Summer Dressing in Ischia

Dear friends,

I am rounding out my last few days in Ischia, and my inclination to write and send something out has slowly begun to re-enter my body. The past few weeks, I haven’t had much I wanted to talk about, and I’m glad I honored what I was feeling, as I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of this publication. But a bit of time under the sun and in the sea does good for this gal.

I don’t love investing a lot of money or time into sourcing summer items because, oh my god, it is HOT, and I will mostly sweat right through them anyway. But I did manage to throw a few things together that turned out to be breathable, comfortable, colorful, and required very little thought as I tossed them (AKA perfectly folded each piece) into my suitcase. Ischia is an incredibly lush, diverse, and green island with a laid-back energy my vacation mind, body, and soul crave, so getting dressed feels very intuitive and honestly, pretty much what I would wear back home.

More on Ischia in a week or so, but can I get something off my chest before we dive into a few things I wore? I don’t think we should compare Ischia to Capri. Ischia and Capri (and let’s throw Procida in there, too) are so, so, so different from the people, the culture, the terrain, the environment, the food, the everything. I don’t think one should replace the other and those who keep calling Ischia chic are most likely staying at the Mezzatorre (which in that case is very, very chic…it is five star hotel for a reason after all).

Now, onto a few outfits!

To the beach

A few years ago I bought a few handmade house dresses from a woman on Vinted and this is one of them that has become my favorite easy beach cover-up. The crotchet detailing feels extra island-y.

A gelato outing with my son

Morgan Stewart McGraw inspired this color combination after she posted herself in a silky chartreuse dress and a cherry-red button-up while in Liguria this past July. I just so happened to have an almost identical-in-color lace chartreuse dress that I had essentially never worn, so I decided to layer it over a pair of mom-fit white jeans with a paper-thin red cardigan and my new chocolate fisherman sandals. It turned out to be my favorite look of the trip.

Another nighty for a beach-look

Paired with a handy pair of navy blue Havaianas (a necessity, BTW).

Dinner in a vineyard

I love being inspired by stylish women and using the inspiration to turn it into something of my own. Spanish designer Blanca Pérez-Cabrero styled a simple graphic t-shirt with a skirt and heels. It felt sporty, a bit sexy, and a lot of unpredictable and at the time, I had just found this yellow 80s graphic t-shirt inspired by American sport culture by an Italian designer at the market for €2 and wanted to do the same. I ended up wearing it with my Luisa Spagnoli black ruched skirt and my beloved Renate Jacob heels that I love so so much (Paulina is incredible, and so is her styling, and you should definitely check out her designs!).

A cloudy shopping day for mamma

I ocassionally crave a cloudy day or two on vacation, just as much as I crave Kujten’s linen tie-dye t-shirts in the summer. They are very very good!

A morning walk to the antique shop

I love the look of all the terry-cloth products by Spanish brand La Veste. Still, it is a bit out of my price range (I pick and choose what I want to splurge on, and a towel, although very cute, is not one of them). I found this vintage terry lilac short-sleeve collared shirt from Champion randomly at a market in Naples, and it very much filled my terry-cloth vacation desire cup perfectly.

A casual pizza night at the pizzeria

I was particularly drawn to these baby-pink patent mules I spotted at the opening of Rome’s Zara. They looked pretty luxe for the price, and I am very happy with the purchase! Worn with my blue polka-dot button-down and a wardrobe army-green chino staple.