Growing up, I traveled to Abruzzo, Italy each summer to visit family. My grandmother’s tiny village of San Leonardo (population <1,000) may not have the Caché of a Venice or Rome, but it has hospitable and charming people; a flawless, lazy shoreline, and historical buildings that still reflect the damage caused by WWII street battles.
Abruzzo is also the region where you will find one of my favorite towns, Rocca Calascio:
I recently discovered Sofia Sizzi, a New York City designer with roots in Florence, and felt like her fall 2011 collection was made with the Rocca Calascio woman in mind. There is an historical, feminine, romantic quality to her clothing that I can’t help but feel captures the mood of the intimate, conservative Catholic mountain towns you will find in abundance in L’Aquila, Abruzzo.
What I think I love most about Giulietta is that her pre-fall 2012 and F/W 2011 collections are oceans apart. Pre-fall embraces the NYC working woman and the tailoring is perfection (and let’s talk about the gold belt), while F/W 2011 is a love letter to the Italian woman (and the dramatic sleeves — oh, the drama of a sleeve). I realize it may be silly to include a collection that is a year old now, but I couldn’t help it. Fall in love with me:
Needless to say, I am feeling nostalgic. And I want to swim across the Atlantic and give me grandma a big hug right now.
Recession Runway 