Valentino SS16 Georgette shirt with necklace

I dedicate this post to my beautiful Italian mother. Happy Mother’s day! Everyone seems to have a fascination with French style. My very first luxury purchase was not French but Italian. Gucci. So why do we seem to overlook the Italians? I was thinking about writing a post about it and then stumbled upon this article The Italians Are Coming! In it Leandra has already done the work for me by listing the top 3 upcoming Italian design stars to watch. I think these three brands are also ones to watch. (1) Only 5 year old Aquazzura – The creator Edgardo Osorio was actually born in Colombia and raised between Miami and London but the headquarters is situated in the historical Palazzo Corsini near the Arno River (in the heart of Florence and near the finest shoemakers in the world – those pom pom sandals on the home page slideshow are crazy fun, pom poms are a thing for SS16). (2) 95 year old Gucci of course (the new Creative Director who was born in Rome has been a big hit). For fun Gucci facts click HERE. (3) Valentino (rockstuds are huge and have been well copied). Chiara Ferragni and Anna Dello Russo are very chic Italians and style icons. Their outfits are non formulaic and individualized, this is what I like the most about Italian style. For more about them click HERE and HERE. To help us feel as if we are in Milan, here are two Italian style inspired accessories from & Other Stories (owned by H&M, not Italian): their leather cross body Braided Shoulder Bag $125, and Round Frame Sunglasses $22. Viva il Italiani!!