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Spontaneous decisions result in the best experiences.
A phrase that’s probably most appropriate to describe this adventure booked pretty much right before embarking.
First stop was Murano. An island about 30 mins away from Venice, most famous for its beautiful glass factories. Pulling in on the boat (which, by the way, is the preferred and only local transportation) was surreal. We stopped talking and just sat quietly amazed.
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Time difference between NYC and Venice is about 6-7 hours, so after a quick (and amazing) seafood lunch, just the three of us: me, Matt and a shameless pigeon… jet lag took over and we fell right asleep. These photos were taken post-nap and pre-pizza, right when we somehow found enough energy to wake up, get dressed and shoot. I also somehow managed to stain this off-shoulder top with champagne – right before leaving the room – wasted 30 minutes basically coloring it in with a Tide-to-Go pen. Maybe that’s where I got my energy: fashion emergency adrenalin.
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Venice was next on the list and we were already so overwhelmed by Murano’s beauty, history and just in complete disbelief about where we were walking, sitting, eating… couldn’t even imagine what we’d see next and how it could top.. this.
Day 2 – Venice
Second day.
First official full day in Italy and we were up bright and early (5am) on our way to Venice. First time in a city entirely built on water quickly turned into a fascinating mix of awe and confusion.
Everyone always told me: the best way to explore Venice is to get lost in it, but being an organization maniac – I had all the places I wanted to see mapped, starred and planned way ahead of time.
This plan immediately went out the window, as I became too distracted with Venice’s beauty to stay on track.
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Every corner we turned was a “wow” moment: beautiful churches, small streets, piazze and ponti emerged unexpectedly.
I’m not sure if it was the weekend, off-season for tourists or a combination of both, but Venice (despite being a top tourist destination) was probably the most serene city I traveled to. My favorite moments of the day – just finding noiseless deserted spots to sit and enjoy the scenery, some gelato and a Spritz.
Fortunately, with my history of falling everywhere and Matt tripping over every step of every bridge all day – we avoided being those tourists who fell in the canal.
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The dress here was perfect for warm Italian weather: roomy & comfy, while still featuring the off-shoulder silhouette: my favorite summer 2017 trend.
Day 3 – Milan
When I mentioned how fast-paced my Europe itinerary was, I received a lot of gasps, “why”s and shaking heads… I mean, trying to see an entire city in just one day doesn’t exactly have “great idea” written all over it. Especially since this one day starts and ends with a 1-hour train ride from Venice and back…
But I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself being so close to so many amazing cities and not taking the time to visit them. And how much more excruciating can this ride be from the 2-hour commute I had to endure in college!?
Fast forward to the train ride back form Milan thinking this was the best idea ever.
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Truth be told, all my traveling friends warned that I would be underwhelmed by Milan. I came back arguing the opposite. I could move to this city today and fit right in: busy, dynamic, crowded, fashionable, loud…
Still so rich in history, art and architecture. And not to mention amazing food. And Spritzes!
Our first stop, Duomo di Milano was simply breathtaking. Even crowds of shameless and oddly domesticated pigeons didn’t ruin its majestic first impression. It is also conveniently located right next to where I’d live, if I moved to Milan: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Yes, you read that right. I’d move into the Galleria right next to my new neighbors Prada, Versace and Armani. Getting lost a couple times, awkward moments hailing taxis New-York-style, free limoncello shots because why not and some spontaneous pit stops at Sephora later, and we were at dinner at the elegant Giacomo Bistrot, where the food was so incredible, we had a three course meal…
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Today, I wore an outfit entirely by Self Portrait; one of my new favorite brands. Browsing online, there wasn’t an item I didn’t love or want to wear immediately
When I first got these pieces in the mail, the stiff cotton/silk fabrics made me wonder if this would be comfortable to wear around town… but it was. It was very mobile through all the exploring by foot, taxis and train rides. I also love the combination of harsh fabrics with delicate lace detailing. And not to mention asymmetry, which was one of the hottest trends of the season. And of course, I had to take my Prada Milano bag with me to Milano.
Day 4 – Back to Venice
Second day in Venice felt a lot more familiar and the mix of “awe and confusion” narrowed itself down to just awe. We already knew exactly where to turn to avoid that dreaded dead end at the end of a long walk. We knew how to navigate to the most peaceful corners of the city. We easily found the best lunch spots… #pros
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Today I wanted to take photos in the most subtle and cute corners of Venice that you wouldn’t normally see on a postcard. After visiting most of the local attractions and tourist destinations on our first day here, I understood one thing: the true beauty of this city is within subdued details.
Blends of Byzantine and Gothic architecture on window arches, long vines covering exposed brick and cracked paint adding unexpected hues of green to the city’s color palette, neat flower arrangements complementing the mix of bright walls and water…
All the little nuances of the local daily life is what feeds into the overall magical atmosphere of Venice much more than designer stores, restaurants and souvenir shops.
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Of course, to balance out the authenticity of the day and avoid the inevitable fear of missing out, we ventured off to St. Mark’s Square. Very similar to Milan, this is where we encountered magnificence of architecture and shameless friendly pigeons.
