The Ocean Club- Paradise Island, Bahamas

I have finally dug myself from under the pile of work that I left behind this past April when my family and I went on holiday. Here are the images that I promised to share with you. Hey! Pipe down, better late than never!
This year we chose the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. We chose the Ocean Club for three main reasons. First, most of our friends had already been there and highly recommended that we visit. Second, last year we stayed at its sister resort, the Reethi Rah in the Maldives, and were extremely satisfied with the experience. And finally, we were encouraged by the myriad of activities for children, including the aquarium at nearby hotel, the Atlantis.

A very early morning view from Dune, a restaurant by Jean-George Vongerichten. If anyone is a fan, the cuisine is similar to an all-time-favorite Jean-George restaurant of mine, Mercer Kitchen- but flavored with Bahamian delights.

Here a shadow of my son sitting on my husband's shoulders. One of their favorite ways to stroll. And one of the reasons my husband has several back-related issues. Gosh, how we love that little boy.

The gardens



At the aquarium at the Atlantis



The view from our room.



Shadows of palm trees captured for my son.



A skip at the playground. I love to skip!

Accessories Lust

I can't help envying the gorgeous display of accessories going on in these images. First of all, I've been searching for a natural, gem-stone pendant like this one. The one pictured here is a vintage find. And a friend of mine just got one from a market in Bordeaux two weeks ago. She layers it with other really cool long-strand necklaces.

Second, how gorgeous is this cuff poking out from the rolled sleeves of this summer, silk blouse? I just saw Marta racing by on her bike with colorful ones on each wrist. I love the look. I think it will be my ethnic-superwoman theme for the summer.

And finally, how darling is this slim vintage YSL belt? J'adore!

A hint of crochet

I bumped into Rachele last week when she was on her way to Milano Libri to purchase a book on Bruce Weber for a final project. It was love at first sight- I fell in love with her style the moment I saw her that is. Her styling is brilliant. I love her vintage Moschino hat, how the crochet collar of her vintage t-shirt rests on the neckline of her belted Zara tunic, the eyelet hem of her Massimo Dutti skirt and her Urban Outfitter Derby boots. Oh, and of course, her great big smile.

Vice For Yoox.com: Ballate, Tutto Il Resto È Noia

Recently, the lovely people over at Vice Magazine asked me to contribute to a blog post describing my fashion mood. I was totally flattered when they extended the invitation. Here's the finished collaboration:

Click here to see the original post.

and speaking of headdresses

My previous post reminded me of this pic of Julia that I took the other day. Her scarf and hair clip are so lovely together. She picked up the scarf at a Chinese market and the clip is from H&M. The combination is so chic!

P.S., After my previous post, I decided that I like headdress better than headgear.

Diane Pernet and Vogue Italia ASVOFF

Yesterday evening Diane Pernet in collaboration with Vogue Italia inaugurated "Light Series", the Milan edition of A Shaded View on Fashion Film. The evening was charged with infectious creative energy as featured directors mingled and discussed their works; and as guests, in a variety of fashionable looks, provided plenty of style inspiration to fuel future cinematographic endeavors. Of note was the abundance of beautiful head gear- starting with Diane of course.

Diane Pernet




Anna Piaggi




Director Andrea Splisgar

Hope Never Dies

Hope never dies. It's true you know. The event to which hope is rooted may cease to exist, but the energy born of hope never perishes. It is set free into the universe and touches us all.

I never really thought about it that way until I met Jonnie Ca'Bronxelle and noticed his tattoo. That's one of the amazing things about shooting street style- meeting amazing people and being inspired by their style. And considering the state of current global affairs, hope is a wonderful sentiment to ponder.

Jonnie, designer behind the fashion brand Why Punk and one-third of the fashion collaboration Why Punk vs De Fluo, wears an April77 cardigan, jeans by Rivieras, vintage shoes and bag, a market found t-shirt, a Casio watch, H&M socks and vintage Karl Lagerfeld glasses.

Charmed florals

There's a ton of amazing floral looks on the streets of Milan. And each look comes with its own special twist. I want to photograph them all! I'm especially happy that I stopped Margit for a picture. While chatting with her, I spotted her beautiful charm bracelet.

She made it herself before a trip to Cameroon as a way to celebrate her travels and as a token of good luck. Do you see the little Africa charm? What an inspiring DIY project... amulets of creativity.

Mimosas in her garden

A delightful show of color, print, and style. Sidney wears floral short shorts and monk-strap slip-ons by Top Shop; a vintage mimosa-yellow blouse; a vintage doctor's bag; and Super sunglasses.

Simple is cool

Sometimes the best way to keep cool is to keep it simple. Marina transitions into the warm days of Spring in a very simple look: a Zara off-the-shoulder-blouse, a Mango snake skin skirt and a pair of slip-ons. She was a little embarrassed to tell me that her slip-ons were by Primark. No need for embarrassment Marina. Lately, when out shooting street style, I'm unable to scrape myself from the windows of Milan's high street equivalents. Everything looks amazing this season. I have a major shoe list going. And I'm even comparison shopping. I can't stand the thought of missing out on the coolest versions of this season's trends.

