The roof is on the fire II

I haven't got much chance to get tanned as I've been in Rome almost for the whole summer now. We do have a beach here... but excuse me, after the killer-blue sea of Sardegna or Salento or even Sabaudia.. Ostia "mi fa schifo!" (is disgusting). But as I'm about to go on a vacation in a few days (finally me too!!!) I've been taking some sun on the roof instead. I was annoyed, obviously so I brought myself bunch of stuff: my diary (yes I still have one), a book, two magazines, radio (my phone) and some nailpolishes. And my camera (as you can see).

This year my wardrobe's colour palette is all about salmon.
Salmon pink, salmon orange, salmon red.. From scarves to dresses, from accessories to nailpolishes. (don't think I wear them all together although).

All the necessary to protect myself (the dress, the lipbalm, the sunglasses) and some other stuff to have fun: a book about Waris Dirie's (famous model in the nineties) return to Somalia. Some of the stories about the situation in her homeland (today, right now and not twenty years ago) are really terriffying, if not unbelievable. She fights against the female genital mutilation (FGM), you can get more information about it on her site: www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/

With this post I want say hi to my friend Kadri-Ann who this year, unfortunately, didn't make it to Rome but who I miss like hell!! We used to chill on the rooftoop together. During the day to tan, during the night to watch the stars and chitchat. I think this is the first summer we didn't see each other since we're friends (7 years!!!). But soon we'll make it up, I'm sure.

In the meanwhile ciao to ya all,
stay tooned,
M.

PS! I'm still working on the post about Café Naïveté.

Huntin' some treasure in Rome!

Friday was probably one of the most exciting days of this summer. It all began a few days ago when I was contacted by one my mother's client who needed help in organizing a surprise for her husband. She invited me for an apéritif at Hotel Eden, a five-star hotel just next to Villa Borghese and five minutes from Via Veneto and Piazza di Spagna. The restaurant and the bar is on the roof, with a breath-taking view on Rome.

Now this is a Royal entrance!

This is only a 1/6 of the whole view!!!

This is how the aperitif looks like. Delicious! For some more click on Le Meridien Hotels's flickr photostreaming here. So, back to the business. Here's what it was all about. Every year she has prepared something special for his birthday and this year wasn't an exception. She had a clever yet a risky idea to make a treasure-hunt in Rome. Everything was already planned , the only problem (due to the language) was to convince the people to play along to the game. That's where I came in. Additionally she asked me to be one of the treasures! So this is how I found myself at four o'clock in the afternoon at the Bar Brasile in piazza Venezia, swiping some champagne and waiting for the birthday-boy to show up with his friends.

L'Altare della Patria - a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy, on piazza Venezia. This was the view from the bar (below) where I had to wait. Not bad, huh?



This picture is taken from Google maps, thank God for Google!



Right after it I ran in Fontana di Trevi to leave a map in one of the oldest pharmacies in Rome called "Antica Farmacia Pesci"(click to see a picture of the interior). (This is the only public pharmacy which has conserved its original characteristics since Ancient Rome. The interiors are basically the same since 1552, the year in which it was established. The walls are probably covered by serpentinite, a type of green marble, and furniture in mahogany, I guess).



Anyways the phramacists were so excited to participate and couldn't wait to hear the four russian men pronounce a non-sense phrase - "I cavalli non sono animali pericolosi" (horses are unharmful animals) their joke of the year! Soon after my boyfriend walked me to my final spot - on Via Delle Quattro Fontane - to keep an eye on the "clue", which was sticked on the pale and to take care the boys head on in the right direction. I hid myself in the bar and Luca took care of everything. Their next stop was at Babington's Tea Room, just next to the Spanish Steps.



My final assignment was to make sure the chauffeur picked up the guys on time for a ride on a vintage car just before the dinner.




It' was fun, especially because I got to share it with my boyfriend. Soon it will be his birthday, I was thinking of doing something similar to him too (he won't read it because it's in english, no worries!). What has been the best surprise someone has ever organized for you on your birthday or for some other special occasion?!

