Louis Vuitton, Chanel, McQueen chewing gum by Paul Stiven

Obviously it had to be an italian, Paul Stiven (not sure about how italiano his surname is..). He recently came up with the latest disposable accessory...in times when everything we own, wear, drive, use, and eat is logo-ed..this disposable accessory being mint chewing gum in cute tin boxes all in different shapes and sizes with different high end brand logos on them. In a blink of an eye I paid almost 5 euro for a perfect little box of Chanel gum. Karl would be very glad; I'm sure that when he's not drinking one of his perfect Diet Cokes, he's munching on a black and white mint gum.

Damn, this just shows how powerful these brand names are...they're glorified by all that understand something about fashion...out of which not everyone can afford something from McQueen, Hermes or Dolce Gabbana. But gum, well, logo-ed gum, that just makes you feel a little bit special. Or slightly entertained every time you want minty fresh breath.

Circeo - where Romans go when it gets unbearably hot

I went to S.Felice Circeo ( Italy) yesterday... The sun was hot, almost all of the shops, bars, and pastry shops were closed waiting for the vacationers, the sea was calm, but the water still freezing, and the food was great. The atmosphere was as peaceful as it could be. We were the only customers at "Le Tre Sorelle" (which is part of the "La Bussola" beach club) where a bored little girl was playing in her imaginary world and we enjoyed home made ravioli and risotto with prawns. Then we sun-bathed nearby for a few hours and I tried to do some yoga on the beach, which sadly ended with a quite few laughs and my complete embarrassment..which yummy baci di dama and mignon al cioccolato from Circeo's famous "Casa del Dolce" helped to overcome. I'll have to go back for their famous mozzarella di bufala though...

If you are planning on visiting Italy for your next vacation, click here for the best Italy travel ideas.

Zoc of Rome's Via della Zoccolette

My best friend's cool daddy recently opened a new restaurant in Rome's center, called ZOC. The idea is: healthy, organic, where almost all of the ingredients (except the spices..) used are grown in the region of Lazio (of which Rome is the 'capital'), therefore: very environment friendly. And it has that perfect, vintage feel; soft jazz/lounge music, vintage/second-hand chairs and tables for sale, an unfinished feel, odd lamps, found objects from around the city, and a window through which curious clients can peek into the kitchen to admire it's yummy head chef. We tasted his experimental margherita pizza and a delicious pear sorbetto with ginger....which went great with a glass of local white wine. I'll write more about ZOC next week.....my Italian 'sister' is having her graduation aperitivo there on Tuesday night. 

go to http://www.zoc22.it/

Eequal for OVS by C'N'C Costume National

After reading about it online and on several free press newspapers, I decided to go see for myself what the absence of fuss was about. Yes, absence of fuss. Nobody is talking about it; it seems as if it's something hidden, something to be kept secret. When H&M collaborates with designers, it's known far and wide and people rush to the stores to get whatever little accessory they can lay their sneaky hands on....being it an odd stripy Sonia Rykiel for H&M bra or terrible pleather jacket from Madonna's collection. The twist must be in the fact that Ennio Capasa's (Costume National) collection for OVS (Oviesse.....an Italian family clothes store) is not a temporary collaboration, but something that's supposed to last. Well, being advertised so poorely, I doubt it will last much. The clothes are very cool, actually; I ooh-ed and aah-ed over a few perfect blazers, and really wanted that sexy, skimpy dark blue naked-back mini-dress for just 89.90 euros. And I almost bought one of those perfect à la Gucci/Dolce&Gabbana skinny ties for one of my more metrosexual male friends. Which I most probably would have kept for myself anyway........

Lady Gaga torn between the Good and the Evil in "Born this Way"

Resort style from a galaxy far, far away

Today we're at war, against ourselves, other men and against nature. We fight for a better tomorrow, for shelter, for freedom, and the chance to see and enjoy all of this. Those of us who are not OK with a "normal" life, whatever that might mean to each and every one of us, dream of a "explosive outwards expansion", as Scottish designer Christopher Kane metaphorically explained his latest Resort collection for his own label. His Resort 2011 collection was full of dreamy galaxy inspired garments; his dresses, tops and jumpsuits looked like snapshots of a Star Wars movie, worn by Queen Amidala, or Princess Leia herself. So why don't we learn from these fictional beauties and prepare ourselves and our wardrobes for a cosmic catastrophe, if such must occur.

Gap for 10 Corso Como





 Already from the 25th of September, a limited-edition capsule collection of Gap garments is held in Carla Sozzani's realm of creativity 10 Corso Como. Always "in the know" of today's cool, Sozzani welcomes the giant of U.S. fast fashion: "T-shirts are Gap's trademark garments as much as the graphic motif is 10 Corso Como's icon. Together, they will create a new identity."

D.I.Y. ..your laundry and your jeans

Nothing new..but still quite genius: The Laundress luxury detergents.. I doubt the contents are different from the ones you can buy in your local supermarket, but hey, the elegant little bottles make you feel tres chic, don't they? But then I don't understand who the target audience is..women that have to do their laundry themselves (but splurge on the detergents and their fancy packaging) or women who can afford help (you don't really see/smell the product then, unless you stand beside your maid while she washes your cashmere cardigan).

The Laundress (Luxury Detergents)

Bristol 6 Denim kit

D.I.Y. Bristol 6 Denim kit... to fix, decorate, distress your jeans to make them look good- well, to make them look like your favorite pair. I guess it's for the creative people...

