Carefree Eleganza: Taking Style Inspiration From The Italians
When you conjure up images in your mind of Italian style you're likely to envision the femme fatale beauty of Sophia Loren or perhaps a deeply bronzed woman nearing middle age who believes that when it comes to animal print, more is indeed more. Slowly sipping cappuccinos before noon, taking a well-deserved siesta mid-afternoon and then sitting down with loved ones for a feast of fresh portions of pasta, creamy burrata’s and vino bianco.
The Italians, and many other southern Mediterranean countries, seem to live a more carefree lifestyle than those in the United Kingdom or across the large Atlantic pond. While we have a tendency to binge, the Italians indulge, and not just in their enchanting delicacies, they envelop themselves in all the styles a person could wish for. In a post-pandemic world, there is now a distinct dichotomy between minimalism and maximalism in the fashion sphere. Some wish to go quietly through their style journey and others have decided to go big or go home with the recent years putting a lot into perspective for many. The phrase 'you only live once’ is pricking people’s ears and the fashion answer is the carefree eleganza perfected by the Italians. Nowhere is this more clear than on the Instagram feeds of the New York City fashion content creator.
Krystal Bick (pictured above) spent a vast chunk of the Summer surrounded by the historic and natural landscapes of Tuscany, and the Italian approach cleared rub off on her. Posing in tulle Carolina Herrera gowns and slurping up plates of cacio e peppe, she has mastered the blithe, self-assured fashion confidence that Gina Lollobrigida would have no choice but to praise.
Perhaps the most well-known Italian fashion content creator is Chiara Ferragni with over 28million followers on Instagram, that’s just under half of the population size of Italy! Her style may be more curated than that of the average Italian woman, Ferragni’s style still has that quintessential fashion personality. Bold-eye looks, daring and exposing dresses, leather and denim in equal amounts and unafraid of a bit of sparkle, she doesn’t hold back. And why should she hold back? After all, fashion is there for us to play around with, experiment and discover ourselves with. Her custom-made wedding gowns designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior sum up her look in a perfect lace bow.
As we panic about the world's happenings, perhaps it's time we follow in the footsteps of these creators and use the Italian stylebook to unwind and see more beauty in the everyday.
