To make the most out of this platform, I’ve decided to grace you with my voice, which many of you, intruders that made your way into my newsletter, have never heard. If you’ve ever seen me writing, editing, or even drafting an idea, you might know that my words are first read out loud, and then written.
For me, a text has to be in harmony, visually and phonetically; call me a perfectionist. Or a control freak. Imagine a horror story being told without a low, raspy voice, or suspense without dramatic pausing. It would be like a Couture collection without tulle.
I will -sort of- miss the quiet Florence
The story of me coming to Florence involves me being on a call with my best friend, clicking on a suspicious AD found on Facebook, and plenty of insecurity. Even at that point, where I had already secured a job in publishing, I didn’t feel worthy of receiving the opportunity (I dare you to ask me that now).
And to think that I almost declined because of fear, the same fear I always encourage people to face, the one that paralyzes you and makes you doubt; prevents you from taking the step ahead. If I hadn’t come, my eyes would’ve never forgiven me, for all the beauty I would’ve kept them from, my Instagram feed would likely hate me, and though the memories of my Acapulco 2019 body still haunt me, I’m in peace now.
As the city slowly reopens, to what I can already predict as a fun, euphoric summer, I wanted to share short observations I have from the not-so-terrible days of “lockdown”:
Florence is the one place where the smell of stone-oven pizza flirts with the aroma of ancient perfume shops. (I invite you to stand in the corner of Via dei Benci with Borgo Santa Croce, where you’ll be facing Berbere, and receive the scents coming from AquaFlor).
The best time to wander around the city is around 7 or 8 PM when people are prepping for dinner. The mixing of the smells is glorious, a whole olfactory experience.
On March 30 at 8:26 PM, Florence made me feel submerged in Caribbean waters. There was sepulchral silence. Biking around the city, you could feel a battle between currents of cold and warm air, which instead of corals, were hidden between medieval walls.
Quotes and mottos that got me through April.
Sometimes, it takes assuming the attitude a phrase encompasses to make notorious changes in your lifestyle. Well, lifestyle sounds major, so let’s say in momentary decision-making for specific scenarios. In the search for guidance and direction, friends and icons can be helpful, (also therapy, which I invite everyone to attend) so I want to share some wisdom imparted by the before mentioned that had an impact on how I approached life these last month.
While graciously unwrapping a cupcake, something that I can often see myself doing, Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development (2003) taught me compassion, respect, and minding my own business with the phrase “Good for her.” Your friend texted her ex because she thought it would give her peace? Good for her. A woman is wearing high-thigh latex boots with a wool pleated skirt in 25 degrees weather? Good for her. Riccardo Tisci thought Burberry’s F/W21 look 5 was a good idea? Good for her.
Dominique T.A.R Jackson, Pose’s iconique Elektra Abundance, suggests that after working hard, you must treat yourself. The phrase “Get the shoes, baby, get the shoes,” is an open invitation to enjoy your achievements, with the shoes being a metaphor for the treat. I realized that after overworking myself to extreme exhaustion I rarely got the shoes, but I changed that. I will elaborate further on the subject later.
Perhaps one of the most meaningful and valuable phrases, one that I began preaching to others after I had proven its efficiency, came from my friend Laura: “direct questions help get answers”. Oh boy, and how I have asked those questions. I broke the ice with my potential first husband by inviting him out, and asked a stranger for an editor’s email, I requested a review of my contract and so many others. Long story short: ask that question, worst-case scenario, you’ll get a no. Then you can try again.
Protective Fashion
With this title, I'm not referring to baseball helmets or bulletproof vests, but to fashion that keeps us safe in many other ways. There is fashion that protects us from our habits, or adapt to them. It depends on where in the scale of the good or bad your habits lay. Here, the explanation:
Anna Wintour justified her using dark sunglasses in any occasion by saying that it allowed her to disguise her reaction to things. To a bad show, to a poor collection, or even the good stuff; often you need to keep that to yourself. It might be a fashion person cliché to adopt Anna’s habit, but I personally have found it extremely useful when trying to:
Disguise my -almost- creepy way of observing people.
Not let you notice that I’m looking elsewhere or someone else when talking to you. (Rest assured you still have my full attention).
Protect people from my -often hard to camouflage- reactions/expressions.
In this category, beyond sunglasses, I would like to include -and thank- the facemask. Separately, they work wonders, but together, it is almost like wearing a full-on Balaclava, which I very much approve of. If you’re trying to go completely unnoticed, throw a hat in the mix. Boom, master of disguise.
Protective fashion can also adapt to our habits and customs. Here, for example, some people would talk about athleisure, but in this newsletter we’re not gonna do that. Let’s talk about jeans instead. When I say jeans can adapt, I mean our lifestyle. Denim jeans are SO noble, that they let us lay freely on infinite kinds of surfaces, they allow us to move, stretch, and they will take as many washes we want to give them. Oh my, if I could only marry my favorite pair of jeans, life would be easier. I would already have my American and European passports.
Something I read
Quote (self) I can’t get out of my head
Sometimes writing feels like rowing. You put all the energy of your upper body, in order to flow, gently, through the tranquil river.
An amazing photo + Dog of the Week
Updates
HABEMUS LOAFERS!!!!!!! I found a cute, cheap, good quality pair of everyday penny loafers. I’m happy, my feet are still not. But we’re working on that.
Here: you have to click here, you can read that piece on the NYT’s Modern Love I wrote about in Loss.
Fashion Inspiration of the week
THIS IS THE END
I have a lot of work, but I’ll try to do a short thing this week. I haven’t abandoned you. Btw, do you prefer to READ me or to HEAR me? Rspnd.
Bye.
