In love with straw bags

My current obsession is.... straw bag!! .Perfect for the summer, easy to wear...and shabby chic :)
A good website for buying them is http://www.carrettinisiciliani.com/borse.html
The website shows and sells baroque Sicilian straw bags...

Bologna's San Francesco market at sunset

May is the month I love the most in Bologna...the light is beautiful and the days are long...
During the past few weeks and until the 3rd of June a very nice market is running in the backyard of a church, San Francesco, in Bologna city center.
The earnings from the market will help to support a small village in Indonesia.
The backyard is beautiful and the objects on sale are soooo many...clothes, jewelry, glasses, kitchen tools, cups, lamps...if you pass by, peek in. It is worth to pay a visit...

Mirelle bags at Etoile Blanche

My Handmade &Vintage Mirelle bags - the bags I make with old upholstery fabrics in collaboration with Chizu Kobayashi - have finally arrived at Etoile Blanche, a super cosy shop in Bologna City Center (Via Barberia 12/B)...the big week-end bag you see in the picture is made of a beautiful fabric from the 50's....the price in the shop is around 165 euro...
If you are interested in buying similar bags ( BTW...each bag is unique, there is just one piece of each) you can contact me at mirelle74@gmail.com....
you can have your own customized week-end bag!

Tabbisocks

I know summer is approaching and for a while we will leave our socks, leggings and pants in a closet, but I am so much tempted to buy these beautiful socks made by an American company called Tabbisocks Harajuku Legswear...http://shop.tabbisocks.com

La Pillola - handmade clothes, jewelry and much more

Yesterday after work I took some time off and went to La Pillola, a creative hub located in the city center of Bologna (Via Castiglione 25 www.lapillola.net) , where a few friends of mine were exhibiting and selling their works.

Among them Stefania Bandinu and her beautiful handmade jewelry, Animani - handmade clothes with animals drawing, Chiki- the Italian version of the Japanese furoshiki- Cami Gualta and her beautiful rubber necklaces...Meike and her cute collars..

Below are some of the pics I took...

 Meike's Collars - http://www.meikeeveraarts.com/

Furoshiki by Chiki www.chiki.it

Cami Gualta www.camigualta.com/

Animani www.carlottafiorini.com

Obsessed with kilim boots

This summer I would like to take some days off and vist Marrakech. I have been told it is beautiful and the shopping :) there is just great. While surfing on the net, I found the images of these irresistible boots made from antique kilim rugs- they have a completely authentic Bohemian global traveller vibe.  Each pair is unique due to the variation in pattern of the kilim.
I just love them...

African fashion, African pulse

African Pulse was born from a simple fact... Africa is on the move, Africa vibrates, Africa creates, Africa inspires.

African Pulse favours partnerships with creators who pay attention to the origin of their products. Quite a few creations are made from A to Z in Africa. Others, although made in other countries, use exclusively fabrics and materials exported from African countries

Through African Pulse, Julie Jais - its founder- wishes to showcase her selection of personal favourites and, above all, to promote contemporary, stylish and urban artists.

For more info or if you want to buy online www.africanpulse.eu

Ombre di foglia - a floral atelier

Ombre di foglia is an atelier based in Turin where every single cloth is made by hand. The person behind it is Elena Pignata, a young fashion designer originally from Bra.

Visit www.ombredifoglia.it and see the beautiful collections launched by Elena...

Les Envers- beautiful leather/fabrics bags

Sara Turatello is a young fashion designer from Bologna. She designs Les Envers, beautiful leather and fabrics bags.

Her spring-summer collection 2012 is developed in different models with a wide and sophisticated color palette:

- Leather with stitching and contrasting colors (Line "Les Contrastes")

- Fabric "stain" (waterproof to each liquid) with contrasting leather (Line "Les Infinitins")

She has been featured in Vogue Italy and she will take part to Byhand in Turin at the end of May.

If you are interested in seeing more of her collection or buying her stunning bags, I suggest you visit her website www.lesenvers.it (her blog is at http://lesenvers.blogspot.it/)

Muzungu Sisters - what an excellent idea!

Tatiana Santos Domingo and Dana Alikhani's new website Muzungu Sisters combines fashion and travel. They sell ethically sourced, locally made items from all over the world.
http://muzungusisters.motilo.com

Annarita Vitali - Vintage Jewelry

Today I took a walk and went to Giardini Margherita, the most well known park in Bologna, where a fair was ongoing.

Although the stalls were mainly supposed to sell plants, flowers and gardening tools, a lot of them were selling vintage clothes, jewelry and furniture.

I was particularly struck by Annarita Vitali jewelry. They are simply beautiful...a bit 50's style and I love the way they are made...elegant and fascinating.

I love them www.annaritavitali.it

One day in Lille - France