
Arco della Pace, 5
00186 Roma
+(39)066 8809036

Help! I'm addicted to The Rachel Zoe Project.

The show has recently started airing in Italy on E! Italia. I cannot stop watching it.

Ms. Zoe grew up in the same area as me (I've already discussed how much I love Short Hills Mall) and I totally hear her slight, suburban Northern New Jersey accent.

I'm pretty sure Zoe (like myself) has been saying "bananas" before Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back" song. Once that song came out I had to make an effort to drop "bananas" from my vocabulary. It made me salty as bananas was one of my favorite words. It's so useful. Living in L.A. and now Rome, I constantly find myself in situations that can only be described as "BA-NAN-AS". As in, getting a driver's license in Italy is bananas.

Zoe gets a lot of flack, even from her husband sometimes, about how serious she takes her career. It's dismissed as "only" fashion. Sorry, but I respect people who have a passion for what they do. I hate that the creative arts/crafts are not respected in America unless you make a lot of money.

There are many very talented and smart people who work in fashion. Clothing is the one thing that touches almost every single person's life, unless they walk around naked.

Yes, some people are over the top but so freaking what? Fashion should be fun. With all the horrific things going on the world, it's great to get excited about something that speaks to you, whether it's a photograph, a painting, a film, a song or a beautiful dress.

A clip from the show. Everything is so DRAMATIC! I do remember seeing Cameron's Chanel dress and Eva's Dior dress on the red carpet and thinking they were gorgeous. It's interesting to see how the outfits came together.



An interview with Harper's Bazaar.


This spoof cracked me up. The two have met and did a video together. It's good to see Zoe has a sense of humor. Too many people in Hollywood do not.

The 2011 Oscars (aka our Superbowl)

Ciao Bloggisti,

What did you think of the show? Co-hosting the Oscars is difficult. I wonder who they will get for next year.

Most of the predictions were dead on.

Several of the acceptance speeches were very funny and/or moving. Some of my favorites were, David Seidler who one for Best Original Screenplay, Colin Firth's, Luke Matheny who won the Oscar for Best Short and Christian Bale's.

I wondered about the special Lena Horne tribute by Halle Berry. Hmmm, interesting it happened in a year where there was A LOT of mainstream press about the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

I really liked the Best Picture montage.

The dresses!! The detailing on Cate Blanchett's was stunning. She always makes interesting choices. I liked her dress and I don't care that some people are putting it on their "worse dressed" lists. They can go kick some rocks.

Sandra Bullock looked beautiful in red. I loved the color of Jennifer Hudson's dress. Not sure about the fit or her lace front.

Of course I will be watching the "Fashion Police" post-Oscar show. Kelly Osbourne's dress was very pretty.

Prada and a serious case of Spring Fever

It's only February.

During the last few days we've had highs in the mid-60s here in Rome.

The store windows are full of pretty clothes for Spring. Why must I be tempted so?!

For the first time in a while, the clothes coming down the runaway were fun and optimistic.

I'm kind of obsessed with these Prada shoes. I don't have Prada money.

Every year Prada does some variation of a Mary Jane. I have a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes I bought over ten years ago. I bought them as a treat to myself after getting completely screwed over at work (long story). I couldn't afford them back then either. I convinced myself, cost-per-wear, the Pradas would make more sense in the long run.

And they did. All the cheaper shoes I had are long gone. My Mary Janes are still in excellent condition despite getting quite the work out in L.A.

If I could figure out how to walk on cobble streets, I would wear them more often here.

I can't wait until Spring fruits and vegetable arrive at the Farmers Markets.

Warmer weather means a return to sitting outside for aperitivi or lunch/dinner with friends.

I have a few big things on the horizon this Spring. Our movie Jumping The Broom opens (ahem, May 6th, Mother's Day) and I hope to move to a new neighborhood. I will miss my current apartment but with yet another bar opening in Campo, I cannot renew my contract.

I know we still have the rest of February and the month of March before we can start packing away the winter clothes. However, I've noticed the days are already getting longer.

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

Lo Shopping: White Gallery in EUR. Fashionistas in Rome rejoice.

Actually, for me it was "Lo Browsing". My friend Erica has written a fab
POST about this amazing store. I'm still dreaming about the forest green Celine tote.

The store is opening a cafe with outdoor seating in the Spring.

I'm so over being broke it's not funny.

The architecture is very interesting. There's a lot of marble.


I think the books were for sale too.


Fabric for custom made shirts.

The Sartorialist comes to Rome!

Yesterday, I met up with Erica, her husband (aka The Professor) and Baby X to attend an open casting The Satorialist had in Rome. He's shooting the OVS campaign again and asked the ad agency if he could open it up to non-professional models.

