The Italian Essence

This morning was one of those mornings. You know the kind — everything that could catch, does. Everything that could fall off a shelf, or out of your bag, finds a way to do so. You leave the house only to realise you’ve brought half of what you need. And then, of course, the universe adds a touch of drama with a dose of road rage. But one of the things I’ve learnt whilst living in Italy is the art of bella figura . This isn’t just about looking good or being your best — altho

Where renovation meets reinvention — our real Italian story, beyond the bella figura. Twenty years ago, we did something most people only dream about. We left our life in Worcestershire, packed up our home — horses, dogs, our four-year-old son — and moved to Italy. Not for a holiday, not for a gap year. We lived here. Worked here. Raised our little boy here, while I trained as a personal stylist in Milan and fell head-over-heels in love with Italian style, life, and everythin

When people hear the words La Dolce Vita , they often picture something out of a dreamy Italian film: Vespa rides at sunset, glasses of wine on a piazza, gelato in hand, and flowing dresses catching the breeze on cobbled streets. And yes… I won’t lie. There’s a little of that magic woven into the everyday life here in Italy. But the true essence of La Dolce Vita —the Sweet Life—is something far deeper. For me, La Dolce Vita  isn’t a fantasy or a highlight reel you see on Inst

Moving to Italy as an expat woman - I can remember the day we originally left for Italy as if it was yesterday.  It was VERY early in the morning, and we drove off in our 4x4 with a horse trailer on the back full of the necessities for 3 months, 2 dogs tucked in the back of the car amongst cases and bags and our 4-year-old son, strapped into his seat.  My parents were standing on the doorstep sleepily waving goodbye. It was an incredibly bittersweet moment, as on one hand we

I have had a bit of a week!  And during that week I have also had a number of wardrobe fails – things that just didn’t work and made me feel sloppy and not “me”, which in turn made me feel much less confident than normal. So, yes, even stylists have wardrobe disasters! I was trying to analyse why this happened and there were a number of contributing factors! 1.       I managed to sprain my ankle on Monday, so had to wear trainers for a couple of days and as you will know if y

The triggers that stop us becoming the best version of ourselves - Over 50 womens fashion September - “the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” (John Keats), also a season full of possibilities and new beginnings.   Although January is obviously the start of the New Year and the time we make stupid promises to ourselves that we don’t keep and the time we say that will renew all that has gone wrong in the previous year, September, for me, is the real start to a new year.