The day started with some gloomy fog and rain, so I wore my Bardot dress in powder blue and faded fall-appropriate floral print with cutouts and ruffles to mix the atmospheres of two seasons into one look. I’ve seen pale florals on the SS17 Victoria Beckham and Fendi runways, which made the dress both wearable, but also very much on trend.
Day 5 – Florence
If you watched my ITALY VLOG and recognized the music during the Florence sequence, lets be best friends. The song is from the world’s most romantic 1981 Adriano Celentano movie Innamorato Pazzo, perfectly matching the atmosphere of the world’s most romantic city (all opinions expressed are solely my own and do not represent the views or opinions of…well, anyone else). I grew up obsessing over this movie, actors and music. I mean, have you seen Ornella Muti’s white tee/mom jeans/white sneaker combo? Looks familiar? Probably yes, since you can spot the same combo on top bloggers, models and fashion influencers in 2017.
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A little about the city: Florence’s romantic vibe can probably be attributed to bountiful culture you are consistently surrounded with.
The Birth of Venus, Primavera, countless masterpieces by Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, including the David all live in this city.
Miniature sidewalks lead you through residential areas revealing museums and castles around every corner. I personally particularly enjoyed stumbling along the street with all the designer shops… I did not, however personally enjoy stumbling upon them around 7pm when the doors were shutting one by one as I was walking by.
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I wore a striped dress by House of Harlow, which thankfully didn’t get stained with all the gelato I had melting down my arm in the morning.
I think stripes is the most universal print, complementing almost any color without dominating the outfit as a whole, which most prints tend to do.
I’ve been on the hunt for a great red gingham dress and a black/white striped dress separately, making this find especially perfect, combining both my dress targets into one.
Day 6 – Back to Venice… again
On this trip, I found a whole new level of respect for fashion/travel bloggers. This was our 6th day in Italy and somewhere between the desire to see/eat/buy/try/photograph it all and overwhelming jet lag, we were completely exhausted… The day was very lovely, warm and cloudy, and the streets weren’t particularly crowded, despite two large cruise ships parked right next to this, now tiny in comparison, city.
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The day was packed with exciting plans, despite our impulse to just take a 24hr nap. We explored some residential areas of Venice and stumbled upon a friendly gondolier who showed us a little piece of Venice from canal-level. I’ve seen gondolas on TV or in music videos and it always seemed like a great time gliding in a boat over calm waters…. No-one tells you that gondolas naturally lean heavily to the right, so if you’re sitting on the right side, you are dangerously close to going “boink” right into the Grand Canal. If you’re sitting on the left, you’re floating up in air and everything is great.
Once we got over our fear of tipping over, the ride was magical.
Especially since we were in the hands of a 3rd generation gondolier (he sang and whistled and gave us a mini tour of Venice.)
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I paired my lace top by BCBG with Blaque Label print shorts, which made for a cool, summer-vibe, feminine look. In general, the top might be one of a few pieces in this trip wardrobe that I haven’t purchased on Revolve, which quickly became my new destination to shop. Revolve is very similar to ASOS, but mainly carries more high end labels and leans more towards the pricy side. However, I can genuinely say the quality of the majority of clothing from Revolve will be very much worth the money.
Day 7 – Burano
This morning I put on makeup that I am embarrassed to admit, will be on for the next 30+ hours… Today was our last day in Italy, followed by an 8 hour layover stop in Paris. And if you think that sounds magical, it might, but not when this layover is right in the middle of the night… Followed by an 8 hour flight back to NYC. The magic peaked around the time we saw the glistening Eiffel Tower and vanished around 4am in the only 24/7 Parisian cafe we could find, over a 30-euro cup of coffee.
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I wore a bra-top and a skirt ensemble by For Love and Lemons, which played off warm backdrop shades and clashed in a very interesting way with some cooler shades. I also thought this lemon print would fit right in at the land of Limoncello.
Overall, Summer 2017 was the ideal time for prints and For Love and Lemons always offers the most intricate detailing and trendy textures. I also remember seeing lemon prints on the runways of Altuzarra and Dolce & Gabbana.
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I approach this blog as a diary – taking you on my honest sustainable fashion & lifestyle journey, with sustainability aspects I slowly adopt, struggle with and feel passionate about. I’m building INNABOSE.COM to be an informative, visual & creative resource inspiring even the smallest changes in the world.
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I’m also a Ukrainian New Yorker – having strong pride and patriotism for both: my homeland 
and my current home 
. For years, I’ve been on a side mission to capture my stunning NYC and elevate the depth and beauty of my Ukrainian culture, fashion and language (some of my posts are in Ukrainian!)
February 24, 2022 – my digital space shifted to include information about russia’s war on Ukraine, the devastation and destruction my home country is dealing with and the bravery, strength and inspiring spirit they are facing it with. A large portion of my posts today highlight Ukrainian brands, fashion, culture & the strong, incredible Ukrainians making gorgeous clothes you can buy & support local businesses, economy & people fighting for freedom every day. We are also a community who donates to Ukrainian organizations found in any of my recent posts!
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Inna Bose
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One Response
Loved your Italy vlog and every outfit you wore.