While occasionally he will shoot fashionistas or celebrities on his blog, the majority of his subjects are interesting people he sees on the street.

Erica and I, much to the amusement of The Professor, were totally geeked to meet Scott Schuman. Scott was extremely nice and I was nervous. Yes, I knew I didn't have a chance in hell but it was fun to attend the casting.

Scott's blog gets over 150,000 hits a day and he has been called one of the most influential voices in fashion.

French blogger Garance Dore was also at the casting. I love her blog as well. And I told her so. She was very gracious. Recently, she and Scott became a couple. You can see how they influence each other's work.

Has anyone bought Scott's photography book? He has been doing book signings all over the world. I haven't seen it in Rome.

Sometimes Garance will post little shorts of Fashion Week or shows that she has attended/shot. They are fantastic. I really love the passion she and Scott have for what they do.

Garance is writing a series about how she went from being a frustrated illustrator to shooting ads for some of the top design houses in the world. It's a great read. Her site used to be only in French but now she does have an version translated into English.

Scott, Baby X and Erica.


Lights, camera, action. There was a pretty big turnout yesterday. Thank God we got there early.

Lo Shopping: Los Angeles edition. Club Monaco and J.Crew FTW

It's election day in the States today. I dropped off my absentee ballot while I was in L.A. Tomorrow we will have a new Speaker of the House.

Speaking of Los Angeles (okay, that was a stretch) I didn't have time or the budget to hit any of the fantastic boutiques on 3rd, Beverly, Abbott Kinney, etc. I desperately needed some basics, like one pair of jeans.

Clothes in Europe are a slimmer cut. What is a 6 in America is a 10 here (seriously) and most stores do not go much higher than than.

Having a limited budget forces me to pay attention to every single thing I buy. Even when my financial situation improves I will continue to do so.

THE GAP
What is going on with this store? Patrick Robinson is a very talented designer. I do not understand why the clothes looked so awful and the fit sucked. I used to have excellent luck with their jeans. This time no dice. The fabric felt and looked cheap and none of the styles fit.

I know they are opening one in Milan and Rome soon. We'll see what they'll sell here. Maybe I've aged out of the GAP? Then again, how can you age out of classics? The GAP has been struggling for years. They're getting slammed on the lower-end by H&M/Zara and on the higher-end by J.Crew.

GAP BODY
That said, I went to the Gap Body section in their store at The Grove. Hands down one of the best places for yoga pants, cotton panties (much better quality than Victoria's Secrets) and PJs.

KIEHL'S
I went to the one on Robertson. Friendly, helpful and generous with the samples. I finally tried the Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Hair Pak after hearing so many people rave about it. Blogger Afrobella also said it was a great product for black women with natural hair. Worth every single penny. It's an excellent conditioner.

BLOOMINGDALES
I interned at the flagship NYC store during college. I've always loved this store, especially for cosmetics, shoes, housewares and bedding.

I stuck to my list and stayed on the first floor. I wish Bobbi Brown sold her cosmetics in Rome. New color lipstick for me, her Blackberry. It's a pretty plummy color and the closest I could get to a discontinued Trish McEvoy shade. I almost got sidetracked at the Chanel counter but remembered they sell Chanel all over Rome.

CLUB MONACO
The J. Crew of Canada. I can't find any of the dresses I bought online for a photo so believe me when I say I scored. I wore one of the dresses, this Jackson Pollack type print, to a drinks a friend hosted for me at the Avalon pool bar. I received so many compliments on it. Several women said they were going to buy the dress. I have a particular shape, it's hard for me to find things that fit. I always find well-cut, fashionable (without being too trendy) clothes at Club Monacao. Their color palette is not as wide as J.Crew but I think both stores do Modern Classic well. Club Monaco is more Pradaish while J. Crew is preppier.

J. Crew
I have worn J. Crew since it was catalog only, then became a regular at their first retail store in NYC's South Street Seaport. The founder was from Montclair, NJ and the clothes used to have a very East Coast, outdoorsy prep school vibe. I've seen the brand struggle when they tried to be too fashion forward and when it because super popular. First Lady Michelle Obama has definitely increased the brand's profile. When her daughters wore J. Crewcuts (the online store for children) to the Inauguration, so many people went online it caused the site to crash. At J. Crew's 3rd Street Promenade store I finally found a pair of jeans. They fit perfectly. There were so many things I wanted to buy but remembered I have to pay rent.

BANANA REPUBLIC
Stuck out here. I did buy some tights and a sweater but their clothes seemed too business casual to me and kind of boring. I used to find great dresses there but that was over six years ago.

