Life in Rome - The Flaminio Flea Market
Borghetto Flaminio is not as well known as the famous Porto Portese market. The latter has more furniture but Flaminio is the market to check out for authentic vintage/used designer clothes and interesting tableware.As with any flea market there could be some fakes, but this market has a good reputation. Many of the vendors are regulars. If they were selling fake Prada, Gucci, Hermès, etc. the word would get out pretty quickly.Borghetto Flaminio is tiny. I suggest getting there early. It's packed with fantastic finds. I hadn't been there in years so when my friend, artist and florist Marta, suggested we check it out, I was ready.A cool tea set from the 40s.
Lovely monogrammed vintage linen.
A taste of Hermès. This was the most popular vendor in the market. They also had some drop dead gorgeous vintage Gucci, Valentino, Prada, and Fendi bags.
Love this Murano glass set from the 60s.
Marta was VERY excited about this patent leather Prada bag.
Sundays (except holidays)Piazza della Marina, 32Sundays, 10AM – 7PM€1.60 entrance feeFrom mid-September to mid-July
A Few Dinner Plates For A Thanksgiving Table
Many people back in the States have asked me what I'm doing on Thursday.I'm working. Thanksgiving is an American holiday.If I had an oven/kitchen/apartment bigger than a shoebox, I would host a Thanksgiving dinner but on Saturday (which is what the majority of expats do here).My future apartment will have more space and I will entertain more.In the meantime, I can admire these lovely plates that would be perfect for my Thanksgiving dinners.For an informal table:The Marbury Dinnerware Collection from Crate and Barrel. You can put a charger underneath with more color or a pattern.
The Charlotte Street Collection from Kate Spade. I had to have at least one white plate with blue trim.
The Eclectique Dinner plate from Williams-Sonoma. It's a pretty dish made in France.
For a more formal table:The Renaissance Collection by Wedgewood. A classic.
Anmut Platinum by Villeroy & Boch. One word... elegant.
The American Dinner plate by Hermès. The blues are gorgeous.
Hmmm, not seeing a lot of variety here.I do appreciate china with flowers but for my table I tend to keep it simple because my floral arrangements are colorful. Also, I like to mix and match my dinnerware. Having plates in a similar color palette makes the table more cohesive.For those who are celebrating, I hope you have a fantastic and Happy Thanksgiving.
Weekend Inspiration - Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
I recently saw Blue Jasmine. Cate Blanchett is so outstanding, you forget the plot holes in the movie.I haven't seen all the other Best Actress nominees' performances yet but if Cate wins the Oscar I wouldn't be surprised.The wardrobe was amazing as well. I read that the costume designer, Suzy Benzinger, had a budget of only $35,000. Most of the clothes were borrowed and every time Cate dropped the Birkin (which belonged to Benzinger and cost more than the entire budget) on the ground, people on set gasped.Beautiful Chanel jacket. Poor Jasmine. She was bananas.
Photo: Collider.com
How stunning is this red Carolina Herrera dress? Love, love, love, it!
Photo: indiewire.com
Stylish simplicity in a linen dress by Façonnable.
Photo: NY Daily News
I have a completely different build from Ms. Blanchett. I'm not sure how any of these clothes would look on my short self, but I can dream about the accessories.
Buon weekend!
Weekend Inspiration - Dead Macbooks and Cy Twombly
What a crazy week this has been.My sister, who lives in Washington DC, was in Hamburg for an international public policy conference and we decided to meet in Munich.One of the highlights of our very quick trip was the Brandhorst Museum. This modern art space has some really impressive pieces, including works by Cy Twombly.When I returned to Rome, I hit the ground running. Suddenly, everything came to a halt because my laptop (granted, it was very old) died.Now I'm typing on an Italian keyboard. I'm glad that the € symbol is right there along with é and è but the darn ' and @ are in completely different places.It's a good thing I'm getting better about rolling with the punches (thanks dysfunctional Italy!) If this large and unexpected expense had happened last year, I would've worked myself into a giant knot of stress while freaking out about my credit card bill.Instead, I'm thankful that I have a business that's growing and I know that this purchase was an investment in that business.That said, I must admit that a tiny part of me was thinking, "damn, I could've bought a scarf and the bracelet I love at Hermès for that amount."As one of my close friends would say, "It's only money." Of course this statement is usually uttered by people who have money. She went on to say that experiences are more important.I do appreciate nice things and I would love to have some of them in my life but I agree with what my friend said about experiences.Yes, I took a big hit this week but what I will remember is standing in a large room in Munich surrounded by Twombly with my sister talking about art, politics, and how despite a ten year age difference we have the exact taste in men.Several of these pieces are in the Broadhorst. Inspiring. Buon Weekend![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XO4_A1orV4&w=560&h=315]