Firenze4Ever Part 1

I was chuffed to bits to be invited to Florence for the weekend as a guest of Luisa Via Roma. Taking part in the third Firenze4Ever blogger event, I got to gad about the cobbled streets of Florence, hob-nob with some of my fellow bloggers from around the world, style my own shoot with the first drop of autumn-winter collections, and stuff my face with cake at Mulberry’s book launch tea party. Not to mention attending a spectacular dinner for 200 in Florence’s Specola Natural History Museum, surrounded by skeletons and serenaded by opera singers.







Firenze4Ever launched last year to celebrate 10 years of Luisa Via Roma online. Initiated by CEO Andrea Panconesi, it was created as an opportunity to ‘bring the virtual and the reality closer and closer to each other’. A big fan of the critical thinking of independent bloggers, Panconesi has championed blogs since day one. During Saturday afternoon’s live debate on blogging and brands (alongside Yvan Rodic, Sandra’s Closet, Hilary from Lyst and Elizabeth from Fashion’s Collective), I used Luisa Via Roma as a great example of a brand which uses innovation and initiative to reach out to bloggers in an authentic and highly effective way.

Luisa Via Roma prides itself on getting the new collections first. (AW11 has started to drop already) As such, a key part of Firenze4Ever is to give bloggers what they need (locations, assistants, the new collections, photographer, model, hair and make-up, transport) to create their own multi brand shoot. The results of my shoot are coming up shortly but first, a few behind the scenes snippets…

My model Seo

My always-smiling assistant Carlotta

Carlotta’s ‘handbag’ for the day with essential kit – fags, lighter, cash, schedule

Everything was meticulously organised with each blogger assigned a rail and a changing room for their model

I decided to mix up menswear and womenswear, including this men’s coat with these berry-hued Fendi and Mulberry bags

All packed up and ready to go

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