Shooting with Luisaviaroma, Florence

When you were little, did you ever used to dream of being left in a department store after dark?

Left to roam the floors alone, roller skate along the aisles, twirl in ballgowns and bounce on all of the beds?

Who am I kidding “when you were little”?! I consider it a perfectly acceptable grown-up fantasy.

Well, Luisaviaroma came very close to making my dreams come true.

They closed the store and gave us the run of the place. We could choose anything we liked to style into outfits and shoot with a pro-photographer out and about in Florence.

I was like a kid in a sweet shop.

With the help of my lovely assistant (for the day) I pulled a whole rail of looks.

Surrounded by the fashion styling elite, from every top magazine and blog… I skipped past most of the very high fashion, crazier pieces (leaving those to the pros!) and cherry picked the ones I would take home in a second.

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The hair and makeup team got to work.

While I was interviewed by the lovely Kristen, for Lucky Magazine.

I am extremely jealous of her locks.

My sister had pink hair for a while when we were younger and I was mesmerised by it! But I fear it’s something only blondes can get away with.

But enough of that.

I slipped into a real show stopper and headed out to shoot in the streets of Florence.

Zuhair Murad Gown // Jimmy Choo Shoes //  Roger Vivier Clutch

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We shot in front of The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross). Famous as the final resting place of some of Italy’s greats; Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and Galileo Galilei are all buried here. There is also a memorial to Dante, though his tomb is empty.

The church is forever tied to London as its stunning, blue, white and pink marble façade was paid for by Sir Frances Sloane.

 

We couldn’t resist a stroll through the gardens.

And were even allowed to dip into the closed parts of the church.

I can’t tell you how utterly magical it felt to wander abandoned halls in a billowing gown, with the sound of my heels echoing around us, mingling with the chiming of the bells.

On the west wall of Santa Croce’s Refectory you’ll find Taddeo Gaddi’s famed Tree of Life, above The Last Supper.

Aside from its obvious beauty, this fresco is especially important because it shows a female patron, alone, with no male “guardian”.

In the mid-fourteenth century this would have been unheard of and really quite shocking. Women did not enjoy this sort of freedom and as trouble-making “daughters of Eve” wouldn’t usually have been bestowed the honour of depicted in this way.

There is no written evidence of who this woman is, though many have guessed Vaggia Manfredi, wife of nobleman Filippo Manfredi, as the Manfredi coat of arms is repeated a number of times within the fresco.

If you look closely you will find her kneeling.

This is really what you could consider fourteenth century Girl Power!

We also came across the original model of the church, and many of the first windows (which have been moved inside to keep them safe).

The Trinity between Saint Benedict, Francis, Bartolome and John the Baptist, by Neri di Bicci.

I could happily have spent the rest of the day in the darkness, drinking in the history and gilded artworks… but there was work to be done!

We were bustled out to take a few more snaps of the dress in all its glory.

Once we’d gotten everything the photographer wanted, we raced back to the shop to put together another look.

This one I just couldn’t resist!

I chose the bar at Gilli as our location.

It’s one of Florence’s oldest institutions, and they serve the finest coffee in town.

As with most Italian coffee shops, you must drink it at the bar!

Not only will you pay a quarter of a price that’ll you pay on the terrace, but it’s just part of the charm. And you’ll have a chance to befriend fellow patrons and chat away to the waiters in penguin suits.

Rochas Dress // Paula Cademartori Bag

Anton Heunis Earrings // Nude Shoes

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And that was that!

We nipped back into the shop, I begrudgingly handed back my rose-covered dress and headed out to enjoy the drizzly afternoon.

Footloose and fancy free in Florence!

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I could really get used to being a fashion blogger!

And living in Florence, of course…