Laid-back in turquoise jeans

Jieun's turquoise jeans add a colorful twist to an already cool outfit. Her jacket and sunglasses are by Marc by Marc Jacobs; her bag is YSL; her jeans by Notify; denim shirt by Zara; shoes by a Korean designer; and her t-shirt is by Corso Como 10.

Wrapped in blue

The infectiously charming Hanneli Mustaparta wearing Proenza Schouler platform ankle boots.

Fashionable front line

Ready for a style reconnaissance, Barbara Martello assumes position outside the Chloe show in a Rick Owens shearling and Balmain cargo pants and lace-up boots.

From shoulder to toe

I love how the silhouette of Rory Satran's look narrows from her shoulders to the tips of her booties. Her Etoile by Isabel Marant graphic jacket hems just where her paper-bag-waist trousers start to narrow. And the trousers marvelously skim the folds of her slouchy booties. Great revisit of eighties volume. Much softer. Rory is the managing editor of Self Service.

rain rain go away

It's been raining pretty much every day since I returned to Milan. If it weren't for super-cute girls like Luisa who add cheer to our drab streets by layering colorful, ruffle H&M skirts under their blazers, I probably would have already lost my mind.

boots, short skirt...

Here you go. Here are the three other looks that I mentioned the other day. I must add that, just today, I saw two more girls in similar styles. I have to say that the look seems so fresh, probably because it is a leggy departure from the drop crotch pants and leggings of last spring. Is it just me? What do you think?

Here Jihye dresses up her Dr. Martens with a blazer from Top Shop and a skirt by a Korean designer.

Jennifer takes Boho steps in a pair of vintage derby boots that she found on the Lower East Side in New York; a denim jacket found at market in Washington D.C. ; a Top Shop t-shirt; a vintage skirt; a bag she picked up at Zara five years ago; and necklaces found at Porta Romana market stand here in Milan. Talk about global shopping!

Mariana's look is young and playful. I love her tussled ponytail. Dr. Martens are a "must" for her, she says that she can't live with out them. Here she complements her favorite footwear with a vintage leather skirt, Zara cardigan, and Top Shop t-shirt.

No nonsense heart of gold

I have a friend from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her name is Anna. I met her while I was completing a self-imposed fashion purgatory over at Fordham Business School. She is one of the most impressive people I have ever met in my life. She is brilliant, beautiful, generous and sweet, but she is also one tough cookie. She is a no nonsense kind of woman with a heart of gold- a combination of qualities that I find enormously endearing.

Anna was my first adult, Russian, female friend. And over the years, I have been fortunate to meet other Russian women who share the same qualities that define her. Vika Gazinskaya is one of them.

Vika is an emerging Russian fashion designer of impeccable style. She is often photographed in pieces from her eponymous line or in incredibly researched vintage pieces. She has a serious penchant for Roger Vivier pumps. And as seen here in a traditional Russian foulard and trench style coat during New York Fashion Week, her look is sleek, sophisticated and flavored with the right hint of stylistic spice.

A woman with a passion for the theater, Vika opts out of the traditional runway show format and stages theatrical presentations back home in Moscow. Pictured below, she adds a little drama to Paris Fashion Week in a dress from her Spring/Summer 2009 collection.

The pieces from her collections are superbly cut and often cast architectural shadows. Here she towers in a look from her Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

Detail oriented, her make-up is always perfect down to the last eyelash.

Seen here with best friend Miroslava, another painfully stylish creature, she wears a hat, top and skirt from her Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Jaguars, Leopards and Cheetahs

This past winter I was reading the credits for an editorial and saw the term jaguar print used to describe a particular spotted item. I thought to myself: Oh god, how am I going to tell the difference now. Why do designers have to be so fancy? Can't we just stick with leopard print? Well, even after a little Wikipedia research, I still can't keep it straight. So I'm sticking with leopard print!

boots, short skirt, perfecto

Today I saw three girls wearing short skirts with flat, lace-up boots (two pairs of Dr. Martens and a pair of derby boots). The look reminded me of Molly's outfit during New York fashion week; and of Joanna (pictured here) whose photo I took a few weeks ago when I was in New York. It's such a fun look! Joanna personalizes the combo with a perfecto that she picked up at Screaming Mimi's, a vintage T that she found in Montauk, a vintage Fendi bag, H&M skirt and Dolce Vita derbies. Check back soon. I'll post the looks that I saw today so that you can see what an amazing job each girl does at making the look her own. I hope that you're having a fantastic weekend!!!!

A Fine Estate

My mother-in-law thought that you might be interested in this. It's a vintage clothing and accessories estate auction taking place next week at the Ponte Auction House here in Milan. It features the wardrobe of the late Evelina Levi Broglio, who as my mother-in-law informs me, is a true Milanese style icon.

I'm excited to attend. I've been waiting for five years for an event like this (estate sales are rare in Italy due to the country's inheritance laws). Check it out if your are in town. For the mommies out there, this may be the perfect place to find a mother's day present. F0r those of you graduating in the next few weeks, I see a Kelly bag in your future. You totally deserve it! Please let me know if you find something you love! And yes, I'll thank my mother-in-law for you.

The viewing takes place this weekend at Palazzo Crivelli, Via Pontacio, 12; Friday, May 7- Sunday, May 9; 10am-1pm, 2pm-6pm. The auction will be held next week May 11-14 at 3pm. For more info: www.ponteonline.com.