Melanie Payge is taking Tina Kadelaki shopping in Milan, the fashion capital of the world. Tina is going to get a little make over with a few items that Melanie has chosen for her, look closely at how she is dressed here and how she looks at the end of the article. They are in Via Bagutta as Melanie explains the wonder and exclusivity of Rene Caovilla shoes. Tina also discovers L'Orecchino d'Aurora in Via
Bagutta 24 (zero zero 3902783947) where Tina procedes to buy 3 pair of earings because of the exlusive style and hand picked gems and stones. Next we are at Marni in Via della Spiga 50, 20121 Milano (zero zero 390276317327) The accessaries are at the front and the shop is hidden in the back. Here we really start to change Tina's look and show off her beautiful neck and waistline.The sunglasses are perfect on her face, their butterfly shape brings out her prominant check bones and very distinct chin. Still in Via della Spiga we go by Dolce & Gabbana where we find the perfect red top which is the exact style for Tina's body ( see next page picture) giving her broader shoulders and a lower decolte' to show off a long thin neckline.
As you can see from Tina's coloring, fire-engine red, soft sky-blue and basic black are th best to make her radient. A slim pant has unified her leg and with a tight fit only at the bottom has pinpointed her fabulously thin and very sexy ankles. In order to bring out her slender feet, I have got away for the classical heavy pump and chose a Roger Vivier sandle with ankle straps.
Tina has quite a few new casual looks to take back to Moscow with her. From something a bit more business, to an afternoon shopping, to cocktails before dinner. !!!! Many thank to the Four Season Hotel Milan (here featured), Tina Kandelaki and Deputy Editor-in Chief, OK! Magazine Russia, Nika Drabkina, for entrusting this article to me.
Page 1.
HEADLINES. Top Left corner – OK:Shopping Lessons.
Bottom Left Corner – Shopping is in full swing
(Tina Kandelaki and Melanie Payge on Via
Bagutta) TINA KANDELAKI
“The only thing I regret about: that a Chanel dress was designed not by me”.
The major thing about a modern woman is primarily style. And for a star, the appropriately-fit image is a constituent of her success. For quite a long time, foreign celebrities have been using professional stylist services not only to choose the outfits for the Red Carpet but for everyday life as well. One of the first to follow this rule in Russia was a TV broadcaster, Tina Kandelaki. Together with her and a famous stylist Melanie Payge, we set off for shopping in Milan.
Page 2.
Text on the picture: “Black color is ideal for Tina, - says Melanie, - while short-cut jackets excellently accentuate her figure”.
In the capital city of fashion, Tina stayed in the strategically surest place – famous Four Seasons Hotel Milan – located in Via Gesu, within literally a minute walk from the major Milan shopping streets. And among the major ones in Milan would definitely be Via Montenapoleone, Via Della Spiga, Via Sant Andrea with cultic boutiques of the world located there. As for instance, a unique Prada Concept Store where items of these brands are created personally custom-made, one-in-a-kind. There are four (!) Armani boutiques there, including a huge three-storey store where they sell even flowers and chocolate from Armani… Just as many of prestigious hotels do, Four Seasons Hotel Milan renders a unique service to their customers – a shopping tour with a professional stylist. In touring Italian stores Tina was accompanied by Melanie Payge, a former fashion editor of Italian GQ, who had been working for Cartier for quite a while. World celebrities – Diana Krall and Rupert Everett – . “Before meeting you, I purposely made inquiries on Internet about Tina and got to know that she has achieved everything in her life by herself. Tina is a strong woman. And definitely a beautiful one”, Melanie said. The stylist came up with a suggestion for Tina to compose several spring images. “But let’s choose something casual, - requested the TV broadcaster, - I have enough of festive dresses”. By the way, in Russia Tina represents a Diane von Furstenberg brand, therefore style issues constitute her everyday routine. Kandelaki started the shopping process with her natural energy and tempo: we spent not more than half an hour in each boutique. Melanie was amazed by the flash-light speed with which Tina was trying on the items. In one of boutiques a veiled bonnet caught Tina’s attention: “Ksyusha Sobchak (another well-known TV broadcaster, a close friend of Tina – my comment. O.A.) has an ear-covering bonnet, while I need a veiled one. In old age it will be something to entertain my grandkids with!” But… it turned out that this designer’s accessory had been already ordered by a long-term customer of this boutique. We were notified about it in a pure Russian language by a smiley sales-girl (from Ukraine) looking as two peas as Cameron Dias. “Well, it’s a pity, but please give me a call just in case… I will recommend your place to Kirkorov himself (a famous pop-singer in Russia – my comment. O.A.) as well,” – Tina said in a confidential manner. What a surprise it was for Melanie when an hour later Tina got a call asking her to come to the boutique to pick up the bonnet! We cannot but wonder how the boutique staff managed to come to terms with their long-term customer… Our next waypoint was an up-scale brand shoe store. “Here in Milan this designer is worth his weight in gold. Celebrities from all over the world come here to get a truly unique, hand-made pair of shoes”, - Melanie was telling us, - as for me, I would have never bought the Jimmy Choo shoes. Page 3.
