The White Show - All work and all play
Finally, the day was here. It was time for The White Show – the event, the holy grail of markets and the whole purpose of my trip to Italy. I had a million butterflies in my stomach and the adrenaline that was rushing through my veins kept me sleepless throughout the night. As always, I had to look flawless. However, after owning a blow-dry bar and being the glam girl that I am, doing my own hair and makeup for a special occasion is not something that I am quite used to. After a couple of hours and some hairspray, I managed to figure it out all on my own. Big hair and great brows. I was ready to roll.
It was day 3 of the Italian Fashion Market. Now, initially, I thought Micam and Mipel were the Disneyland of the fashion industry. Boy, was I wrong! The White Show was Disneyland on steroids. Imagine an entire street devoted to very elaborate and over the top showrooms. Hundreds, if not thousands, of different markets all in one place. An impeccable white carpet covered the cement road and stunning models and security guards greeted you at every entrance. I felt trapped in a maze. An insane and over-the-top maze that took you from one extravagant showroom to another one. Feeling overwhelmed, my blood pressure began to rise.
You know that moment when you feel the adrenaline starts rushing through your body and you get butterflies in your stomach because you have a strong sensation of happiness, euphoria, and curiosity all at once? Some may feel this when they fall in love, others may feel it on the dance floor. For me, it was walking into the White Show. People may not necessarily understand my passion and infatuation for fashion. I realize that and that is ok. However, no matter what, I hope that one day everyone experiences something that makes their heart skip a beat just like mine did at the White Show.
The very first brand that I see out of about roughly 10,000 brands was a vintage, Navajo inspired, luxury sleepwear brand. Think tribal fashion meets vintage velvet luxury. Luxury robes and sleepwear that you would possibly buy at a Taos ski resort to wear at Burning Man. Bizarre. Weird yet alluring. The pieces and the designs were so up-and-coming, again almost futuristic. They were so strange yet the coolest thing I have ever seen. It was way out of this world. I fail to find words that properly describe the experience because it just wouldn’t make sense. It was finding unique beauty in something that seemed so bizarre and eccentric. I was loving it.
Immediately, I started taking pictures and videos of absolutely everything because I wanted to document every instance of this experience. “Stop!” I was told. What I learned a few minutes later was that you are not allowed to take photos of anything. It’s highly understandable. They despise people knocking off original designs and get very ‘cray cray’ when they see you taking pictures. Unfortunately, a lot of the immaculate beauty and stunning pieces I was exposed to on this day will only remain a photographic memory in my head never to be shared with anyone. It’s quite sad but at the same time kind of amazing. It is like my very own little secret that I honestly wish I could share with you. ( Top secret: I may have secret video footage of everything.)
Italians are heavy advocates and true believers of ‘unisex’ pieces. I found this interesting and quite cool, to be honest. It’s a thing. Every single piece of clothing was unisex. What was even more interesting was that the unisex pieces were so gender-neutral. I can honestly say that it was not ‘too feminine’ or ‘too masculine’ either. It was perfectly balanced on a 50/50 scale. I loved it. How fabulous to have an item for him that also works perfectly for her! Isn’t that just brilliant? At this point, I was barely at my second booth. I started to feel anxiety again. I needed to get myself together, put my feet on the ground and continue to the game plan. I had absolutely no time to waste.
Aisle after aisle. Showroom after showroom. The day was passing by. Everything I saw and touched was special and original. Nothing like you have ever seen before I can promise you that. Tribal pieces seemed like a repeated trend. Fur, crocodile boots, avant-garde graphics, and prints. Everything was insane. Mink, cashmere, leather, fine merino wool, silk, and gold. Is this real life? I kept asking vendors if they sold to the US, but they didn’t. At least not yet.
Honestly, I was experiencing the best products with the highest quality. A lot of what I saw were pieces that are manufactured and produced in the very same places where designer Italian Brands like Gucci and Prada are produced, using the very same quality and materials only with a different price tag. I had found my pot of gold. I don’t want to follow trends. I want to set them.
I continued to walk the streets from building to building. It was just too much and my mind can only take so much in one day. I have probably seen over 300 vendors by now. It just kept getting better and better, vendor after vendor. I needed my break. I felt exhausted. I still have 4 days left in Milan, I could always come back. As Marylin and I started to walk home you would not guess who we saw. Spotted, Gigi Hadid leaving the Fendi showroom. Yep, it was definitely her.
Once we were home, I started to go through my photos. I felt like my Duomo pictures were just not good enough. If it is not perfect, then it is not worth it. So Marylin and I made a pit stop at the Duomo once again before we headed to dinner for some spaghetti.
I was dressed head to toe in a rose-colored L’agence python slip dress with a brocade blazer in the same print. I was 100% glam because If I was going to retake a photo at the Duomo it had to be on point. No exceptions. When we arrive, as we are getting dropped off by another handsome Uber driver, the sun begins to set and the lighting couldn’t be more perfect. In the car, I had said a little prayer asking God to help me get the perfect shot. Well, my prayers got answered as things got insane real fast. A video producer from NYC immediately approached me and asked if I was a blogger. He wanted to take a video of me. At first, I thought it was a scam. A video producer from NYC wanted to do a fancy video of my walking through the streets of Milan striking poses. Can you believe this? I said YOLO. This doesn’t happen every day. So I went for it. If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw the videos. Pretty cool, right? Everyone that saw me strutting through the streets probably thought I was someone famous as I had lighting and videographers following me around the streets. It felt pretty cool. As an ordinary girl who lives and breathes for fashion, this moment was surreal. On top of that, I managed to get the perfect magical shot. I felt special. I felt empowered.
As the day came to an end and we headed to dinner to have some delicious spaghetti, I started to contemplate what an amazing day it had been. I had heard from one of my clients that Como,Italy was only a train ride away (yes, you Norma Barrio). We decided to take the next day off. I needed to recharge and loved the idea of spending the day in Como, Italy. However, I would first need to buy a silk scarf. You can’t go to Como without a scarf.
