MILANO

Dear Internet,
The forecast for Monday says high of 51, low of 28. In Milan. Where I will be. For four months. !!!! Yes, I am going to be studying abroad in Milan for a while. I have one suitcase packed so far, and now I am writing this blog post to procrastinate packing the second suitcase and getting all of my travel documents in order. I was going to write sort of a life update post, but truthfully my mind is busy with flight times and subway instructions and such. I think I’ll update you once I arrive (!). For now, I wanted to share some of the women who have gotten me inspired about Italian fashion.

Ciao...

ITALIAN STYLE

Something I really had to take care of before I could go on this trip was my wardrobe. Honestly, I never thought about fashion and style the way I do now. I used to just dress like other people and wear what hid my stomach. I didn't see fashion as an outlet for my creativity or way to express myself. I first broke into it by buying shoes. AF1s with the icy sole was my first cool shoe that wasn't like a regular sneaker. I'm trying to have more fun with how I dress in general, because it really is fun. Moving to, arguably, the fashion capital of Europe (or the world depending on who you ask) seemed like a good opportunity to upgrade and branch out. In the past few months, I have completely cleaned out my closet and started buying new pieces and exploring my own vision for my style. Of course, I've been trying to look a little more Italienne as well. If you see me around town...I'm no Donatella Versace yet but my Vision is Changing. I swear! Anyway here are some of the fashionable Italian women who have been inspiring me.

MONICA BELLUCCI

I just. Adore her. I have really fallen for Monica Bellucci’s look overall. Solid colors, perfectly fitted clothes, and décolletage. Her key to a put-together look is just making sure that each piece is clean and simple. I love that she found a dress that looked good on her and bought 60 different versions of it. It has inspired me to buy a new version of the black wrap dress I’ve worn for every fancy event in the past 5 years. If it works! It! Works! Her makeup style is the same--powdery/natural skin finish, dark, clean eyebrows, and a taupe/nude lip. Timeless. I ended up buying a black and white polka dot blouse inspired by her iconic polka dot dresses. I'm also searching for a black lace top or body suit based on that last look.

DELFINA DELETTREZ FENDI

All I really see of Fendi is that tan and brown F-print. But it doesn't really represent the kind Italian fashion I love like Delfina does. She utilizes "statement" pieces in a way that make them seem, to me, more approachable. She uses bold colors, shapes, textures, and "loud" patterns, brilliantly. She has a great eye for pairing more detailed pieces with simpler ones, and for color schemes. 

ROSSANDRA ORLANDI

You can tell that Rossandra Orlandi is a curator at heart. Every image of her I see, her outfit looks perfectly orchestrated. She wears these large accessories in such a way that they look like they were made for her. Her understanding of color and texture is apparent. Also, I don't think she ever crossed paths with Georgia O'Keeffe but I definitely get New Mexico vibes to be specific from her style that I really like.

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI

Last year, I took an intro to film class. One of my favorite topics was Italian neorealism, and it's the first thing I thought of when I saw Elsa's gigantic bumblebee broach. One article I saw called her "the Italian fashion designer with a surrealist heart," (x). I think I love Italian fashion because of these roots. Her style and her designs are playfully surrealistic but still so beautiful. Some of the elements of this style seem to have influenced the boldness of Italian fashion.