Text on the picture: “I love pretty things, but even for a precious dress I am not going to follow a starvation diet and to deprive myself” - says Tina during an exquisite dinner in Four Seasons Hotel Milan.
Text on the picture: Once Kandelaki made a decision never to depend on men during shopping. “Even if I make a call during the shopping time, then it is only job-related”.
Text on the picture: Melanie’s selection for Tina: a red top to emphasize her strong personality, ultrafashionable harem pants and toeless shoes worthy of a Red Carpet.
Cont. from previous page: …They started to produce footwear for H&M and that is a verdict, in my opinion. If yours is a luxury brand – it should stay that way”. On the way back to the hotel on one of the side streets Tina caught sight of a small earring jewelry store. She tried on a dozen and ended up with choosing three earring pairs: emerald one (“Just for The Public Chamber,” – joked a TV diva), an amethyst one and a pearl. The boutique owner, an aged Italian lady with a well-cared-for appearance, was watching the loud customer with a smile. Her son, a man of 40-yish, in old fashion waist-lined pants, with a hairstyle back to the 70-ies, a kind of a classic “dork”, was watching the beautiful shopper mesmerized. “Are you married?” -Tina intercepted his look. “No,”- came a confused answer. “What about a 40% discount if I marry you? Then I will get to possess it all,”- in a matter-of-fact tone inquired Kandelaki, thus bringing the man into a deeper confusion. “30% - and he stays with me,”- retorted the Italian lady. As a compensation for the failed deal, Tina was given a present of gilded bear-shaped earrings. “Oh, what a joy it is going to be for my Melania,”- Kandelaki phoned her daughter at once. At that, the shopping was over.
Tina went to the hotel to sort out the purchases, while Melanie and I talked about the shopping rules and an appropriate style.
- Melanie, is a stylist your major occupation?
- I consider myself more than a stylist. I am an image consultant. Advising people on how to create your own style. There can be a high fashion, an Italian style, a street fashion, etc., to each – their own. As for me, I am familiar with the style features and can help a client to figure out the individual one.
- Are there brands which you would always recommend? An emblematic one?
- To my mind, every woman should have a Hermes scarf for a convertable ride, a Chanel purse and a Cartierwatch. All the rest depends on a person, things should match the person! For instance, there are people for whom a scarf is a mismatch, then why should I recommend them to buy a Hermes one?
- During our shopping tour you mentioned that you would not buy the Jimmy Choo shoes… In Russia they are still a luxury symbol.
- That’s the point. Luxury means “not for everyone”! Not everyone can buy a Ferrarior afford a Dom Perignon champagne. If everyone can buy the Jimmy Choo shoes made for H&M, then they are no longer a luxury brand. It will turn into a brand for everyone. The point is that I am not against the mass-designed models; you see, each designer sticks to a certain level and it should be upheld.
- Melanie, you are an American living in Italy for already 17 years. Is fashion, above all, Italy for you?
- In my opinion, what distinguishes an Italian fashion from a French or American one, as market leaders, is the fact that Italian designers continue to invent, to create. They establish the fashion rather than follow it! Dolce & Gabbana keep working on new models daily, Prada continues to develop the apparel, in Armani they create radically new collections. This enables you to wear something new and delightful every year. While the French fashion trends, such as Dior, Chanel – they just pattern after or recreate past concepts. The designer’s ideas are living while he is alive and they stay topical for ten years after he is gone. As for further on – it gets to be a “non-living” fashion. Purchasing a Kelly purse from Hermes, you are acquiring an item made in the midst of the previous century. Purchasing an item by Italian designers, you choose an advanced fashion.
- Milan is known to be a capital city of fashion. Could you please tell us what boutiques cannot be ignored here?
- Today we have visited Armani. It’s a huge store where you can find everything – from apparel to books, furniture and chocolate! This is a fantastic idea, which testifies to the designer’s magnitude. A characteristic feature of Milan is the availability of different stores representing one and the same brand. Let us say, in one of Dolce & Gabbana boutiques you can find only women’s apparel, men’s – in the other one, while in the third you will find only handbags and accessories. Prada has also split up: in Milan they have four stores, including a unique Prada Concept Store, where you can buy made-to-order jeans or shoes for you. It is the first of a kind store in the world and it exists only in Milan! I am fond of Gilli handbags, they are genuinely Milanese. Etro is a very Italian brand, it impregnates the world with colors. The same way as Missoni. How is it possible to come to Milan and not to buy something from Missoni?
- Are there any other things that should be bought particularly in Milan?
- Obviously, a Prada handbag. As for the rest, it depends on a person’s taste. Someone is particular about the brand awareness, others are after the quality – in Italy all designers work only with local factories! There are brands that immediately strike the eye: Gucci, Dolce & Cabana, Chanel, Prada. But if you are wearing a Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Etro – then not anyone would be able to notice it at once.
- From a stylist’s point of view, what should a modern girl have in her wardrobe besides a little black dress? What are the five must-haves?
