Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello
Still reeling from fashion month? Look to our Vogue Philippines correspondent Anna Vitiello who breaks down how her week in Milan flew by. Spoiler: it included servings of pasta, pizza, and fashion.
“Ate a lot of pasta, for sure!” Anna Vitiello beams when I ask her what she was up to in Milan during Fashion Week. The Filipino-Italian editor-turned-content creator was Vogue Philippines’ European correspondent, and she was more than happy to break down her experiences in Italy. “I’m always excited because Milan is my favorite out of the four fashion weeks and all my favorite brands are there,” she says. “Milan’s actually a very tiny city. There’s only about a million people. Fashion is everywhere. Sometimes it feels like a very chic Disneyland of fashion. The billboards are building size and it’s such a special feeling to be completely surrounded by it.”
Aside from the city’s already-stylish energy, there was even more palpable excitement for the shows. “There was a lot of buzz this season. There were so many debuts happening,” she says, describing the vibe, adding, “Obviously, we were most excited about Rhuigi [Villaseñor] for Bally.”
Vitiello goes on to talk about how special it was to witness Villaseñor’s outing at Bally, especially as a Filipino. “Bally is a house that I’ve always loved. I’ve always carried their bags, and I’ve always loved, loved them as a fashion house,” she begins. “There’s obviously been a waning over the last few years and I think it was so special to see Rhuigi bring an energy back to the house.” Villaseñor’s debut, which Vitiello covered for Vogue Philippines, included street style and Asian elements elevated to luxury-label level. “He killed it, he absolutely killed, it was such a beautiful collection and it was wearable.”
Aside from Bally, Vitiello took in the new design offerings for Spring/Summer 2023 and attended shows and viewed showrooms of GCDS (“It’s really amazing to see him come up and kill it in the way that he’s doing,” she says), Jimmy Choo (a “beautiful, beautiful collection” with “crystals everywhere”), and the “reveal of Kim” at Dolce & Gabbana (which she calls “really exciting” and “really wild”).
But her days weren’t just filled with fashion—they were also filled with food. Vitiello says she stuck to her “very Italian rituals” (read: coffee and carbs) while in Milan. “I love just going down to the coffee shop and just standing in the bar and having my coffee because that’s such an Italian thing, you don’t see it anywhere,” she says. It’s one of her “favorite” morning rituals. “That’s how I start my morning. It’s a coffee down at the bar with my cornetti (a plain croissant) and then I feel ready for the day.”
Aside from her cornetti, Vitiello also made sure to grab pizzetta during the busier days. “You know what Fashion Week is like. Sometimes, there’s no time to stop,” she recalls. Though she promises she had “proper lunches,” she also waxes poetic about the carbo-loaded snack she enjoyed munching on. “My energy drops really quickly so I always need something to keep me going. So I just swing by the various little shops and buy pizzetta in between shows … It’s like a little hand-size pizza that you can shove in your mouth,” she shares.
Her food habits in Italy are even more regimented than her beauty routine, she reveals. “I’m super low maintenance,” she says of her skincare and makeup rituals. “While everyone is out there having their hair and makeup done, I’m just really more interested in food.” Naturally, she knows exactly where to get her favorite cacio e pepe and pasta pomodoro.
When it comes to her outfits though, Vitiello is also sticking true to wearing what she wants, though she admits there is pressure to dress her best during Fashion Week. “What an incredible experience that I get to like even wear all these clothes and be dressed,” she begins, adding, “But I think there’s pressure from all angles … There’s an element of wearing a look that is worthy of being street styled and I think very, very few people would admit that.” Still, she treats Fashion Week like her “dress-up box.” Vitiello says, “It’s really like an arena where I can fully be myself because it doesn’t matter what I wear. I can be all out and put my ridiculous sunglasses on. I can put my elbow-length gloves on. I can really just be myself.” Her favorite look she wore this season? “The Sportsmax.”
Below, Anna Vitiello breaks down her week in Milan in a photo diary (and gives tips on where to get pasta in Milano).
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello1/18“Coffee breaks are my saving grace throughout the week, and there’s no such thing as bad coffee in Milan!”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello2/18“Accidentally but happily twinning with the beauty that is Valentina Ferragni at the Miu Miu party. I love that we styled the dress differently to suit our personal style.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello3/18“My dream pointed pumps at Miu Miu, spotted during the Miu Miu select event hosted by Adwoa Aboah.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello4/18“Outside the MaxMara show bumping into friends—Belen Hostalet and Moeez Ali, a street style photographer.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello5/18“Fittings feature heavily throughout the week and the Moschino office is always one of my favorites to visit, for the clothes and the teddy bears.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello6/18“The week wouldn’t be the same without my right hand, Amelia Hazell, pictured here with my Moschino look ready to go for the show.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello7/18“SpongeBob [was] featured on the runway but also outside as a gigantic inflatable at the GCDS show.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello8/18“Twinning in knee-high boots with my beautiful friend Emili Sindlev at the GCDS show.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello9/18“After the GCDS show in one of my favorite looks with my friend Sarah Lysander.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello10/18“Bathroom diaries are my favorite kind—here we are between the show and the dinner at GCDS with my friends Emili, Livia, and the most talented designer Amina Muaddi.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello11/18“My diet is mostly pasta and tomatoes when in Milan. Santa Lucia is one of my favorite spots, alongside La Gioia and Il Salumaio.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello12/18“My favorite look of the week—a Sportmax dress with YSL heels, a Marina Raphael handbag, and Sermoneta gloves for a pop of color.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello13/18“An evening with Kim Kardashian, Dolce & Gabbana and, of course, pasta (at a party, no less).”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello14/18“At Fondazione Prada with my love and VIP officer Rita Lopes.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello15/18“The Prada show had so much depth and beauty, and spending time with the collection at the resee made me fall in love with it.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello16/18“My favorite little bag from Prada SS23—the wrinkled finish is an ode to the imperfect, hand-finished theme of the collection.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello17/18“Taking a moment to congratulate Rhuigi after his debut collection for Bally—one of the best of the week.”
Image courtesy of Anna Vitiello18/18“I love seeing a collection backstage altogether like this, especially a debut one—you get such a sense of the designer’s intentions. Congratulations on an unforgettable debut, Rhuigi.”
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