I am bored to tears with all those hyper-starched, tailored clothes which seem to be more like cardboard than cloth.  Looks which come matched  with 50s hair styles drenched in spray where each strand has been backcombed so much that the hair ends up looking completely frazzled, yet standing erect to attention.  The catwalk seems to be in a continuous loop, referencing those period styles which the television series Mad Men re-ignited in the collective imagination.  I want to nudge things in another direction, what about our inner goddess? Kirsten Dunst on the red carpet in Cannes ( promoting the film “On […]

This is the image from my bedroom window.  Behind this quaint quintessentially Italian vista, a piazza, a cluster of dusty pastel houses that lie behind a roman arch looms a forbdding umbrealla of towerblocks, whose mirrored panels suddenly make me feel that I am living on the equator, and who now block out the snow peaked alps which made my spirits rise when the Milanese smog haze abated. Last Thursday I decided to take a trip to Florence from my country house in Tuscany. The whole trip was a upheaval from start to finish. The amount of speed cameras along […]

  K  reached a milestone and wanted to celebrate it with , gossiping, flirty disco dancing, tanning, long aperitovos, and window shopping – which meant it was a girls only weekend.   K possesses a uniquely wonderful quality.  She is hyper organised without being neurotic.  We arrived to a house with fresh rolled up towels, the latest magazines fanned out on the coffee table and a fridge packed with treats. As Porto Cervo is K’s spiritual home, she felt it was time  for her friends learn a little bit about her religion. So, before we could blink we are on […]

Last Thursday I decided to take a trip to Florence from my country house in Tuscany.  The whole trip was a upheaval from start to finish.  The amount of speed cameras along highway there (the FI-PI-LI) had mushroomed – and I could not help myself from getting charged up (and therefore pushing the accelerator pedal down) from my Rihana blasts on the sound system – which all meant that the poor Gleeks (formally known as “my children”) in the backseat – were subjected to emergency stops every few minutes. Ok. I will say it once, and I will probably say […]

Yes ‘ Street Style’ may have turned into pure affectation – but it is a pleasure to take in.  Those determined to get photographed as always go for the brightest of colors rain, shine, winter or summer – while most of the men, who tend to be more sartorially limited,  play with contrasts; pattern, fabric and textures – its all in the mix! SKY BLUE GETS ELECTRIC JUST PEACHY MILLER TIME COMFORT CLOTHING GRAB & GOES NON-STAID PLAIDS SARTORIALLY PUNKED TOMBOY THE PLAYTIME MIX

If you chance on a Milanese, more likely than not you will find that they often come with a year-round mandatory tan. Serious sun ray exposure is a must (credit to weekends away: winter = ski, summers = beach bathing). So, sunglasses are serious business in Italy. Day or night, rain or shine glasses are worn on everyday people with a flamboyant confidence that we would usually expect to only find on veteran starlettes.   Miu Miu S/S 2013 Rasior Sunglasses Miu Miu S/S 2014 50s-retro Tom Ford Tom Ford S/S 2011 Olivia Palermo in Elizabeth and James Celine   […]

Money can buy you anything, but the ability to style interior environments that are both chic and yet relaxed, and informal is down to innate talent and Florence based interior designer/architect Michele Bonan is someone particularly skilled at creating these types of environments, and  is one of the few interior designers who have managed to break onto the global arena with a signature, fresh contemporary style. To date Bonan is mostly celebrated for the  work he has done with the Ferragamos (The Lungarno Collection) , the JK Place hotels in both Capri, and Florence ( and soon, Rome. too) and […]

14 Italian chefs were asked to prepare their dishes inspired by the art of pictorial painting. These compositions where then placed on a transparent “canvas” and then photographed by Alfonso Catalano. The transparent canvas upon which the ingredients where placed turned the works into translucent paintings. We talked to Alfonso about this project: Q. Can you tell me a little about you? Describe yourself in 3 words. A. Versatile, curious and ironic. Q.   How do your approach the idea of photographing food? A. I am not known as a ” food” photographer per se.  My general approach is to always use original […]

Dolce&Gabbana, ss 2013 Durability is the new luxury bench mark.  Status labels are not enough, and what screams rich louder than anything?  ”I am so expensive this doesn’t even get to be dry cleaned.” This phenomenon hit home when I visited the showroom of the current king of  ”absolute luxe” – Brunello Cucinelli where I found a pair of pale beige shoes trimmed with feathers.  These shoes and accompanying price tag that edges towards four digits are one of those items that take “luxury” to the next step to a category called “absolute luxe.” While my immediate thought is – how […]

Milan may be an industrial city, first and foremost – but tucked away you can find little spots so alluring they could even take on Those blackberries obvious romantic getaways such as Paris or Venice. Milan can be an industrial city in the first place – but you can find small hidden spots so charming that could also take the most obvious romantic getaways like Paris or Venice. The giant green marble bathtub at the Armani Hotel with its wrap-around views of Milan’s rooftops The bathtub in green giant marble at the Armani Hotel with its wrap-around view of the […]

I was raised in the  Dominican Republic surrounded by color and art, but I never thought about  fashion, until I went to study art, communication and design at “ Escuela de Arte y Diseño Altos de Chavon ” a school affiliated to Parsons the New School NY. There I was introduced to the charm of the beautiful world of fashion.Nacida en la República Dominicana y criada alrededor de mucho color y arte, nunca estuve interesada en la moda. Empecé a descubrir y a desarrollar mi interés por la moda cuando fui a estudiar arte en la “ Escuela de Arte […]

I am starting to think I need a re-brand.  Jasmology formally known as ‘Blog’ will now be known as ‘Online Magazine’.  Why you ask? Well, it’s because my former catergory is full of crazies  who are desperate to get a slice of the fashion action.  They loiter  outside the shows and will wear anything that will get them noticed, snapped and put online. There is ‘crazy’ that’s creepy – (and I am not going to expose those scary few) – and then there are others that do crazy in just the right way.   IT’S CRAZY OUT THERE!     […]

Nobody is perfect but neither are acid peels, expensive creams, unsexy compacting elastic underwear or plastic surgery. The best solution to looking good fast is working with what you have! Wonder-bras from the 1990s tied me up in tight industrial-strength thick nylon – that left me with great cleavage but unable to breathe. Those days are long behind me since I discovered Push Positive by Calvin Klein – my actual boobs are much smaller and shrivelled looking in real life, but in this number they get to look inflated, while resting very happily on a secret cushioned padding.

Leaving Colorado Springs and taking the road to Taos sends you into the hills and through lush forests, which are a complete contrast to the wide landscapes we saw driving through Wyoming. It was on this road that I finally I got to see those picture postcard log cabins I was after – plus the chance to do some one-of-a-kind road stops – such as a road side visit to museum dedicated to gas station memorabilia – a first! You are spoilt for choice in Santa Fe in the accommodation stakes – we went for the most obvious, and one […]