How could you not love someone who lives by this motto and whose favorite colors are Rainbow, Sparkle and Shine, Animalia, Flower, Travel and Print? This is precisely why fashionista, stylist, globetrotter, and icon Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert has such an incredilbly loyal and growing following. Her joie de vivre and fearless fashion choices exemplify her refreshing attitude of not taking herself too seriously and savoring every moment. Giovanna took NYC by storm this week revealing her incredible windows at Bergdorf Goodman along with her book debut and pop up shop. These may be the best Bergdorf windows yet! Her book Gio_Graphy chronicles her fun in the wild world of fashion. The pop-up shop includes her collaborations brilliantly curated mix of new and established Italian designers with some of her own creations.
One of favorite visits during Milan Design Week was the showroom of La Double J, founded by fashion and design editor, stylist, and journalist JJ Martin in 2015. Before we arrived, Instagram was buzzing with her newly launched tabletop collection in addition to her amazing vintage finds and sought after La Double J Editions clothing line. Known as a creative force, JJ has perfectly merged the worlds of fashion and design with her collections. The new clothing made from vintage prints debuted with 8 historic prints hand-picked from Mantero Seta, a 114 year old silk manufacturer on Lake Como who created silks for Chanel. The line has blossomed into 25 vintage patterns offered in a limited edition program that drops new models and prints every two months.
I am not sure where Ernest Hemingway wrote this, but I would like to think it was on his terrace overlooking the Grand Canal while staying at the legendary Gritti Palace in Venice. We were fortunate enough to stay in this beautiful palace on our recent trip to Venice with the Rubelli Group who had supplied many of the fabrics for the restoration overseen by Donghia’s creative director Chuck Chewning in 2013. My pictures and words did not do this masterpiece justice so I found these wonderful articles from Architectural Digest detailing the process. My own candids follow at the end.
View from The Gritti Palace, Venice
There is nothing better than experiencing a culture through the eyes of locals. I just returned from an incredible journey with the Rubelli family discovering the majesty of Italian manufacturing seeing their showrooms, mills, projects and archives from Milan to Venice. In between our tours looking at Italian textiles, leather, glass, art, and architecture, they graciously treated us to the most incredible meals, fellowship, and education that makes their Venetian heritage so unique. The Rubelli passion, generosity and hospitality were beyond extraordinary.