It’s not everyday you get to travel to a new city with a luxury Italian brand like Tods, but sometimes, you get to. Definitely a ‘pinch me’ kind of moment and a collaboration we are incredibly proud of.
It all started a month or so ago when we met with the team from the Tod’s Australia and started the conversation around working together. It was actually a coincidence that we would be overseas at London & Paris Fashion Week, and we weren’t actually planning on travelling to Milan at all. However, with possibly the quickest persuasion ever, we were off to Milan on a new adventure.
It was really a blessing in disguise us being in Milan, with both Bec and I pretty unwell in London (both having sinus infections and feeling fairly unwell and under-rested) as not only could we enjoy the beautiful and warm sights of Milan, we could also experience a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Tod’s performance (front row may I just add) in this beautiful city.
There is something about the European culture that really strikes a chord with Bec and I. Possibly because we are Greek, but there is something about the Italian way of life that makes us feel at home. Milan reminded us of Athens a lot, but definitely a lot more stylish. It was as if every person stepped off a movie set or catwalk because they were all so fashionable. And we’re not just talking like regular, mum-in-Australia fashionable, we’re talking like absolutely flawlessly put together kind of fashionable.
Middle-aged women walking down the street on a Thursday afternoon sporting denim palazzo pants with tailored blazers and espadrille wedges, and of course a designer handbag. It was really amazing to witness! Usually, in Australia, the ultra fashionable is reserved for people in fashion, or who know a lot about fashion; but in Milan really everyone is fashionable. I think it’s because they’re surrounded with such a great variety of luxury and high-street luxury brands they have so much to choose from. In addition to being ‘The Fashion Capital’ of the world (which definitely holds true), and a city so intrenched in the fashion culture.
When we were thinking of a place to shoot our #TodsTakesUs outfits, we were really spoilt for choice. Everywhere you look in Milan (we were staying at the Centre of the city) was breathtaking. Beautiful picturesque Milanese buildings met with stunning cobble-stone streets, so you can see our dilemma with choosing where to shoot. We were planning to shoot at Duomo di Milano, the famous Gothic Cathedral in Milan, but got distracted by this beautiful street and little church and knew we had to shoot here instead.
After our quick shoot (which I might just add, was all #self-portrait, and shot ourselves with our tripod and remote), we we’re off to the Tod’s SS18 Performance, which was perfectly titled ‘The Italian Dream’, and that it was! It was our first Luxury runway experience and it exceeded all of our expectations. Although we did NYFW last year, the level of designers at Milan Fashion Week, alongside the guests we’re just heightened. Bec and I had two of the four seats allocated to the Australian press, and were sitting alongside Harpers Bazaar Editor in Chief, Kellie Hush and Vogue Australia Editor in Chief, Edwina McCann. Soooo…yeah, kind of a big deal and made us feel extremely honoured to be a part of the experience.
OH AND DID WE MENTION THAT KENDALL JENNER WAS OPENING THE RUNWAY? Blew our minds because we had no idea, and I was like to Bec ‘Ah, is that Kendall Jenner?’ Haha, so that was an extra layer of cool and amazing to add to the whole experience.
It’s actually a bit of a shame us Aussies don’t have access yet to the Tod’s RTW collection because it’s absolutely stunning. Such cool and wearable pieces were on show and we could literally wear all of it. There was this amazing gold-foiled leather jacket that we just died over, because we’re both magpies and love anything shiny. And add to our growing list of pieces-from-Tods-we-want, is the bag with the silver ‘TODS’ hardware on the strap. Um, yes please and thanks.
xx TB (Paid Partnership with Tod’s)