As I sit here and write the final ending to my magical adventure of my recent trip to Milan, I can’t help but get extremely emotional. That trip was a turning point in my life. It was a beautiful, magical, and exciting experience. As a Sagittarius, I have a strong passion and flair for adventures and new experiences, thus I find myself deeply saddened by the thought and uncertainty we are currently living due to the recent Coronavirus outbreak. I don’t know when this quarantine will end, or when I will be able to return to Italy. I am extremely grateful that I was able to make my dream come true just right before the world turned upside down because it gives me a bit of peace to know that I had lived the happiest moments and now I have unforgettable memories that I hold dear to my heart. I also would like to clarify at this time that a lot of people thought I was moving overseas when the first blog was published. Although, it sounds like a nice dream, moving to Italy is not in the books for me. The tales and stories that I have been sharing with you along the past few weeks are bits and pieces of my unforgettable adventure before the quarantine. This is the last of the seven-part series of my trip to Italy for Fashion Week. I have deeply enjoyed taking you along what I regard as the highlight and blessing of my year. Going forward, I will continue to share my stories and adventures, just focused on my present. The here and the now. So, here it goes, the finale to a seven-part series of my trip to Milan. …We finished our aperitivos and took a stroll down Via Gesu. I saw the most stunning palm print two-piece outfit on the window display at a Versace store. Just days before I had posted a photo on social media because it caused such an impression on me that I had to go back. Here is a fun fact, did you know that the Medusa Gianni Versace chose for the brand has a lot of meaning behind it? He basically chose the medusa because even though she may not be beautiful, she still manages to mesmerize you and makes an impression you can’t ignore. Thus, you end up falling in love. The representation is so true that this outfit had such an effect on me. It was so unique, radical, and eccentric. Of course, I had to come to experience it firsthand.
We walked into the store and of course, celebrities and bloggers were all over the place, all of whom I didn’t know. Marilyn, on the other hand, took a selfie with them and was infatuated with the moment. I told Yihan, the saleswoman, that I needed to try the outfit on. A very “pretty woman” moment I would say. I had no clue how much it was but I thought – YOLO.
I followed Yihan to a private room and she gave me the ultimate customer experience. It is very rare that I am on the customer side of the situation as it is usually the other way around. So, this was a treat. She served me champagne in $600 champagne glasses that you can actually find at Tesori, my mom’s store. Yihan wore white gloves to show me all the pieces. She inspired me to step up my game that very same day. She brought me the outfit styled with shoes and jewelry along with more and more and more clothes. Trying on different garments, drinking bubbly, and staring at myself in the mirror, I was having the time of my life. It was retail therapy at its finest. I was enjoying myself and having so much fun. I felt the way my clients feel when they visit GAL, so I now understand what it is like to be in the client’s shoes. Yihan didn’t know anything about me which made it all much more fun and adventurous. It was almost like I was shopping with my BFF who was a bad influence on my wallet. The manager, Giuseppe, came down to meet me and of course, he was gorgeous. He sat down and we had a pleasant conversation as we spoke and started to get to know one another. By the end of the night, I ended up taking almost everything I had tried on! I bought it because of the memories behind the moment. All those pieces felt very special to me and I will keep them forever. One thing that particularly stands out from that day that was that I asked Guiseppe about Americans having fashion careers in Italy. I was curious to find out what are the top money-making jobs in Italy in the fashion industry. His response was completely mind-blowing.
He said that if it is money that you are after, then you won’t find it in fashion. “…Fashion is our culture, our way of life – La Milanese. We don’t do things for money here. We believe in happiness and fashion only happens to be a part of our culture…” It suddenly hit me. The siestas, the aperitivos, opening the shops at 10:00 am, the family culture. That was all their way of life. Not competing or stepping on heads to rise to the top. Working like slaves to have millions of dollars but horrible domestic problems or personal issues. It was completely the opposite of my experience in America. I realized that everyone in Italy had a sense of good vibes. Everyone smiled and was so friendly and easy-going. Being exposed to this Italian lifestyle was so impactful that it changed me.
The next day was sadly the last day in the wonderful city of Milan. We went to the markets and bought beautiful things that we will be launching in the Fall, so stay put! The day was once again perfect. I decided to go to my favorite coffee shop. The one that I visited every day, followed by a short walk around the park. I will never forget that last moment. Feeling the wind brush across my face as the sun was setting and the leaves on the trees trembled. It was absolutely breathtaking. People were walking their dogs and riding their bikes going about their day on a Sunday afternoon. I started to cry. I cried because I didn’t want the trip to end. I cried of happiness as my heart was full of gratitude for the experience, but I couldn’t help but to feel sadness because it was over. It was the perfect ending to my Milanese fashion fairy tale. I sat there and took a deep breath of fresh air as I felt present at that very moment. If I close my eyes now, I can still go back and remember that perfect moment. It was pure bliss. As we arrived at the airport they announced we had made the last flight before the shutdown. I was blessed beyond measure. Milan was officially the 2nd most impacted city in Italy with the coronavirus outbreak. Millions of infections and deaths swept the country. We made it back home safely by the grace of God on the last day before the world was about to change.
