We are in LA today and its wonderful!

We have been invited to visit LA today – virtually that is – by  Lipstick and Leopard Print who has graciously offered to host us on her blog about food, fun and fashion.

Please click His and Hers in leather and lace and come follow us, the temps are warm (around 18-20°C) and we expect lots of sunshine and clear skies.  Its the perfect environment for talking fashion and sipping a cocktail!

Leather and Lace by Campomaggi and Caterina Lucchi

Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to seeing you in LA!

And the green grass grows all around

Just a little bit of water and sun to make the green grass grow all around as well as the flowers and all of my aromatic plants. Springtime in the countryside is synonymous with color and perfumes. What really got me thinking of sun and water is that last weekend I watered my chives (or the brown stubs of what was left of my chives) and this afternoon I noticed new green shoots coming up…look out baked potatoes!!  What I always found fun living in Italy, is that each season brings with it’s own personal menu.  In Tuscany you begin to see agreti, fresh basil,  fave and baby red onions in the market at this time and they all have their own specialties tied to them.

Fave Broad Beans with pecorino cheese in Tuscany

I love all of these, each comes with a particular tradition and favorite recipes.  Fave beans are traditionally eaten with the fresh percorino cheese which is also just coming into season, in fact many times this is on the Easter menu.  Fresh basil  . . . well even though tomatoes aren’t in season . . . everyone will tempt fate and try a few of the green house tomatoes with some fresh basil and mozzarella cheese.  One of my particular favorites are baby onions – nice and sweet.  I like to put them on the table with fresh veggies (carrots, artichokes, red bell peppers and fresh baby onions) along with a nice dish of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  The perfect happy hour nibbler this and a glass of bubbly prosecco, and I am in heaven.

And just to keep in the theme with green – here is our St. Patrick’s Day favorite picks:

Designer Ladies Handbag in leather from Caterina Lucchi

Ladies Leather Jacket in Wrinkled Green Lambskin

Toscanella Green Leather Document Holder and Laptop or iPad Bag

And just to keep in the theme with green – here is our St. Patrick’s Day favorite picks:

But wait, that’s not all from Campomaggi !

Campomaggi washed leather bags, which lean to a masculine or a unisex market, are being tamed with a feminine touch.  The Caterina Lucchi line from Campomaggi offers the same influence of large shapes, washed and/or distressed leather, comfortable forms and slightly bulky appearances but with the gentile touch of soft, supple colors often mirroring the delicious colors found in nature.  The Collection Spring 2012 plays with pastel shades as well as vibrant greens and yellows.

Philosophy : Dedicated to a woman with a strong personality that stands out from the crowd and is the protagonist of her life.

The collection plays with romantic notes and a gypsy-chic inspiration with an eye on the current trends and translate them into spacious and functional everyday bags.

Laser cut leather lace designs for summery touch

Experimentation of new concepts such as shoulder straps made of leather ring and the laser cuts giving a fresh summery feeling.  The front pocket has a leather lace cover that opposes the idea of a heavy bulky leather.

Whitened Vivid Colors in washed leather

They are bags with a distinctive character: rectangular shapes, patchworks and strong colors reminding of the 80´s are the marks of this collection, while whitened vivid colors are often interspersed with softer colors.

Leather ring shoulder straps for a lighter bag

New looks are looking good for 2012

The Zoe report tells us that not only metallics are hot but also pastel shades.  Caught a post from Runwaycrazy that shows the D & G highlights, and we must say that we love the way that not only are they using wicker like bags but their colors are all on shades of pastels  and intricate lace like patterns – just like what we have seen in Cosci and Caterina Lucchi.

D&G Pastel shades in handbags

Chanel inspired Pastels from Cosci Designer Handbags

Reminiscent of Bottega Veneta in Shiny Oro

Dazzling Gold from D&G 2012 Collection

Soft Pastels in Italian Designer Leather

D&G Lace and Straw in a lovely Malt Color

Caterina Lucchi 2012 Spring Collection

Mid week kickoff! What do you grab first ?

When you got those big events going in the middle of the week, like running off to catch the mid-week Fiorentina vs. Parma soccer match, it helps to have a bag that can make the “at-work” switch to “having fun”.  We selected two bags that do just that.

Caterina Lucchi and its distinctive style is ultra feminine in a great flashy color (viola is always a winner with us!) plus it has that extra room inside to organize your cell, the agenda and your make-up.

Or you could go with FORTUNATA bag which is very size versatile (shown in white fish leather with contrasting dark brown leather accents, not yet in stores! )  What appeals to us is how it opens up to include your iPad, lunch and a good book for the train ride into the office and then folds over when going out so that it becomes a fashion statement (even if it is supporting the colors of the opposing team…)

Designer Bag Showdown: Caterina Lucci vs. FORTUNATA

Which would you prefer on a week day when you know you don’t have time to go home and change your outfit?