- For a cold season it’s utterly important to have a black sweater with a tight collar – it should look pretty by itself and match other clothes as well, so that you could wear it under your dress or with a cardigan. Underwearisofnolessattention. You should have at least one black bra, which fits you ideally and is invisible under your clothes.
Page 4 Cont. from previous page:
- Keep in mind: the most terrible thing is when the underwear unfavorably accentuates the shapes of your body! As far as the footwear goes, for every day I would recommend buying mere black flats (generally speaking, I don’t see any necessity to wear heels at the daytime) and high-heeled pumps for the evening events. An essential detail is a universal watch which would match any of your clothes and would harmonize with other jewelry items.
- What about trends for spring-summer season?
- A key thing is: hipster jeans are going out of fashion! Even if you see a low-waist model in new designer collections, do not buy them – it’s a waste of money. The waist-line keeps rising higher and thus I would suggest buying a variety of belts this spring. Fashion is known to be estimated in decades: we had the 60-ies, the 70-ies, the 80-ies, the 90-ies… We have just started the 2010-s! We need a couple of years to realize what is going to be topical in this period. The designers are just making their first steps trying to envisage the fashion for the coming decade. So, if you are not yet at the point of totally renewing your outfit, then there are a few simple rules to observe. No low-waist style, say good-bye to a purple color – it is getting out of fashion. Dark green is going to be popular. The blue color is going to be a hit – it can already be seen in Armani and Dolce & Gabbana collections. But mainly due to the economic recession the designers try to evade bright colors, so that to make clothing more universal.
- Can a person on arrival to Milan correctly choose his stylist? Are there certain nuances?
- I would suggest paying attention to the following fact: is a stylist after your interests or after the brands? If a stylist is trying to convince you to look for outfit only in some particular stores, it means he gets a certain percentage from the store and he would not be primarily concerned about your interests and about getting the clothes to match you. On the contrary, I am making arrangements with the stores to provide discounts for my clients.
- What was your most expensive shopping experience?
- 50 thousand euros for a wedding dress or a half-million dollars purchase for an entirely new wardrobe.
- And what was the least expensive?
- Once we had a group of radio competition finalists from South Africa who came to Milan for shopping. These were 60 very different people. Each one was given 3 thousand euros for purchases and I was to help them. It was interesting for me to watch how different people are: one was dreaming of the Cartier watch for all his life and he was buying it with his personal money added. Others wanted to buy as many things as possible of a cheaper value to keep within the 3 thousand.
✔ I do not spend more than 2 hours for shopping – to my mind, things are not worth of spending too much time for them. And I would not get on the waiting list for an item I liked.
✔ I have always admired this magic of fashion: how did people get to create the history of things which we, the women, are dreaming now to possess and are ready to fly anywhere to get it?! It’s a pity I would not invent a Chanel black dress already… But I will definitely get it.
✔ Ordinarily I do not spend more than 2 thousand euros for shopping at a time.
✔ Once I bought an Oscar de la Renta dress costing 5, 000 dollars. I was planning to show up in it when receiving the TEFI Statuette Award… Each woman should perform a deed like that. By herself. Otherwise, searching for a man that would bestow such a grant on you, would take too long – it might take years.
Tina’s shopping in Milan resulted in: 10 boutiques, two ideal looks and one pair of proper shoes. And the belief that “Ukranian sales girls rule the world!”
Melanie Payge is taking Tina Kadelaki shopping in Milan, the fashion capital of the world. Tina is going to get a little make over with a few items that Melanie has chosen for her, look closely at how she is dressed here and how she looks at the end of the article. They are in Via Bagutta as Melanie explains the wonder and exclusivity of Rene Caovilla shoes. Tina also discovers L'Orecchino d'Aurora in Via
Bagutta 24 (zero zero 3902783947) where Tina procedes to buy 3 pair of earings because of the exlusive style and hand picked gems and stones. Next we are at Marni in Via della Spiga 50, 20121 Milano (zero zero 390276317327) The accessaries are at the front and the shop is hidden in the back. Here we really start to change Tina's look and show off her beautiful neck and waistline.The sunglasses are perfect on her face, their butterfly shape brings out her prominant check bones and very distinct chin. Still in Via della Spiga we go by Dolce & Gabbana where we find the perfect red top which is the exact style for Tina's body ( see next page picture) giving her broader shoulders and a lower decolte' to show off a long thin neckline.
As you can see from Tina's coloring, fire-engine red, soft sky-blue and basic black are th best to make her radient. A slim pant has unified her leg and with a tight fit only at the bottom has pinpointed her fabulously thin and very sexy ankles. In order to bring out her slender feet, I have got away for the classical heavy pump and chose a Roger Vivier sandle with ankle straps.
Tina has quite a few new casual looks to take back to Moscow with her. From something a bit more business, to an afternoon shopping, to cocktails before dinner. !!!! Many thank to the Four Season Hotel Milan (here featured), Tina Kandelaki and Deputy Editor-in Chief, OK! Magazine Russia, Nika Drabkina, for entrusting this article to me.
