Aperitivo No. 3: The Venice Heat Edit

I hope everyone is having a joyful week, whether soaking up summer wherever you are, or, like me, traveling through Europe, where I've been celebrating being with my whole family, iced coffee, and finding creative ways to negotiate with the heat wave currently holding most of the continent hostage.

Welcome back to Aperitivo.

After a fabulous and, in retrospect, meteorologically blessed, trip to Greece, I took Lucia and Leonardo to Venice for a few days. It was their first time, which made me see the city differently, too.

There is something wonderful about watching your children experience a place you’ve loved for years.

There is also something humbling about trying to introduce them to the magic of Venice while everyone is sweating through their clothes.

We were there to celebrate our dear friend Eve’s very special birthday. Eve is wildly fashionable and has been responsible for more than one of my sartorial obsessions over the years, including introducing me to Marni and Dries Van Noten. So it was fitting that there was an incredible exhibit by the Fondazione Dries Von Noten happening at the same time (more on that later).

Naturally, I had been thinking about what to wear to her birthday party for months.

What did I want to feel like at a party in Venezia?

Sexy. Colorful. Dramatic. But something I could dance in.

I searched and searched, but everything had too much fabric or didn’t fit right. Then I found a black lace Dolce & Gabbana dress that hit the spot; it was vintage. I am loving the black lace right now. Here are a few other dresses I found that I like. This one by Loba, Bardot, and Nadine Merabi.

Done.

Then the weather forecast started climbing.

And climbing.

When I realized Venice was heading toward 102 degrees, I had to accept that black lace and heatstroke were perhaps not the mood.

So I pivoted.

While we were in Spetses, Greece, Lucia and I found a cool vintage store and both reached for the same silky, draped dress. I got it, and she went with the coolest silk scarf top. We scored. Both light, sexy, easy, and, most importantly, allowed for air circulation.

At 102 degrees, ventilation becomes part of the dress code.

It was perfect.

Now, more importantly, our birthday girl, Eve, arrived in the most beautiful red dress ensemble. I should have guessed she would choose Dries to mark this special day. I am still dreaming about it.

I did the entire trip with a carry-on, which I would like noted somewhere officially.

Maybe engraved on something.

Packing for Venice in summer is tricky. You need clothes for walking, art, long lunches, dinners, boats, and parties, all while pretending you simply threw a few things into a suitcase and didn’t spend three weeks thinking about it.

Here’s what earned a spot:

A pair of chic, Balzac Trousers that fit so well.

A gorgeous green Farm Rio dress. And this one and this one as well.

The perfect lightweight polka-dot Skirt and Top from The Great.

A linen button-down, tank tops and these t-shirts.

Ballet flats, Sandals. This heel by Jimmy Choo.

And my new favorite Venetian shoes. ( love the yellow and the light denim colors)

I also brought this new scarf that immediately became one of the most useful things in my suitcase. I tied it over my hair for boat rides, partly because it looked chic and partly because arriving at lunch with your hair standing vertically from the wind is not always the entrance one hopes to make.

Sometimes fashion and practicality do meet.

A word about shoes in Venice: choose comfort.

You walk everywhere. The streets are uneven. There are bridges. There are stairs. And the fantasy that an Uber will magically appear to rescue you from your footwear choices is exactly that… a fantasy.

Heels are a no.

Unless someone is carrying you.

In which case, please send me their number.

This Bottega Veneta crossbody has served me incredibly well on this trip. It’s light, holds the right amount, and works during the day without feeling too casual at night.

I also love to bring a few clutches as they are easy to pack and always change up an outfit. This one by Jimmy Choo is so cool and this one adds some sparkle.

I have developed what may be an unreasonable attachment to cute totes. I change them depending on my mood, the city, and apparently the emotional needs of the day. This one is a great size (and color) and this one goes with everything.

My philosophy on summer jewelry is simple: it should do the work that the rest of your outfit is too hot to do.

When it’s 102 degrees, nobody wants layers.

Of clothing, anyway.

And hats?

At a certain point in a European heat wave, a hat stops being an accessory and becomes medical equipment.

Luckily, I like hats. This one by Ganni really protects the face well and packs perfectly.

One of the great pleasures of Venice is that you can spend the morning looking at extraordinary art and the afternoon discussing it over a plate of vitello tonnato.

We wandered without much of a plan, stopping wherever caught our eye. We made our way through the Pinault Collection at Palazzo Grassi, Peggy Guggenheim’s beautiful home and gardens, and some of the Biennale exhibitions.

And then there was the Dries exhibit.

What I have always loved about Dries is the color, fabrics, and unexpected drama. I used to buy his dresses on sale in any size and just tailor them to fit me. The fabrics never aged. You can leave them in your closet and return years later and feel as if was new.

Th exhibit was down a long narrow corridor (very Don’t Look Now, if you haven’t seen this film or Death in Venice, I highly recommend it) hidden in the gorgeous Palazzo Pisani Moretta. Floors of fashion, jewelry art, furniture, all curated together in grand rooms that felt from another time. Truly extraordinary. But I didn’t expect less.

We had plans to shop.

Venice had other plans.

It was simply too hot to try anything on.

At one point, my friend Mona and I were walking around completely soaked from the heat, joking about going into Chanel and asking to try on dresses.

Is that even allowed?

Do they have a protocol?

“Good afternoon. Welcome to Chanel. May we offer you some water, champagne, or perhaps a towel?”

We decided not to find out.

Looking remained excellent.

Trying on was suspended until further notice.

Mostly? Soccer.

At this point, the World Cup has taken over. Even people who weren’t paying attention suddenly have opinions.

I love the way soccer takes over Europe. Every café has a screen. Every taxi driver has a theory. Every dinner reservation is suddenly being negotiated around kickoff time.

And when we haven’t been watching football, I finally watched Widow’s Bay on Apple TV.

Highly entertaining. Strange, funny, dark, and exactly the kind of summer watch I needed. Also, go see The Invite film at the movies. Very funny and well done. (more on that soon.)

This week: The Therabody ice face roller brought me pleasure and less puffy eyes.

Maybe it’s the heat talking, but lately I am very interested in anything cold.

A granita.

An iced coffee.

A wet towel.

At this point, I’m not being particular.

Europe has humbled me.

Summer travel is almost always slightly different from the version we imagine while packing for it.

The dress changes. The weather changes. The plan changes.

Sometimes the outfit you’ve thought about for three months stays folded in the suitcase, while the dress you found three days earlier in a tiny vintage shop becomes the one you’ll always remember.

Maybe that’s part of why we travel.

We leave home with a plan and come back with a story.

Venice gave us a beautiful birthday, extraordinary art, endless mozzarella, a new appreciation for flat shoes, and the reminder that glamour is really just a state of mind.

Especially at 102 degrees.

Until the next pour, I will leave you with this I read at the Biennale exhibition.

xx- Sasha