The Uniform Project

Oy, so I know I'm a terrible blogger these days. Orlando has been kicking my ass, and I'm never home, so cut me some slack ya'll. Although, I can't lie... I'm online all day at my jobs, so I don't really have a legit excuse. I haven't been in the mood, ok!

For now, here's a little treasure a friend posted to Facebook that I've been pouring over. I've heard a bit about The Uniform Project, but I haven't really lurked it until now. Here's the deets: This girl, my new hero and dream girl (the more and more I look at her I realize she's a mix of Flavia and Shannyn Sossamon, so yes, my dream girl), is wearing the same dress (well, really 7 versions of the same dress) every day for a year in order to raise funds for the Akanksha Foundation, which is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to bringing education to slum children in India. She accessorizes like mine and Flavia's love child would with random and donated goods from eBay and Etsy. Swoooooon. I want to be her. Plus, it's an awesome way to find new Etsy treasures, which is my current obsession. Flavs, let's just do this for fun next semester. Enjoy!



Anyway, eventually I'll share some pics of my train trip and a few of the treasures I picked up. To be honest though, I didn't really shop that much. A girl's gotta eat and drink iced coffee, ya heard?

xoxo,
Leah

Porta Portese:

Well, a couple weekends back my god-sent Italian professor, Gianfranco, suggested that I check out the Porta Portese flea market here in Rome. I looked it up and it was supposedly legendary, so obvi, I had to go! I gathered up a group of girlfriends and we took the tram to the Porta Portese stop in nearby Trastevere. Let me tell you that this flea market was incredible! It was huge and they had everything that you could ever imagine: books and movies, beads, antiques, old VHS tapes, cooking utensils, random junk, and of course, vintage treasures. Unfortunately, we had limited time at this hidden gem, but I managed to leave with two incredible finds.

These vintage sunnies are just to die for! I had to do some intense bargaining for them but I ended up victorious. I'll have to update you with the designer later, but what I love most about these are the ivory-like color and the gold detailing. I can't lie, I'm obsessed with nude accessories right now.

Is it so wrong to be madly in love with your own wrist? I bought this beautiful vintage pearl bracelet from a little old lady selling random trinkets at the flea market. I think we both connected over our love for flowers and pearls, so she gave me an amazing deal. Did I mention that all of my transactions occured in Italian?

Here's a close-up of the beautiful bauble. The flower petals are an intricate lattice pattern, and I love the massive pearl center.

Needless to say, I had a wonderful time at the Porta Portese flea market. It is a major Roman tradition, occurring Sunday mornings from 6:30am-2:00pm. If you are ever so fortunate to be in Rome on a Sunday morning, trust me, it is so worth visiting!

I am so happy to have had a day of internet access. I am going to try to post as much as I possibly can before our hotel wifi crashes again. Some things to look forward to: yet another finger-shield ring, hello kitty paradise, floral swim caps, and an homage to bows.

A presto!

Flavia

Fiori Frenzie:

This bombshell is one of the lovely ladies from my study abroad group! Her name is Christina and I've been promising myself that I'd photograph her for a style post at some point during this trip. She is the queen of flirty summer dresses, and honestly, I've never seen someone look more graceful in a maxi-dress. I'm absolutely obsessed with the mini-floral pattern! Plus, the oversized sunnies are the perfect bohemian touch. Come si dice.....dream girl?!

Oh, and in case you were wondering...this was shot at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

(Maxi Dress: Marshalls, Sunglasses: Forever21, Sandals: Havaianas)

Love,

Flavia

Spoils From My Florence Trip...and a Few Other Treasures

Ciao, from Roma!

FIRST OF ALL:

I feel so silly for not noticing that my last post was the 100th post on The Tonnish Touch! How exciting! I just wanted to say a quick thanks on mine and Leah's part to all of those who read and enjoy our blog. We get the butterflies just thinking about it <3

Well, my sincerest apologies about not being able to post as frequently as I initially wanted to. I'm finding that there are many cultural differences between Italy and America, and Internet obsession is one of them. There is only one dinky computer that our entire hotel has to share here in Rome, so basically I have to steal wifi in order to post for you dear readers. I wanted to quickly post about the beautiful things that I have acquired in Italy thus far. Here goes:

This is my silver finger shield-ring! I nearly flipped when I found it at a street market in Florence. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for more of these, I want to end up with robot-hands like Karl Lagerfeld.