FRED SEGAL on Melrose
Went to look for a turban but all they had were headbands. The clothes in this store are too fabulous for mere mortals as myself. I went into the shoe department. There wasn't a pair under $500. Even when I have money I will never spend hundreds of dollars on a T-Shirt. I go through white v-neck T-Shirts pretty quickly. I'll stick with J.Crew and Club Monaco's.

However, it's a great place to buy gifts, books, candles, stationary etc.

I'm going to rebuild my wardrobe (eventually). My Style Inspiration: Shala Monroque

Despite having no money, I've been pulling photos from magazines and fashion/design blogs as I dream about rebuilding my wardrobe.

I was having dinner with an expat friend. Like me, she also lived in Los Angeles before moving to Rome. I told her most of my clothes are too casual for Rome and for my age.

When I moved to Los Angeles from New York City, I had a lot of black (of course) and winter clothes in my closet. It was all wrong for sunny Southern California.

The style of the two coasts couldn't be more different. However, one positive thing about moving West was, I started to add more color to my wardrobe. With my dark complexion certain brights, yellows, blues, greens, really pop. When I would wear white (rare as it gets dirty quickly) my friends/colleagues would always compliment me.

Black was a uniform for me and my co-workers when I lived in NYC. It was easy and flattering (so I thought).

My L.A. wardrobe was all over the map and not in a good way. My body and L.A. "fashion" do not mix. I can't wear cute cammies over skinny jeans as my large breasts are real and therefore I need a bra. I think it's weird to see women in their 50s dressing like teenagers. I get it though. The pressure in L.A. to look like a member of "The Hills" is unrelenting.

Now, I'm ten years older and living in a city that's closer to NYC than L.A. when it comes to fashion. I have yet to see an Italian woman or man in the supermarket wearing pajama bottoms.

Thanks to the "Jersey Shore", people think people from Jersey dress like Snooki and Jwwow (even though both of them are from Upstate New York).

That was not the case in Verona, New Jersey, where I went to junior high and high school. It was the 80s and the most popular style was preppy. Sure there were a few girls who had super big hair but looking through my yearbook, there was a lot of L.L. Bean and Izod. And the Madonna influence. Some girls would combine both.

Someone said "Style is what you have, not what you buy." Fashion is different from style. A stylish persons looks great regardless of what is going on in fashion. They know what looks good on their body.

I wasn't sure what the hell my style was when was in L.A. During the move to Rome I had to seriously downsize. Then I realized my style is Classic/Eclectic, bigger emphasis on Classic. While I can appreciate minimalism, it doesn't work for my short, curvy body. Bohemian can dwarf me, or make me look like I'm wearing a costume.

As I get older I have more confidence to embrace color and my Caribbean roots have definitely influenced me. This bring me to Ms. Monroque. It seems like she's everywhere lately. Vogue (American and international editions), Harper's Bazaar, fashion blogs, etc.

Shala's from St. Lucia and moved to New York ten years ago. The editor-at-large of POP Magazine has great style. She was rocking turbans before they became "on trend". I adore turbans and wanted to get one for years but worried I would look like Mrs. Roeper. Having a short natural, there are days I am so sick of my hair.

I would wear scarves once in a while in L.A. but felt like I stood out too much. Now I don't care. I don't have a weave so I will never fit in there anyway.

Shala travels a lot for work and was the talk of the town during last year's fashion weeks. Her boyfriend is influential art dealer Larry Gagosian.

It's fantastic how she mixes high end designers like Prada and Hermes with vintage she finds on Ebay.

Here's a LINK to the Style Spotlight blog with some photos.

I love, love, love, the white and yellow Prada skirt, the red dress and the black outfit at the top of the page.

I started to write down the things I need to get my wardrobe together. Number one is a single-breasted trench coat. They're not easy to find and I can't wear double-breasted. Wait, I'm broke, I can't buy one now anyway.

Also, I'm going figure out how to wear heels on cobblestone streets. I have a few pairs of great shoes I don't wear in Rome. They're just sitting there in their boxes. Sad.

Flashback Friday - Desperately Seeking Susan - Trailer

This movie came out 25 years ago? How is that possible?!

Madonna was living Downtown and was cast before her singing career blew up. She was perfect in the role. I'm not sure what happened to her acting career. Bad choices?

The City has changed a lot since the early '80s. The film captured a pretty unique moment.

This trailer cracks me up. The narration is not great.

Have an excellent weekend.

Flashback Friday - The Go-Go's "Head Over Heels"

Love this song. It was the last single from the Go-Go's before they broke up.

I'm pretty sure I had a Naf-Naf shirt cut just like Belinda's. And those earrings.

Have a great weekend!

What the heck....Doesn't Don Draper know I don't smoke?

I just noticed the vespa. ha




I can't wait for Season Four.