Maybe I should get one of these..I've spent quite a lot of time during my life decorating but mainly shortening denim skirts, shorts, jeans.... My best "creation" remains to be my Mauro Grifoni pair which I used so much that I wore the knees out and then I cropped them to shorts and wore them some more. Together with 7 for all Mankind jeans - they make my ass look just damn good. Just plain genius.

Baci

M.

Double-Stick No Iron No Sew Fashion Hem Tape for Denim (Jeans, Pants, Skirt, Short)

when Vogue is the new Bible..

When Vogue is your new Bible and you read its every word religiously while holding your breath....it's not surprising when Virgin Mary (according to Italian artist Francesco de Molfeta) replaces her classic and demure light blue gown (gown..? dress..? uhmm..) with a stylish black and gold Louis Vuitton printed one.. I guess this is what has happened, and will happen in the near future: some brands mean so much to us, that we cannot imagine our lives without them..we trust in them, like we once trusted in God (I still do, minus the symbols and rituals). We idolize them (well, we do, don't we? even if being a materialist is not a very good thing) and when they don't satisfy us we turn away from them, or suffer through our malcontent, and blindly hope for better days (for yourself and the brand). 

Francesco himself wanted to represent the society's obsession with appearance, using the brand name as a representation of our neverending search for happiness. Well that's what consumerism is then.. 

You can find his statue in Gransasso, Italy. 

Kisses from Dobele, Latvia 

BCBG Bon Chic Bon Genre

The good girl will always be cool and "in". No wonder the french say "c'est tres BCBG"..which would mean: "you've got such good taste/style." Good, rich girls almost always have great style..but it doesn't mean that everything you wear - or anything - has to be incredibly expensive..

A little BCBG for the beach?  A few summers ago I got a Borsalino straw hat for a real bargain price..and since I suffer from sunstrokes during the summer I almost never take it off. To get the best of Italian sun you'd definately have to wake up early..preferably with a cappuccino freddo-latte macchiato freddo-caffe freddo-caffe al vetro-macchiato freddo while reading your horoscope and the international news (who gives about Italian politics) from a newspaper, and hit the beach with a souvenir Saint Mary bag from Playa del Carmen, Mexico...and a less than 10euro black string bikini..and a little more than 10euro sunscreen. 

Grace

This way you're doing what Aristotle taught us: "To be successful, keep looking tanned, live in an elegant building (even if you're in the cellar), be seen in smart restaurants (even if you nurse one drink) and if you borrow, borrow big."

Me

Baskets for the city girl

Now people are really funny actually: they just can't ignore that guilty little voice inside them that scolds them any time they don't buy the next new thing. It might be a bag for me, and it might be something technological, like the iPad, for you (I honestly couldn't care less about the iPad) but the story stays the same: we want to be accepted, and therefore we buy things that will help us feel less left out.

That's why when the fashion industry decides it's time (every summer, actually) to update the peasant chic (oxymoron, right?), the next day we find ourselves in the search (innocently at first) for something ridiculous as the urban interpretation of the beach bag. It has to the be the straw bag, because canvas or any other type of a beach bag is not cool.

The straw bag shows you're oh-so very Now, and you want to go back to your roots (well I think of my Latvian grandma Velta who uses a basket- and actual basket to go grocery shopping, but for someone else it might be the idyllic image of Grace Kelly going to the beach in her espadrilles and kaftans), you're a romantic, and you're actually quite silly..well, imagine going to the office like this?

Here we have Chanel....honestly, Karl, it actually DOES look like the basket my grandma Velta uses. Well, OK, it has the recognizable double C's, and the chain handles, but it looks like you glued it all together with a glue gun. Oh well. It's 3.350 euros.

I actually adore this one- It's Dolce & Gabbana. I'm not so sure about the whole black + straw effect though; trying to picture it with a summery linen suit...it definately goes better with a black bikini. Their whole spring/summer 2010 thing was Sicily: love, passion, jealousy, black lace, widows, cannoli... I found another Dolce & Gabbana Straw Tote   on Amazon.com.

Now this is a very fun bag, more functional and HEY you can close it..being in the city and all. The white leather details and the light colored straw make it less beachy and more urban. It has the studs, and the tassels that every self-respecting tough city bag needs, but also has the secret hawaian shirt lining which makes it fun and personal. Very clever. It's Emporio Armani and comes for a more convenient 290 euros.

Baci from Italy
Marta
ps. haven't started on the thesis yet....buying books and brainstorming a lot though.

Havaianas

Havaianas .....some say: The best rubber flip flops in the world. Or I might say: the Only rubber flip flops I would wear.

And of course there's a secret recipe...a patented rubber formula created by Sao Paulo Alpargatas, who own, produce and market the flip flop.

This 100% rubber concoction is supposed to make Havaianas ultra-comfortable and highly durable. But who cares about durable, right? There are too many different ones you can-WANT TO collect, and you tell yourself that they look amazing with anything. And they do! Just imagine a fab coral color nailpolish and a pair of silver slim Havaianas...

So cool. And so affordable. It's the Swatch of flip flops. Used to be the shoe of the poor kids from the favelas, but now the rich kids can't get enough of them..

And here is my 2nd brand new pair of Havaianas from the 2010 collection! They don't go with anything I usually wear- but that's why I love them- and can't help but look down at them- they're Happy shoes!

Baci from Italy,

Marta