La Dolce Vita

Image by Alex Drake Vintage

Happy Friday, everyone!

Have you ever found your life is so hectic you hardly ever notice you're surrounded by little treasures and blessings? My post today is about a snippet of life in Italy. It's not as sweet and lovely as anyone thinks since we're finishing a house project for a friend. The stressful encounters with Italian builders, the race to the supermarket to get provisions before that daily four-hour lunch break, the scary incidents at the local hospital... these things are reasons enough to make you forget you're in a special place.

And so my lovelies, I believe it's time to remind myself why the concept of Italian life lured me into saying "Yes" to the farm house project.

These are my Italian inspirations.

Hope you like them too.

Image from Couture Zappos

Sergio Rossi
Besides Manolo Blahnik, and my good friend Rachel Sparrow, Signor Rossi is my other favourite shoe designer. His natural talent and hard work propelled him to international fame. I love that he instigated an environmental first for the shoe industry by launching the biodegradable Eco Pump shoes in 2009. Part of the sales would go to GoodPlanet.org. To me, that's commendable. I imagine his humble beginnings instilled in him an extraordinary work ethic and respect for people - a trait difficult to find in the industry these days.

I also love that the first shop to bear his name is only 20 kilometers away from where I live.

Image from Fashion Collective

Gelato

Nothing's more soothing than having a nice pastel gelato on a hot and sunny afternoon.
It has lower fat content and is packed with natural fruit or nut flavours. Ladies, if you ever come for a visit, I'd happily treat you to an afternoon of gelato experience at our local gelateria.

Image by Alex Drake Vintage

Vintage bicycles
If the Italians are not in a racing competition (the great Giro d'Italia which, by the way, is still on) they can be seen on their bikes, rickety or not, on the way to the market or to the beach. Now that's a healthy lifestyle! The sight of a 70-year old person cycling around is not uncommon.

Costanza Pascolato of Vogue Brazil, Image from Into The Gloss

Stylish Mamas
It's refreshing to see that fashion is not just for young people around here. Senior Italian women are  simply admirable in saying no to 'BB (Beige Brigade)'.  They dress up just like Costanza Pascolato everyday without fail, especially for the traditional afternoon Passeggiata, or stroll, which starts after 4pm.

Fur coat... check. Scarf...check. Sunnies...check. Immaculate coiffure...check. Leather handbag...check. Heeled shoes...check!

Even in southern Italy, they continue to be fashion inspirations to us all.

Image Alex Drake Vintage

Rural life
Believe it or not, despite the exclusivity of Milan Fashion shows, Italy is made up of two parts: one, the highly industrial north where everyone's awash with style and indifference, and two, the rustic south, where people are friendly and feed you their Mama's food until your belly hurts.
More vino, anyone?

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10 Things I Like about the 1970s

Original Ossie Clark Maxi, Image from c20th Vintage Fashion

Alex Drake Vintage Collection, 1970s Maxi with Bolero jacket

1. Maxi Dress
Floaty maxis are back. You're probably rolling your eyes by now and saying "yes, we know!" but I just had to post this.
I still maintain that the style's premier exponent, Ossie Clark contributed so much to the fashion world in the '70s. Although the end of his life saw him in poverty and abandonment, his creations will always stay with and inspire us.
Only three years ago, Avsh Alom Gur tried to re-launch the brand, but failed. How satisfying it is to see that maxis are in season this year!
Pity the fashion buyers who failed to spot the timelessness of Ossie's trademark free-flowing, carefree chiffon and crepe dresses. Hopefully they're now kicking themselves for not buying.

Alex Drake Vintage Collection, ASOS with Sergio Rossi Heel

2. Wedges
Thanks to the efforts of Salvatore Ferragamo during the 1930s, the humble clog evolved into the wedge. I personally like wedges because they are more practical than high-heeled shoes (pair them with anything, darling), yet oh-so glamorous.
It has since enjoyed a revival in the '70s and again in the '90s. But because I remember my big sister's '70s wooden wedges when I was in pre-school, I've always associated them as being an all-time hit in the '70s. Everybody had a pair.

Image from Vintage Shoes by Caroline Cox

3. Hot pants
They're short and versatile, come in cotton, denim, leather and PVC. You can pair them with wedges, heels, pumps, etc. You can run, walk, jump and climb as fast as you can without snagging your clothes on anything. They look incredibly sexy, too.

Image from Skateboarding Magazine

4. Skateboards and Skateboarding
OK, so Farrah Fawcett had a stunt double on Charlie's Angels. But she really did inspire me to get on a skateboard. The invention of polyurethane wheels around 1973, produced a smooth ride and decent turning ability.  There's something about the free-flowing, dance-like, trance-like fluid movement as you direct your skateboard forwards, side-to-side, feeling air across your face. You're at peace, but aware of speed, seeing the distorted images of people and things that you pass...
For me skateboarding is as close as I can get to the high of surfing, out of water.

Image from Trekbbs

5. Pan-Am
There was a time when air travel equated to a glamorous lifestyle. If you were a stewardess, then you were truly beautiful, well-dressed, and all women would want to be in your shoes.
In 1970, the first Pan-Am Boeing 747 landed in Heathrow. The era of mass global travel had begun.

Image from Productioncars.com

6. Datsun 240Z
Sleek, fast for a classic car, and oh-so gorgeous. It is the 1970s, rendered in metal.

If I ever make money from blogging, shall have one for myself!

Image from Modern Design Interior

7. Boby Trolley
Just 226 miles north from where we live, in Padua, a highly talented Italian designer called Joe Colombo created a versatile, portable, vertical storage unit. Nowadays it is a stylish presence in art and design studios, hairdressers and even homes.

Image from Coolpicking

8. Punk
The then anti-fashion, anti-establishment movement whose name lend itself to Punk music was in every way revolutionary. Fashion and music became the look and sound of a significant social shift. Britain in the Seventies has been considered the crucible of societal change.

Image from Digicam History

9. Walkman
This made possible the revolutionary idea of being able to listen to music anywhere and everywhere, without disturbing other people.
It seems obvious now, but without the Walkman, there would be no iPod.

Image Alex Drake Vintage

10. Reggae
As the '70s was a period of revolution, people found themselves wanting to reach out more, happy to declare their views. Art, music and fashion evolved into something new.
From the '60s Jamaican beginnings of Reggae, it became popular in Britain, and the world, largely through the output of Bob Marley and The Wailers.
The off-beat rhythm was a platform for declaring spiritual, ecological and political views, and a soundtrack to the growing voice of multicultural Britain. It's been said that Reggae has influenced Punk music.



References:
wikipedia.org
nickelinthemachine.com
news.bbc.co.uk

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