Following a week straight of rain and damp weather, things are looking up in Florence. Lori is en route to Milan for the trade shows, spending a few well-deserved weeks in Tuscany with friends and family. This week she met up with perennial gay crush Mauricio Celin of Nicole in Bologna for a day of lunch and shopping. Shopping, unfortunately, seems to be hard to come by this season. With Italy still feeling the effects of the global financial faceplant, there is little to no new merch from independent boutiques and designers this season, adding to the weather gloom. (Though we are happy to report Ms. Andre came across a delightful little denim blazer number for her current obsession: the all-denim look.) While we personally are dubious about the return of the proletariat, we have been proven wrong before.
Perhaps the best find pre-Milan has been the miracle of Pizza Man. Lori declared it to be the best pizza shes ever eaten (margherita, then a Napoli-style capers and anchovies). Followed by the best espresso she's ever drank. All this preceded by the best trip to the Uffizi ever taken, ever. (Someone's in a good mood.)
Word on the street is that the low, utilitarian hiker/combat boot scaled down to women's sizes is poised to be huge again for fall. Lori adored the one by Fruit/NOW from Fall 2009. Keep an eye out; you may be able to snag a pair.
