This hat was my grandmother's hat. It is dated probably around 1950s, 1960s and I love it. As I wear it I get a lot of people asking whether the hat is by Kangol. I need to give you context here, I had no idea that Americans associate Kangol hats to hip hop or rapper culture. So I sure said I doubted it my Italian grandmother ever knew what rap was in the 1950s. I came back home and check the label of the hat to find out a little bit more about the history of this hat. It was indeed a Kangol hat, made in England and sold at this Italian boutique. I could not believe it. So I did some research and found out that Kangol was a company founded in 1938 in England. They used to produce hats for soldiers and Kangol stands for knitting, angora, and wool. Nothing to do with a kangaroo!!! The brand was later associated to wealthy fashionistas. It is not until 1980s that hip hop artists started wearing these hats changing the history of Kangol forever. The company was then sold to an American organization, then sold again to multi-companies. I am not sure what is the status of Kangol now. I don't see many people talking about it, but it is such a pity because this hat is awesome and definitely should not be confined to just cool and hip rappers. I actually found it to be so classy, like a Grace Kelly iconic item.
TODAY OUTFIT
Talking about England, when I lived in London last year I did not have much money but I sure loved the British style. I bought few items that are still so fashionable and of great quality. This shirt is one of them. J.Crew sells it very similar but without the gold accents. I can't remember the brand, all I can remember was that I wanted to buy everything in that store.
Winter
outfits: Florida versus Italy - How we do winter across the globe
Gin wearing Levis' jeans in Miami at the end of December
Winter
is so different depending where you live. You might be in Brazil, India, or
even Boston or Miami and your outfit and experience will be totally different.
So
I thought to work with my fashionista friend Moni who has blog called the Moni
Diaries: http://monidiaries.com/ to share our winter outfits and depict the diversity across two worlds. She
just moved back to Italy from Australia and you all know that I live in
Florida, which made it a fun project to work on.
Gin on the left side in north Florida in January // wearing Kenneth Cole faux leather coat // Fendi skirt // Massimo Dutti boots // Moni in north Italy // wearing Benetton white sweater, skirt bought in Dublin // boots by Stradivarious
While it does not get cold like in the North in Tallahassee, FL, there are days that you need that coat with you. You can have 80s one day followed by 30s the next day. It usually happens if there is a storm up north.
Italy is pretty cold in the winter, especially in the north. You need a good quality wool coat, scarf, and thermos.
And what about you? What's your winter fashion? What does your city tell you to wear to stay warm?
For more pictures of Moni's outfit don't forget to visit her awesome blog and follow her adventure around the world. She had some amazing pictures from Bali. And all she needed was a swim suit :)
Fashion problem of the day: I don't
like to wear heels all the times...
"I walk, jump, run, everywhere and all the times. I can't wear heels everyday to run errands and sometimes I just want to feet to feel free and cozy. What kind of shoes can I still wear with dresses and skirts without looking like my legs are big and short? Did I mention that I am not 18?"
Forever 21 Dress, Vintage pendant, Gap shoes, Hand-made clutch
"The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world."
— Alicia Keys
SOLUTION:pair a girly, flirty dress with a pair of flats that have
a particular accent like a funky color or print. Make it fun so it is obvious
that you intentionally wanted to let your free and fun spirit to play.
American Eagle launched a campaign called Aerie Real. The campaign uses unphotoshopped models to show how bras and panties will really look like on us real people with desires for real fashion.
Aerie Real unphotoshopped campaign #aeriereal
Why we love it:
I started this blog because I was tired of being surrounded by unrealistic images of fashion. I am not even talking about skinny perfect bodies, I am talking about clothes that do not follow the real shapes and challenges of women's bodies. I am talking about fashion items that do not keep in consideration women jobs, weather conditions, aging, or social events that require personal attention and some good flat shoes (not stripper shoes).
When I saw this campaign I was shocked by how influenced I had been by other fashion campaigns. I was shocked because I studied gender and marketing in school as a PhD student and I even taught my students about the power and consequences of adverting on women. But I guess you get used to it and blinded as you continue your life outside academia.
When I saw this campaign the first reaction was: "Oh look at that she has the same little extra fat on her hips that I do right there," followed by "Oh man she is just like me and those panties are cute." I think I felt connected in many levels. First, the campaign talked to me personally. Second, I was finally able to see how the clothes would look like me because I had 'me' in front of the screen. It was also to strange to see unphotoshopped pictures and became right away aware of where the picture could have been photoshopped. I know, it is terrible, but again a result of an unrealistic standard we are all accustomed to.
Check out the full campaign at http://www.ae.com/aerie/
Now, the models are still skinny, don't get me wrong, they are probably 120 pounds, but you can tell they are just like us, at least like me. I would personally add some diversity, maybe a girl with no boobs, one with 38 DD (I could not find them as I surfed the site) and maybe some ethnicity (e.g. latin models). But after all this is a great step forward in reaching out to women, listening to their needs and their bodies, especially young girls.
There is one thing for sure in marketing these days: consumers will lead businesses' choices and companies need to start listening to them. Functional fashion or everyday fashion is about functionality, style, and pesonality: it is not about art, or expressing a designer/artist's inner soul. We can leave that to high couture or high design. Real women need real fashion and real representation of fashion clothes.
After all would you really want to see your clothing return at the speed of back in the Future?
I am looking forward to see who will come up with a new fashion campaign for real people, real fashion.
The whirlwind of Valentine's day is upon us. As soon as Christmas holidays are over, we hit the gym everyday to get back in shape and get ready for February 14. While red is the color of passion, lovers, romance, I have scoured the market for something special and unique: I chose aqua colors. Blue colors to me signify peace, calmness and freshness. I can picture myself on a beach with the breeze coming through the window of a beautiful white furnished hotel. While I will have to wait few more months for my next vacation I can try to replicate that experience with this lingerie set by Journelle. Lingerie has never been so sexy and comfortable as shown in this piece. And if you are looking for a more supportive bras, check out their others products here. The prices are good.
Office outfit of the week
h&M pink blazers // antonio melani dress // ANGELA & ROI BAG