These are what I mainly splurged on when I was in Florence. These are hand made leather and python bangles. I love them because they are gold plated, so they'll pass the test of time. I got two of them a few years ago and was kicking myself for not getting more. These are my pride and joy!

Here's a close-up!

I bought this ring in a tiny boutique in Florence, I love it because it's huge and it wraps around your finger. It consists of a hand-painted murano glass gem and a ceramic flower, all cased in gold-plated bronze. I fell in love! The man who made it was so sweet!

I scored this hot -pink beauty at a street market as well. Come se dice...Birkin Bag look-alike!? I absolutely love it because of the gold hardware and super structured leather. I cant wait to wear it back home.

I bought these adorable purple shades here in Rome. The transaction was proudly accomplished completely in Italian! I love the contrast purple wings at the top. They are by Diesel, made here in Italy!!

Well, I need to close this up because I have class in 15 minutes, but expect more posts about shopping and street style in the near future. I'll be spending the weekend here in Rome, scavenging for dresses and gladiator sandals. Wish me luck! Comment with your thoughts, and also boutique suggestions and shopping hot-spots would be greatly appreciated.

A presto!

-Flavia

Caryatids

Exploring in Rome has been amazing. On this day in particular, I visited Hadrian's Villa, Villa D'este, and an amazing little restaurant in Tivoli that is located in an original Roman bath complex. All that I really packed for this trip was flowy, ruffled dresses and floral skirts. I absolutely love this dress because of the over-sized floral ruffles that make me look like a butterfly. Also, it has these great sketched flowers all along throughout the bodice. Oh yeah, I also got my hair cut a few days ago because my hair grew out way too fast and it was becoming unbearable. The experience was slightly frightening because of the language barrier, but it ended up being great.

Wearing: Ruffled UO dress, Betsey Johnson satchel, Sam Edelman gladiators.

Love,

Flavia

Roman Holiday

I watched Roman Holiday just a few days before coming to Rome, and the movie is absolutely wonderful. I've been trying to channel Audrey Hepburn's style during my stay in Rome, wearing floral skirts, ruffled dresses, and bib tops everywhere that I go. I was so excited to go to the Bocca Della Verita here in Rome, because that is where one of my favorite scenes from the movie took place! Legend has it that this statue can decipher a liar from an honest person when you put your hand in its mouth. In other words, you will get your hand chopped off if you are dishonest. Needless to say, I made it out with all of my limbs intact.

Wearing: H&M bib dress, UO skinny belt and leggings, Betsey Johnson satchel and Bow watch.

With Love,

Flavia

Man-Bags

Ciao, from Rome!

I've been here for about a week now, and the city is absolutely beautiful. Italians have an amazing sense of style. I don't know exactly how to explain it. Italian women have a very classy, breezy sense of style. They sport beautiful jeans or skirts with drapey tops, and despite the cobblestone streets, prance around in heels with ease. They don't feel the need to be too showy, their fashion sense is based around the idea of a "bella figura", where you embrace the womanly silhouette, but still leave much to the imagination. The men are sharp, usually wearing fitted dress slacks and button ups. Best of all is the man-bags. Men wear beautiful leather satchels, messenger bags, and brief cases that make me want to keel over and spend all of my money on leather arm candy.

I met this man at the Fontana di Trevi. I absolutely loved the red pants, but his aged leather bag is what nearly brought a tear to my eye. I have been super busy with class and Roman adventures, but tomorrow I am thinking of walking around to take more street style photos. Be prepared to see some beautiful people. Also, I want to take my first shopping trip soon, so as soon as I start doing damage, you'll be hearing about it. I hope all is well in the states!

Love,

Flavia