packing and paniking

I am leaving for Pakistan in two days. I will be gone for 16 days and I cannot wait!
In the meantime I am struggling with the dilemmas of packing..what to bring? What to leave behind?

In the meantime I asked my friends to give me suggestions and share their ideas of what should be in a bag...here are the results (thanks Jess for the pics!)

My mom teaches me how to clean artichokes

Sunday afternoon, I learned how to clean artichokes.

Fur and makeup

I was going to write up something about what I keep in my bag..and the ridiculous amount of money I spend of cosmetics.

I was partially inspired by Maria's brilliant blog Lipstick Masala and the great advice she gives ( I only wish she had started writing before I bought all the make up I have). But during one of my excursions today two things steered me off the subject of makeup :

1- I bought more make up, so I could not think critically about it
2- I bumped into a wedding party, in a church in the center of Rome, and saw this:



I am not against fur..but this creeped me out a bit. First of all it was very warm, and definitely not fur whether. Secondly, I am not sure I love seeing the legs (and head) of the poor animal.

What do you think?

Shoes on the metro

Along with jumpsuit, the talk of town for the summer seems to be the revamp of the low heel.
Last weekend's FT How to Find it featured a whole article dedicated to the new mid-heel craze. Among the supporters of this come back are LV with its Stephen Sprouse mid-heel pumps, Jimmy Choo with its printed linen Demure heels, followed by Chanel and March Jacobs..

Here in Italy we keep wearing sky high heels, and while I long for a more comfortable shoe that also gives me height, I am not sure I am in love with the short, stubby heel look.
I much prefer my Repettos..and for that matter I have been noticing Roman women wearing more and more flat shoes..not so much flats, but funky trainers...

While riding the metro I caught glimpse of two women, each wearing a different type of animal print sneaker.
I managed to steal a picture and actually ask one of the women about the shoes. Her pair was from Caterina Lucchi- an Italian brand that used to be extremely popular a few years ago and now seems to have disappeared...The other woman was wearing a pair of Nike's in gold and white fur (looked like cavallino)..how interesting..never seen them before!

What was I wearing? Bright purple stockings and patent black pumps...wait a second..I AM WEARING A MID-HEEL!!!!

Italian style now and then: vespa, flowers and glasses

My parents got married 39 years ago. They were far from being the most stylish people in Italy, but today they would be on the front page of Vogue ....why?

1- My mom's wedding dress was a white chiffon dress with cut out flowers. The dress was designed and made by my wonderfully skilled nonna. D&G's S/S collection for 09 was full of white dresses with lots of cut out flowers.




- Contact lenses were a luxury at the time, so my mom decided to walk to the altar sporting her black rimmed specs. She looked cute, but I am sure she didn't imagine that the same style would have become super popular again 40 years later..and yet, look at Madonna wearing specially made Ray Ban wayfarer during her tour

- my dad was just out of college when they got married, so no car for the couple. Instead they left the church riding a vespa . Today vespas are almost status symbols.They are hip, hard to find and very much talked about..in fact, I just found a blog called : who rides a vespa. Also in 2003 the NYT published an article all about this lovely scooter listing among the celebrity vespa owners: Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Kevin Spacey, and Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Today? The wedding dress is in a box, waiting for me to get married (who knows if I will fit into it, my mom was the size of Twiggy) . The glasses have been put away, in favor of contact lenses and the vespa replaced by a BMW. Neverless, my parents are still the same and in love just like that day, 39 year ago.

I will try to find a picture from their wedding..

Bad..very bad fashion shot in Paris

No need for words..

By the way, I didn't mean to take this pic, as I was just going for the odd socks. As I was taking the picture, the person bent down et voila!

Merci Paris

Think high fashion and think Paris... thank you is not the most immediate word that will come to your mind. Parisians can be a bit snappy, and the people in the fashion industry are not necessarily known for their kindness (or maybe yes)...

Anyway, talking to a fashion insider during my last visit to Paris (yesterday), I was informed of a new concept store that opened just a few blocks away from the apartment. The store is located in an amazing space, some kind of a mix between a warehouse, a posh residence and loft.
What's so special about the shop? All the profits, after costs are deducted, will go to a children's charity in Madagascar.

Merci, a brainchild of Bonpoint creators Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, sells vintage clothing, pieces from last year's designer's collections (YSL, Chloe, ..) some clothing and accessories from this year's collection, baby clothes along with kitchenware and some interesting furniture.

Interesting aspects of the Concept store at the Annick Goutal lab, where candles and fragrances are sold at 40% of the original price and the bookstore, structured just like an old English home library (at least in my mind) and runs all along the walls of the cafe. All books (or at least all the ones I picked up) are used, and the titles range from Lolita to the Lord of the Ring, Papa Goriot and Plato's republic.

Merci
111 boulevard Beaumarchais
75003 Paris
tel 01 42 770033

I am on the radio...but it's a long interview

A few weeks ago, while I was in NY I was asked to give an interview for a fun travel radio station called Travel Radio Show. The interview was fun and easy, so much so that I completely forgot about it, until today when I found the information on the internet.

You can listen to this painfully long (but informative) interview here

http://tribecaradio.net/wpradioblog/letstravel/lets-travel-show-97/

And read some of the ideas and suggestions from it, here:

http://www.letstravelradio.com/thisweek/

My Rome List- Accommodation

As Spring approaches, the number of friends coming to visit in Rome increases.
I love being the point of reference for many people, but often I find myself not having much time to compile a personalized list of fav places for everyone that asks. So here is my general list, applicable to all. If you have questions of want to personalize the list, drop me a line or a comment:
Accommodation:

Grand Hotel La Minerve: expensive and beautiful, with a great location right behind the Pantheon. This hotel also has a great roof terrace bar

Casa Howard: I had the chance to meet the owners once, and immediately I realized the genius behind the place. Each room is different, and each one is beautiful. Here you will feel like a noble living in your own Roman palazzo.

Hotel Locarno: hip and at the same time quietly old school. Right by Piazza del popolo. I like the fact that they have bycicles available for guests to use.

Ferragamo Portrait Suites: only 14 rooms (or a few more) but each one "dressed to the nines" in full Ferragamo syle. This boutique (literally) hotel is right by the shop in via Condotti: shop and sleep. The concierce service here is incredible and so is the rooftop with American bar.

Nicola's Inn:around the corner from our office, right by the Forum, this is a great B&B that mixes Italian hospitality with American efficiency. The owners are an Italian-American couple residing in Rome. Rooms are spic and span clean, a bit spartan but great value for price

Hotel Il Grifo: In the heart of Monti, small old school hotel. The location is great, the staff friendly and in general the feel of it is good.

The Beehive: perfect if you are on a budget. It reinvents the whole concept of hostel and budget hotel making you forget of all you bad back packing experience. The owners are Americans living in Rome and they have made their budget hotel a little oasis in the area around the station

My apartment: this is for my friends. You can always crash on our sofa..just don't touch Mr. R's books:-)

Spring flowers

Just to add a touch of Spring..the trees on my street just started blooming

Spring

Yesterday I ran the half marathon, it was a great way to start the month and re- establish my life in Rome.
The day started off with light rain and cloudy sky, and it progressed to heavy rains and even cloudier sky; nevertheless the race was fantastic. A and I ran the whole distance in 2h and 41 min. We were running to reach a goal but especially to raise funds for Behbud. Surprisingly, we had a lot of feedback on our initiative, and lots of people donated money. It felt so good to run for a good cause. No matter what the meteorological conditions were, it still felt like Spring.


New things are coming, and the future looks bright. Happy Spring everyone!