Lina’s Top 3 | Shopping Abroad

A fashion designer mom delights in Euro fashion via her daughter, who studied in Italy.

By Lina Teixeira

Bianca Persechino, aka, my daughter, had the exciting opportunity to study in Italy.  She attended University in Reggio Emilia, a delightful town in northern Italy.

I must admit, I lived vicariously through her. I followed her adventures religiously through Snapchat. Her story was peppered with images of food, art, nature, and architecture.  But by far, my favorite posts were her photos of shoes, accessories, and clothing.  During her time there, she spent every weekend traveling throughout Europe. With each new town, came photos of her latest find with caption: “OMG! I have to have this” Much to both our chagrin, she simply could not get them all. She faced the challenge of adhering to a budget as well as very limited baggage space.  She finally came home with overflowing suitcases. Unpacking was truly a joyous occasion for me.  I approved of every single purchase and was thrilled to hear the story that accompanied each item.  Here are my top three.

The shoes!

First, let’s talk about ankle-strap Blush Bunny Ear stilettos: simply divine and one of the most costly purchases. She found them in a shop in Rome, Italy. They come with bunny ears adorning the back of the leg. The suede shoes come in the prettiest shade of blush.  As much as we both loved them, we felt that the color blended with her skin tone.  We then both agreed that I would enhance the ankle strap and bunny ears by painting them black. We were delighted with the results.  Fortunately, we have the same shoe size and we both love how comfortable they are.

 

These bohemian super platforms (left) came from my homeland, Portugal. These were certainly worth the large amount of baggage space that it took.  The base is made of sturdy white plastic, surprisingly stain resistant.  The brown leather is a deep brown, and surprisingly soft and supple.  They certainly make a statement.

 

Brass Swirl earrings

These brass tone earrings were another great find at an outdoor market in Porto, Portugal.  They are malleable and light and can be bent to form different shapes.  They are designed to simply thread the ear without the need for a clasp.  It provides a great contrast to dark hair and casts fun silhouettes on your skin.

Handcrafted Leather Satchel

This purchase took some wheeling and dealing, and she fell in love with it while browsing vintage shops in Istanbul. At the end of her trip and out Euros. She was drawn to the soft and two-tone brown leather with snakeskin inserts. The size and drawstring design makes it surprisingly roomy and perfect for travel. Ever resourceful, she bartered her remaining euros and added a boomerang video modeling the purse. This purse was well worth the creative haggling!