Italy is famous for fashion and food (and other beautiful things).

Then I wondered what these two things have in common and what can be the recipe for a perfect style.

So get a pen and paper and take a note of the ingredients:

THE QUALITY OF RAW MATERIALS

At the base of cooking there are the ingredients: freshness, quality and the origin of products are fundamental. The same rule applies to shopping and wardrobe management: choose few clothes, but with quality!

IT’S NOT A MATTER OF BUDGET

To make a good dish, it is not necessary to use oysters and caviar: indeed, often the poorest are the most tasty ingredients: bread, legumes, potatoes. Same to create a good outfit, you do not need to choose luxury brands, but on unique and impressive items.

THE SIMPLICITY

A dish too elaborate may be tasty, but also is likely to be heavy! In the end simple things always win, like fresh tomatoes, the fragrant basil or hot bread. Styling is the same: the elaborate look can impress, but in the end less is more!

AVOID WASTE

Have a full refrigerator involves so much waste: we end up throwing away so much, because we use it and in the meantime expire. And then we miss the essential and we have nothing to eat! A full closet have the same management problems: a mess and nothing to wear …

PLAY WITH COLOR

True chefs know well how important the presentation of food is! And often the color is able to satisfy the view before you even the taste. Don’t choose just black: don’t think that elegance is all there! You should rather choose colors that (really) emphasize you: it doesn’t takes much.

MIX WELL

If we exclude the experimental kitchens, the riskiest part is mixing very different ingredients together without spoiling the taste. The secret of a winning outfit is precisely the versatility of the wardrobe. Consistency is the key word in style, color and fabric.

YOU CAN GET SKILLS

Of course, talent is innate! But we can take a cue from a cookbook or follow a cooking class; just as we can train the eye with fashion magazines or even subscribe to a styling course. But you can always learn: it’s all a matter of practice!

THE SECRET INGREDIENT

If it’s true that you can learn to become good, it is also true that we must find our own specialties and secret ingredient. In a word: personality. A dish copied by a recipe, as a outfit plagiarized from someone else, will never have an original taste.

WORK OF FANTASY

In life it’s like this: rules are important, but sometimes it is also important to break the pattern. Flavors must respect a certain balance and outfits must meet certain proportions. But fantasy is the ingredient that must never fail!

PUT PASSION

Perhaps the secret ingredient for a good meal, a great look (and a happy life, I might add) is the passion.

So, are you hungry or do you want to go shopping? Or both?

It depends if you are greedy or stylish…

Rossella Migliaccio
Image Consultant 

Ph credits Taste of Runway