An early morning wake-up with Gillian Zinser

It is time for another post from the series "An early morning wake-up with.. " (check out the one with Rachel Zoe here and with Coco Rocha here!). This time take a sneak-peek into the home of the actress Gillian Zinser. She hasn't done any big parts (yet, let's hope. I love her!) but she sure is a big inspiration for many bloggers at the moment. Differently from other posts this one does not give a big glimpse to the home itself. It rather concentrates on some inspiring home-decor pieces and Gillian wardrobe's key-pieces.

Treasure Hunting

“This is my grandfather’s hat from WWII. The chair I found at that groovy flea market on Farifax and Melrose. I found the corset at a vintage shop in Paris and have been meaning to use it for some sort of homage-to-early-Madonna shoot. I found that amazing onyx black tooth pendant up in Big Sur, and the framed photo was something I found while gutting a house in the lower ninth ward in New Orleans while volunteering with the St. Bernard project after Katrina hit.”

Mad Hatter

“I am mad about hats. I collect them as souvenirs from my globe trotting.”

State of the Art

Top: “The hat on the right I found in a gutter in Haiti. The pieces of art were from a series called 'The Loudness of Silence' that I did in college.”

Bottom: “This photo is from an old self portrait series I did when I was living in Brooklyn.”

Dreamweaver

Top: “I’m in love with dream catchers. I collect them from every trip I take.”

Bottom: Vintage shawl, Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony sunglasses

Easy Rider

“I found these boots at a vintage store in Prenzlaurberg in Berlin.”

Hurley shirt

Coming Up Roses

“I found this dress at the Rose Bowl. The turquoise bracelet was a gift from my first boyfriend.”

Rough-and-Tumble

“I made this voodoo bust a few years back, and my friend Malcolm Ford just gave me that Mike Tyson etching which I’m just mad for!”

Magic Touch

“This is some childhood memorabilia, my crystal magic wand, and my favorite camera to shoot with.”

Rock Steady

“The crochet top is vintage. The teeth are from my favorite store in New York, Obscura Antiques. And I’m just mad for amethysts.”

On Board

“These are two of my favorite Falsa Balsa longboards.”

Hang Up

“This is my ‘bling corner’ where I hang my jewelry from antlers. My dad took that photo of my mom when she was my age.”

Take the Bull by the Horn

“This is a bull’s skull sprayed with adhesive and covered in sand, dripping with a few of my favorite charms.”

Desert Finds

“Here's my old Polaroid collection. And both of these pieces are from my beloved adventures up in Joshua Tree. I bought those leather fringe pants right off an old cowboy outside of Pappy and Harriet’s, and the hat is from the Past Times Antiques shop.”

Paint it Black

“This painting is by one of my favorite artists, Travis Lindquist, from the Goldmine Shithouse Art Collective. The hat and old lace vest are vintage and the bag is Olivia Harris by Joy Gryson.”

Eye Candy

“The artwork is by Kill Pixie (Mark Whalen). These glasses are insane – I used them as a prop for my self-portrait project. The photo booth strip is taken in Berlin.”

Loose Ends

“The artwork in this shot was made and given to me by Kime Buzzelli, who's also the costume designer for 90210. The tattered coral top is from the Greenpoint flea market in Brooklyn. The sequin bib necklace is from a vintage store in Paris right behind the Pompidou.”

"The Divine Heiress" - best collection by Ralph Lauren Home

"A timeworn Old World residence with a sense of history inspires a beautiful translation of bohemian romance.Artfully arranged rooms are filled with eclectic, gently disheveled furnishings and luxe juxtapositions of rustic and refined."

This home furnishing collection came out in Autumn 2010. You know I'm a big Ralph Lauren brand lover (check out the previous two collections I loved here: the cosy holiday-moody chalet collection and the classy Côte d'Azur- inspired collection.)