Interlude: Italian Style
Tonight, I am taking a break from my culinary escapades to delve into one aspect of Italian culture that I have always found fascinating: Style. As I continue my journey toward cultural enlightenment, I've been itching to delve into a subject matter with which I have always had a real fascination, namely - the Italian woman.
Over the years, the French woman has been an icon for style gurus all over the world. As a woman in my twenties who has admittedly consumed media avidly over the years, I can say with certainty that the French woman is everywhere - in books, in magazines, and in films. She coined some of the most beloved elements of the fashionable woman's wardrobe: the striped boat-neck sweater, the ballet flat, the skinny black trouser; she made the cigarette sexy, for goodness sake. A ballet bun, a baguette, a beige trench coat; I could go on and on (and believe me, people have). We know Brigitte Bardot, Francoise Hardy, and Charlotte Gainsbourg - over generations, they have held their status as prominent style icons for women all over the world.
This past summer I read a book, "How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are" by Anne Berest. It presented the French woman as every woman's woman, and told you how to be her. Who wouldn't want to effortlessly exude confidence and be naturally chic?
As I started to think more about Italian culture, my mind kept going back to that book and contemplating the question, "who is the Italian woman?," "What defines her (in terms of style)?," and "How do I capture that je ne sais quoi (or in this case, non so che)?"
So, over the past few weeks I've been looking at the Italian woman as a sort of "case-study" and I've arrived at some interesting ideas about what elements of style constitute the quintessential Italian woman. I don't quite understand her yet, I don't know if I ever will, but I do feel inspired by the idea of this woman. I want to figure her out and that, I think, is part of her allure.
My case study was inclusive of several types of Italian women - the screen goddesses of the 1960's (Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale), actresses of today (Alessandra Mastronardi, Lorena Bianchetti) several prominent Italian influencers of today (Chiara Biasi, Gilda Ambrosio - cofounder of the luxury Italian label The Attico, Chiara Ferragni) and many, many Pinterest pins.
At the risk of making her into a cliche (which she most certainly is not!), here are some of the essential elements of Italian style that I have discovered. Based on my research, the Italian woman:
(Claudia Cardinale via Pinterest)
Over the years, the French woman has been an icon for style gurus all over the world. As a woman in my twenties who has admittedly consumed media avidly over the years, I can say with certainty that the French woman is everywhere - in books, in magazines, and in films. She coined some of the most beloved elements of the fashionable woman's wardrobe: the striped boat-neck sweater, the ballet flat, the skinny black trouser; she made the cigarette sexy, for goodness sake. A ballet bun, a baguette, a beige trench coat; I could go on and on (and believe me, people have). We know Brigitte Bardot, Francoise Hardy, and Charlotte Gainsbourg - over generations, they have held their status as prominent style icons for women all over the world.
This past summer I read a book, "How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are" by Anne Berest. It presented the French woman as every woman's woman, and told you how to be her. Who wouldn't want to effortlessly exude confidence and be naturally chic?
As I started to think more about Italian culture, my mind kept going back to that book and contemplating the question, "who is the Italian woman?," "What defines her (in terms of style)?," and "How do I capture that je ne sais quoi (or in this case, non so che)?"
(Monica Vitti via Fashion Unfiltered)
(Gilda Ambrosio via Who What Wear)
My case study was inclusive of several types of Italian women - the screen goddesses of the 1960's (Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale), actresses of today (Alessandra Mastronardi, Lorena Bianchetti) several prominent Italian influencers of today (Chiara Biasi, Gilda Ambrosio - cofounder of the luxury Italian label The Attico, Chiara Ferragni) and many, many Pinterest pins.
At the risk of making her into a cliche (which she most certainly is not!), here are some of the essential elements of Italian style that I have discovered. Based on my research, the Italian woman:
Has very well-cared for, naturally colored hair. Whether blow-dried pin-straight, tousled, or curled, it always looks good and it is always shiny.
❤
Embraces her naturally strong eyebrows.
❤
Wears little make-up aside from a bold, red lip and full, dark lashes. Mascara is a must.
❤
Does her nails in nudes or reds. Always manicured, never dirty, never too short.
❤
Takes care of her skin from the inside out; good moisturizer and a Mediterranean diet work wonders. She glows.
❤
Can pull off wearing basically anything because of the confidence she exudes and the pride she takes in her clothing. Even if she slept late, got dressed in a hurry, and put together an outfit that she herself thought looked bonkers, you'd never know it because of how well she carries it. She can fool anyone.
❤
Isn't afraid of high heels - can and will pull them off with any outfit on any occasion. Flats and flip-flops are for the beach.
❤
Can make a tracksuit look glamorous.
❤
Laughs easily and joyously, with an open mouth, and no reservations.
❤
Doesn't hide her joy....or her anger.
❤
(Actress Alessandra Mastronardi from source)
Comments
Post a Comment