Italian's Insight to Travel Italy

Fashion is an expression of who we are. Fashion Accessories are just as much a part of the look as the primary pieces in any collection. The clothes we wear and the way we wear them does say something about us, the book can be partially judged by the cover. Our sense of beauty and grace should not be limited just to what we wear. Many people will hire Interior Designers to create an atmosphere in their home, some because they do not have time, others because they have difficulty applying their vision in the minute choices that create their environment, and some just because they have no idea about what they like and follow every trend that appears. Raffaella and I create our environment every day. When we find something we like or that has meaning we find a place in our home. This is a slow process, for several years we had a bed on the floor, a small table and little else. We just could not find things we liked, so we felt it was better to have an empty house than to have things that we did not like.

Recently, Raffaella has been asking me to write about Fashion Accessories. There are some things she really likes but the inspiration has been lacking. I guess one of the primary differences between myself and a professional journalist is that if I do not have the inspiration it is practically impossible for me to express coherent thoughts.

The holidays, for most Italians, means family, food and wine. The most recent holidays were no different and we spent most of our free time in the kitchen cooking, drinking and chatting with friends. Their company is always the greatest gift. Interestingly enough, various brought unusual gifts. They were colorful towels, unique utensils for the kitchen and some really cool aprons. Why should our kitchen and table receive less attention than our wardrobe? We spend a great deal of time there and more often than not our friends prefer to cook with us in the kitchen rather than chat in the parlor.

It should be noted that men wear aprons when cooking, in Italy, as do women. Often the hostess will fold the top part of the apron down when serving at the table creating a miniskirt over the regular outfit. I have always found the apron tremendously sensual. Somehow, It just seems right. Without going into my perversion for the femininity of a beautiful woman, let’s just say I find them provocative.

A very small Italian company, Desperate Mama, has a fantastic collection of colorful printed towels, aprons and clothes for the kitchen. For the most part they are not very functional but they are an exciting look and might just spice up the dinner table conversation. So have some fun, check out these designs and let me know what you think.