My favourite online superstore Luisa Via Roma hosted a lovely dinner last night at Palazzo Capponi. As y’all know (from instagram, from twitter), I’m back in Florence once again for the bi-annual Luisa Via Roma Firenze4Ever event. I LOVE visiting Florence. It’s my favourite Italian city and oh so inspiring! Also happy to reunite with my real-life friends. Fun times all around!

I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti the other day at the Luisa Via Roma Firenze4Ever event. He’s quite the charmer and he’s extremely funny. I love Mr. Zanotti and his work!

On me: Sonia Rykiel fur and plaid coat, shirt from COS, jeans from BLK DNM by Johan Lindeberg, shoes gifted by Louis Leeman

I’m here in Florence for the spring/summer 2012 Edition of Luisa Via Roma’s Firenze4Ever event. Check out the livestream!

Four our third and final look, I fell in love with Stefano Alinari’s “Star of Time” necklace made out of gold, diamond, opal and lemon quartz so I made Ania wear this super chic black number from Calvin Klein Collection. I originally wanted to take photos of her outside the American Embassy in Florence (where a military truck was parked) but alas, the guards told us no photographs allowed. Disappointed, Ania asked me what else do I have in mind so I said well, let’s find somewhere old world to highlight the modernity of Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein’s dress, somewhere very European, somewhere indoors with lots of natural light. I wanted to smack my head after saying that… a bit stupid of me, innit, because we’re in Florence and everywhere we we go is European and old! Ania then told me her house is just across the road from where we stood (as in right in front of the American Embassy) so she graciously invited me in. Lo and behold her house is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve been to in my entire life!

Dress by Calvin Klein Collection, necklace by Stefano Alinari, shoes from Georgina Goodman..

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Ania and I went to the Giardino dell’Orticoltura in Florence. For our first look, I made her wear this gorgeous, super soft velvet jacket from Antonio Berardi and a dress from Givenchy. It’s funny how during the course of our photo-taking session, I saw a gardener (in full overall regalia) walk by. Apparently he just finished lunch. My knowledge of Italian is almost slim to none so Ania asked if we can take a photo and he gladly obliged. You’ll see it after the jump. It’s hysterical!

Velvet jacket by Antonio Berardi, dress by Givenchy, shoes by Sergio Rossi, cocktail ring by Iosselliani.

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I think it’s comical, almost insulting to a certain extent, how easy it is to judge images that we see on magazines or websites when these same exact images took months of preparation, days and weeks of work and endless hours of manpower. Photographers and subjects (models, celebrity, etc.) aside, you’ve got everyone from hair and make-up, stylists, assistants, sitting Editors, location s light people… the whole caravan if you must.

When online superstore Luisa via Roma invited me and several bloggers to Florence last month for their semi-annual Firenze4Ever event, I cringed at the prospect of me styling a shoot. The concept was relatively simple — they wanted us bloggers to pick our favourite items from the latest collections to create a few looks and take photos either on a model or ourselves. We had three to four hours to complete the task.

Sounds easy and simple, right? Not quite.

Most bloggers used models the store provided or shot their favourite pieces by personally wearing them. The latter was too easy, I thought.

My model was a no-show because she got herself involved in a minor car accident the same morning of my shoot. No problem. I improvised by asking one of Luisa via Roma’s super chic womenswear buyers, Ania, to be my model. Afterall, who best represents the store other than the same people who work there? She’s also one of the most beautiful young women I’ve known over the years.

People usually expect me to be flamboyant or over the top so for this mini-shoot, I’ve decided to challenge myself go for something totally opposite. I want clean, I want green, I want minimal, I want luxury. In other words: KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. I love a good challenge so in an effort to push my own personal envelope, why not dabble into new territory?

I’m currently on the last stages of editing the photos I took. To call it a shoot is kinda pretentious because it wasn’t a shoot “shoot”. It was just me and my desperately-waiting-to-be-upgraded camera, an assistant who carried paper bags and Ania who was a total badass and didn’t mind changing clothes in public space.

Anyway, even without the usual resources, I’m amazed at the results. Ania looks beautiful.

You’ll see a ton of images I took in the next blog entries.

Just received this mailer from my favourite folks over at Luisa via Roma. If you’re in a shopping mood, be sure to check out their spring/summer 2011 last call sale and receive an additional 20% discount from already-reduced prices.

As always, Luisa via Roma offers FREE (don’t we all LOVE that word) DHL shipping to most countries. You also don’t have to worry about paying additional duties or taxes because it’s already included in the price. Treat yourself — get a new pair of shoes, buy a new handbag or a jacket. Go!

Click HERE to shop the Luisa via Roma sale.

This weekend only — enjoy an additional 20% off already reduced sale items if you enter promo code FR20SS upon check out. As always, Luisa Via Roma ships to many countries for free and you don’t have to pay any duties/taxes upon arrival.

Click HERE to browse the sale.

My favourite online store Luisa Via Roma (www.luisaviaroma.com) recently hosted a sit-down dinner for the third edition of the blogger-oriented Firenze4Ever event. The dinner (for 100) was held at the eye-popping La Specola (aka Museum of Zoology and Natural History) in Florence. My seatmate was my friend Wendy Lam of Nitrolicious.com. Facehunter Yvan Rodic, Eva and Daniele Cavalli, who I’ve finally met at last, were also in attendance. We were served scrumptious Tuscan cooking and yes, opera singers serenaded us throughout our meal.

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Tommy Hilfiger + Keith Haring Collaboration

At the Luisa Via Roma Firenze4Ever event last weekend, Tommy Hilfiger gave away limited-edition sneakers featuring their collaboration with American graffiti artist/activist Keith Haring.

They also had someone who customized the sneakers by permanently engraving whatever you want. I had "Bryan" engraved on my pair.

At first I was rather hesitant in wearing them but trust me, they came very handy and useful because of my missing baggage issues.