In today's world, style is not just about how we dress. It's become a way of life and how we live, where we live, which restaurants we eat at, which festivals we go to, which clubs we are members at, where we go on holiday, which hotels we stay at on our trips, and how we photograph, capture, and share those moments with the world. It's all become quite an interesting way of life to me. What do you share with others and what do you keep private for yourself? Are you missing out on key milestones in your friends lives if you aren't on Facebook and Instagram? How many friends are too many friends? Where do you draw the line?
One of the reasons I started my blog was because I generally have a strong affinity for style and some part of me enjoys sharing that affinity with others. Over the years, I've amassed a global collection of (what I refer to as) style, that transcends the years. It's a vast collection of items that have been carefully curated and designed to fit into the Coco Zaza lifestyle. Several of these things have been picked up while abroad on my travels, but many are also things that I have acquired locally through treasure hunting or something I've designed and created myself.
This particular day at Lake Como was very, very hot. I carried myself around the crowded streets of Bellagio in a silk pantsuit that resembled pyjamas and an Italian straw hat by the one and only Borsalino. I picked up this pantsuit at a local Salvation Army in Raleigh for $7.99 when I was visiting my parents back in April and it's quite possibly the most comfortable thing I own. I added in some intricate vintage jewelry that was from my Korean lineage, my new Prada sandals that I picked up at the outlets in Firenze, and a Valentino wallet-on-a-chain for some texture. Over the years, I've also conjured a series of brain-scrambling spectacles that are all unique in design and fitting for my personality- these fabulous over-sized squares in particular are vintage from the 70s. In my bag was also a printed sarong that I designed during my time in the Orient just in case I needed to wrap my hair in a scarf when we were boating around from village to village. Together, this created an Italian holiday travel outfit that was easy to run around in and breezy enough to keep me cool on my journey around town.
Bellagio is a great little village that is known for being the "Pearl of the Lake". It's characterized by old buildings that all have their original exteriors, cobblestone stairways, colorful flowers that hang from the windowsills in the narrow walkways, and a collection of craftsman that are local to the region that sell everything from leather goods to Italian pottery. As mentioned in my last post, it's very touristy and a place that many families adhere to purely for its central location and entertainment options for children. I carry fond memories here of running around the streets with my brother seeing how much limon gelato with mini-strawberries we could eat before we got sick. Ultimately, we stopped at two places for gelato, then picked up some bread and salami, and stopped at another two places before making our way back to the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni to find our parents. Anyways, Bellagio holds a special place in my heart from the memories I have from my childhood with my family, so if you've never been, stop by, but I still suggest staying in another quieter village like Tremezzo, Cernobbio, or Torno.
Coco Wears: A vintage silk pantsuit, Prada silver platform sandals, Valentino rock stud wallet-on-a-chain, vintage 70s sunglasses, Borsalino "Tesi" hat. Photography: Sarah Son. Location: Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy. City Guide: Lake Como