4th October 2012
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Location LOCATION: Milan

JouJouVilleroy.Viktoria & Woods Top / Kate Sylvester Shorts / Jennifer Zeuner Chain Ring and Necklace / Rupert Sanderson Heels

My photo diary as follows:

1. Checking into our beautiful apartment in Milan with Jessica and basking in some beautiful sun on our windowsill.Starting MFW off right with some fresh fruit, chocolate croissants and tea on our balcony overlooking this tranquil courtyard. It’s always amazing renting an apartment as it’s so much easier to feel like you live there, plus it’s so much cheaper than hotels.  I thought I’d start adding in the places I stay as I usually travel on a budget. We rented this place through Air Bnb and I would highly recommend it. Only part I would mention was the bed was rock hard but considering the location (two stops from the Duomo on the metro) and how affordable it was it was a small price to pay.

2. Exploring the magnificent Duomo for the first time and trying to fathom not only how they built this but also how long it took. It’s grand size doesn’t actually translate in these photos but then again I don’t know if it ever does? The best thing to do is to buy a gelati and sit beneath it before you make the trip onto the rooftop, just so you can appreciate the difference between how small it makes you feel and how small it makes the city feel once you’re up there.

3. A quick stop at the Dolce & Gabanna head office in Milan for a fitting for their MFW show. Their office was incredibly chic and it could have been easily mistaken for one of their stores, with beautiful bags and clothes racks lining each wall. A special thank you to Alessia for welcoming and walking me through the collection. Never thought in this lifetime I would be dressed by Dolce & Gabbana and attending their show.

4. The Dolce & Gabbana SS 2013 show during MFW once again re-visited their Sicilian heritage. Last season we saw romantic and feminine lace with gold embroidery with a Sicilian influence, yet this season bright pops of colour in thick vertical and horizontal stripes, vibrant silk prints and raffia basket weave dominated the collection as Stefanio Gabbana and Domenico Dolce drew inspiration from the island’s street markets and summer vacations. As twenty something models strutted down the runway it was a visual overload of bold stripes and vibrant colours in 50′s inspired swimsuit sets, styled with silk sprinted head scarves and large statement earrings with flat raffia sandals. The show stopping piece was the cane corset and petticoat draped in a sheer and delicate black silk. If this is how they dress for the beach in Sicily then this is a place I must visit in my lifetime!

5. Arriving at the Dolce & Gabbana show. Shot by Net-A-Porter, NYTimes and Phil Oh for Vogue.com.

6. Exploring Corso Como with Michael Lo Sordo who took us under his wing when we couldn’t find any accommodation on time. We were basically making our plans as we went and going to Milan or going for so long wasn’t originally in our itinerary so we would of been stranded without him.

7. My first gelati in Italy with the lovely Yigit from Gucci. He took me to Cioccolat Italiani which is apparently the very best gelato in Milan. This could be possibly the first sweet to nearly defeat me as the waffle cone was filled with liquid white chocolate before the scoops of gelato are added on top. HEAVEN.

8. The Gucci Spring Summer 2013 show at Milan Fashion Week started off my exciting stay in Milan. Models had a sultry and smokey evening eye whilst their hair was slicked back into a low and chic bun. All the elements seemed to compliment each other so well. Sleek hair with a bold eye, clean silhouettes and minimalistic shapes in vibrant and eye popping hues, simple yet intricate detail with skin peeking through large cut outs, deep thigh high splits and cocoon shapes. Mixed with 60′s bell sleeves, thick waist belts and over-sized sunglasses, each look was polished off with bejeweled and resin statement necklaces and earrings that stole the show for me as they shimmered down the runway. Described by Gucci as “A new aesthetic dynasty. Elegant. Sophisticated. Essential.” I can see the vast difference between this and their previous SS 2012 collection. Perhaps not entirely wearable but an exciting new direction I can’t wait to see more of from Gucci.

9. A coffee date with the Milan Louis Vuitton Digital Team in their Milan store, where the AW 12/13 collection we saw re-created in Shanghai was available to purchase. Each time I meet someone new from the Louis Vuitton family whether it be in Australia, Hong Kong, Paris or Milan, each person has had such a warm and friendly personality that really makes you feel welcome, just like the brand itself. I always appreciate the time Louis Vuitton has taken with me and it’s something I’ll never forget.

10. Wandering through the galleries near the Duomo and getting lost in the beautiful architecture. Gardens, gelati and romantic evenings.

11. A very overdue meeting with the lovely Rossella and Sara from Grazia.it who I’ve been speaking with for over one and a half years. I popped in to visit their temporary head office during fashion week with one of my favourite bloggers/street style inspirations, Eleonora Carisi from Jou Jou Villeroy.

Sometimes the very best experiences come from the spontaneous and impulsive decisions we make. After unexpectedly deciding to jump on a plane to go to Milan for MFW the day before, I couldn’t have been happier with my time spent there and I’m so glad I went. With a 4:30am start we landed in Milan that morning and I was straight off to the Gucci show at 2pm. My short five days were divided between overdue meetings where I met some of the loveliest people on this trip so far, sight-seeing in a new city and attending the Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana shows. I actually spent more time meeting people for coffee or gelati that I barely got a chance to take photos as we wandered the streets. I often found myself wishing I had packed my other lenses and telling myself that I’ll just come back tomorrow to take more photos. What I quickly realized was that no matter how much you think you will, it’s near impossible to come back to recreate a moment that has already passed as there’s always new and exciting ones waiting for you around every corner. Some I have photos of and others are saved in my pensive (if you’ve ever wondered what mine in particular looks like I did a post on it here years ago), and if you don’t get that Harry Potter reference then I just look plain ol’ crazy.

One of the highlights was attending a dinner with Dolce & Gabbana at their Gold Restaurant with some of my favourite bloggers like Susie Bubble, The Sartorialist and Chicmuse. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos as the mojito’s were quite literally the size of my head, but Yuri from The Stylist Me took a few which you can see here. Now to sort through the hundreds of photos I took in Paris!

Photos by Jessica and me