Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It (24 page)

The smiles my little girls have on when they wear something they think makes them look beautiful really do make them look beautiful, even if they’re just goofing around with a kitchen towel over their hair. The same is true for big girls: you will look fabulous if you feel fabulous and believe in yourself.

One thing that Italian women share is a desire to look good all the time, even at the grocery store, even when they’re gardening. Of course, you don’t need to wear fancy clothes to run errands, but you should make a conscious effort to look pulled together. I don’t care if you’re going to the hardware store, you don’t have to wear stained sweat pants or your husband’s old T-shirt. Ever. (Afraid of getting your top dirty while you lug pots of flowers? There are tons of adorable boys waiting to carry your purchases all the way to your car . . . especially if you’re dressed cute.)

One of the finalists on Cycle Thirteen of
America’s Next Top Model
, Laura Kirkpatrick from Kentucky, is so cute, and I just love her attitude. She’s from a really small town, but she’s been modeling her butt off ever since she could walk. She says she sashayed down the aisles of her local Wal-Mart just like it was a runway.

Remind yourself to “model, model” every day, even if it just inspires you to add a fancy headband or wear pretty earrings with the outfit you already had on.

Tip 3
•
Tailor Made

Celebrities and models look extra great when they go out because they get couture clothes: clothes sewn just for them. The rest of us are stuck picking it off the rack and hoping it fits our unique shape. A hundred and fifty years ago, everyone made their own clothes, so each piece was fitted just for your body (usually by your mamma). Once clothes started to be mass-produced, they made up sizes they thought would fit most women and just left it up to the consumer. Unfortunately for most of us that means walking away from a piece of clothing we love because it’s just too long/big/doesn’t hang right/or won’t button over the twins.

There are more than a hundred million women in America and we’re certainly not all the same size. But I think we’ve been tricked into thinking we have to fit perfectly into what’s on the shelves, or go home depressed.

This stops right now! Consider the clothes you see in the stores as samples, just like the patterns they make on
Project Runway
. You’ve seen how much the dress changes once their model comes in. Get the pieces you love and then take them to a tailor.

Almost every dry cleaner has a tailor on staff or can refer you to one. It’s not as expensive as you think. It’s not like getting an outfit custom-made for you from scratch. Tailoring can cost as little as twenty dollars (and it’s free in many department stores!), and it can make all the difference in how your clothes fit you and how you feel in them.

I also have friends that can’t quite sew but they can sure “Project Runway” an outfit to fit them for a party. You’ve seen what they do: duct tape, hot glue guns, pins . . . Who’s going to see the inside of your hem? During photo shoots, even the models are covered with clips and safety pins from the back to make every fold and every crease look just perfect from the front. You deserve the same!

Tip 4
•
Simply Remember Your Favorite Thing

This is the most important piece of advice I can give you: when you’re looking for a fabulous outfit, find one thing you love-love-love and build everything around it. Most people think they have to find the dress or the skirt and then throw accessories and shoes on to match as an afterthought. Instead, approach dressing the same way an interior designer approaches a new room. Dina (who is a genius decorator) will find one piece in a room that the owner really loves, whether it’s a painting or a chandelier or just a little knickknack, and she’ll build the whole room around it.

Do the same thing. When a hot necklace, or amazing shoes, or a great shirt catches your eye, buy it, and then build your entire look around it. You’ll find successful outfits much faster, and you’ll feel better wearing them because you are focusing on the original thing you loved the most.

Tip 5
•
Walk Like an Italian

I mean this in two ways: walk with confidence, and walk as much as you can.

Walk like an Italian!

In Italy, women walk everywhere (and in high heels). When I first got my Peg Perego stroller for Gabriella, I realized the damn thing didn’t have a cup holder. Some fancy Italian stroller! Then I realized why: in Italy they don’t have cup holders in anything: not strollers and not even cars. It’s because Italians don’t eat on the run. They don’t grab a huge whipped-creamed coffee drink and then rush to their next location. Italians sit, eat, and enjoy. And in between, they walk. A lot.

Walk as much as you possibly can. Park farther away from the store’s entrance (it will save your car from nasty dings anyway). Park down the street from your hair salon. Walk all the way to the park, library, or store. Every little step will help you look ass-tastic!

Also, walk confidently. Models are beautiful, even though they all look so different (and sometimes quite alien-like). They’re beautiful because they walk like they are. You do the same, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Sway those hips, and shake that ass, because Baby Doll, you are beautiful, too!

How to Fake It on Any Budget

Of course, not everyone can afford the top Italian designers—and unless you’re the pope, you can’t afford them all the time—but there are tons of ways to dress in beautiful clothes without breaking your bank. I’m not a big fan of faking anything, so I am not suggesting you go buy knockoffs or cheap imitations. They won’t look good and I promise they won’t last long, so they’re a waste of your money.

Instead, try to invest in just a few amazing pieces that you can add to regular, nondesigner clothes to bring everything up a notch. Look for classic pieces, like black pants or a nice blouse, and make sure they’re made of natural materials.

I also think accessories make the outfit, and every girl deserves a beautiful handbag, a great pair of shoes, and some gorgeous jewelry.

Now, the jewelry doesn’t have to be dripping with diamonds to be hot (not all of us are as lucky as Jill Zarin to have a giant “baby” diamond on her finger and an even bigger “mamma” diamond in the safe). But you can find amazing necklaces and bracelets and earrings at local boutiques or department stores that will dress up even a pair of jeans. Forget thin gold chains or tiny diamonds. Those don’t make a statement anyway. You want sparkle and statement, patterns and big, fun pieces.