Local Lingerings No.2

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Ciao everyone! I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I ate enough pastiera to satisfy the pastiera cravings until next year, and enjoyed a laid-back weekend at the market and under some Roman blue skies. I am back with my second Local Lingerings newsletter, dedicated to a season many of us know and love best. If you missed last month’s (ish) piece, I wrote about doing things I crave (along with a few recommendations of feel-good places) during a creative slump in Rome, which, to my surprise, turned out extremely joyful to write!

This time, I am sharing a few transitional outfits I wore (hint: a lot of color, a little bit of new, and a lot of old), plus some of the best second-hand purchases and finds from March, and a few Roman spots I visited recently.

The No-Formula Dressing Formula

I can’t say I necessarily have a dressing formula, or maybe I do, and I don’t know how to articulate it since I am by no means a stylist. When it comes to spring, I love playing with color, denim, and JACKETS!! All hail a good jacket. That, and the utility aspect of them is next to non-negotiable, since most mornings and evenings still have a chill to the air while the daytime fills the cobblestone streets with beating sunlight. I tend to gravitate towards pieces that I can easily mix and match, you know, like those feel-good closet staples we can go back to no matter the season of life or the season of weather i.e., a few pairs of denim, a white t-shirt, a denim shirt, a basket bag, etc., with some fun “personality” pieces.

Also, note that all of these outfits are park-approved. If I have learned anything from Italians moms, it is that you do NOT have to wear leggings and a sweatshirt to take your child to the playground.

A lime cape that can make you feel like a superwoman AND an extra spicy margarita

One brand I absolutely adore is La Veste by Blanca Miró and Maria de la Orden, both of whom have an inspirational style that feels the polar opposite of copy-and-paste cookie-cutter. When I saw this wool, almost lime-like in color, cape (like extra extra lime in your feel-good frozen margarita) with red and purple trim pop up from their brand trip to Marrakech a month or so ago, I did gasp. I don’t often buy new pieces, but this felt like something special I would regret not snagging.

I believe a spring closet non-negotiable is a pair of trusty white denim jeans. These are early 2000s Lee I snagged at the flea market a few weeks ago for €2 (!!!!), and I cut them to hit right above the ankle. I do prefer a raw hem to an altered hemline that looks botched any day.

Aladdin-you glad you have a pair of gold shoes?

A Neapolitan friend of mine responded to my IG story of me wearing these incredible peep-toe, 2-inch heels I bought from a designer in Spain, to which she said I look like “Aladdin,” followed by a “j’adore,” and I am here for it.

Another piece that felt so special not to pass up: Paulina and her brand, Renate Jacob, have been on my radar since I bought a pair of open-toe cream-and-white wedges from her last summer. No website; sales via DM only (the only type of shopping I love, truly). Her pieces have a vintage twang, yet silhouettes you’ve never quite seen before. Something similar? Maybe. But not as good as Paulina’s designs.

I paired them with ‘26 inseam Levi’s dark jeans, which are perfectly cropped for my 5’4 stature, and a vintage Trachten-style jacket I snagged a few years ago. To think I was going to give it away to a friend for free.

Curious, I’ve seen a bunch of these jackets at the market. I even sold a few because I didn’t need them. Still, they were too good to cough up, came around in the 16th century for Alpine farmers (think: present day Germany, Austria, Italy’s northern South Tyrol), identifiable by their Loden fabric, intricate buttons, tailoring, and of course, collarless details, which eventually the 19th century aristocrats caught on and started wearing them for fashion. I will probably do a piece on these in the future because they are that good.

I can’t tell you all how many compliments I get on this jacket, and it’s such a fun conversation starter.

The 70s are calling

Those handy Lee jeans I mentioned above? Eccoli di nuovo. The star of this outfit is the beaded, embroidered belt my mom passed down to me, with a linen tie-dye t-shirt some sweet Roman lady threw to me on one Sunday morning while we were both digging through piles of clothes thrown on a tarp for sale. It turns out to be by Parisian brand Kujten, known for cashmere and linen.

We see each other every single week now. We pass pieces back and forth that are good for one or the other, which is one of the billion reasons why second-hand shopping is so meaningful—paired with an army green, four-pocket cotton jacket that is stretchy and perfect to wear for a morning coffee bar, to the park, to a wine-centric lunch.

Shining bright like a Roman golden hour

The jacket here speaks for itself—a silk brocade Tang-style jacket I found on Vinted from a very stylish Parisian woman a year ago. The way the colors reflect in the sun makes me feel like I am on a terrace, drinking a spritz and smoking a cigarette in good company on the brink of summer, and that’s the kind of emotion I want to evoke with my clothing. Paired with a good pair of 514s, most likely from the early 2000s, that have 0 stretch to them, which sometimes is a must.

I plan on wearing the jacket with a white t-shirt, white shorts, and ballet flats as the season progresses. Here are a few options I found on Vinted (1, 2, 3).

A wholesome afternoon outing with family

The same jacket mentioned above, with another very worn-in 501 Levi’s that are starting to get various holes, and decadent mustard color suede mules from my tried-and-true Borini, which I mentioned in my article on Roman shops I’d die on a hill for.

If you can’t tell, I love a market. It’s where I discover pieces I not only love but also think about how to wear them, or how many ways I can wear this item. This past Sunday, I was at the flea market by 7 am, and to my surprise, I met the tie-dye shirt lady as well, digging through the piles. By now, I know the tables so well, like the back of my hand—I am stopping at a max of 5-6 stalls. I found two accessories that can really spruce up some outfits when the heat starts to really roll in and those chilly, breezy mornings are no more.

First stop: I scored this burgundy and golden silk scarf (5 euros, mind you) that is long enough to wear around my waist, as a headscarf, or to add to a bag. Jenny Walton has a fabulous piece on silk scarves and 20 ways to style them, and I did think of that piece when I came across said silk scarf. I think I will wear this one around the waist with an all-white ensemble and around my head with a black one-piece bikini alla Jackie O.

Another item was this dark silver fringe shawl (2 euros) I found in a mish-mosh pile by my favorite Salvatore, which reminds me of something a Greek yiayia would wear to a wedding...you know?

Gabriella Gofis shared an outfit on Instagram that really caught my eye: an oversized, beautifully wrapped shawl-scarf over a white t-shirt and light-ish jeans (if my memory serves me correctly). Regardless, a simple base with a touch of flair inspired this purchase.

My last-second-hand highlight is a Ferragamo bag I found on The RealReal that my mom bought for us to share via an old return credit. I must’ve caught the bag when they first uploaded their weekly 1000-some-item inventory, because the bag must’ve been marked wrong at $130. We went back a day or two later, and they raised the price to $200 or something, though it was still a great find. A lesson learned: beat the 15-minute countdown when you can.

Last-second eating, drinking, & lingering wonders

There’s something so mystical and magical like Rome’s orange garden (Giardino degli Aranci) just a short walk from Testaccio. Right around the corner is the Basilica dei Santi Bonifacio e Alessio, which is pink inside (swoon).

We took my nearly two-year-old son to Rome’s children’s museum (Explora, Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma), which turned out to be just as fun for my mom and me. If you are coming to Rome with kids, I definitely recommend it! This week, the weather is feeling like late May temperatures during the day, so gelato season is in full swing for us. Luckily, Brivido in Testaccio has green mint-chocolate chip gelato, and you can even get it dipped in fresh chocolate.

Ciao!! xxxxxxx