An unlikely pair, Food and Fashion are all the rage, but do they really go together?
Is it possible to be as happy stirring broth on a sleek Electrolux stove as you are in the Dior salon, sipping espresso while caressing next season's delicious collection? City Girl says yes.
Maybe like me, your world goes quiet when your hand brushes over the studs on a leather Balenciaga bag and time stands still in that first 30 seconds you smooth on a new Tom Ford lipstick.
My heart flutters at the sight of a pair of shiny nude patent leather Sergio Rossi heels (spotted in Paris two weeks ago), and I feel powerful and sensual with fur around my neck and black leather pants.
That said, I could also spend all day wandering outdoor markets with coffee in my hand in search for the perfect mushrooms or a fruit I've never seen, or try 15 different salts, or make sauces all day in the kitchen with a long apron and a view of the sea.
City Girl is not a fashionista nor a foodie, she's simply a City Girl...that Cooks. At the end of the day, it's about the story, the experience of living in the city and making use of what's around you, always discovering new parts of her. It's easy to look over things in a metropolis, but walking around without the armor of a car or even the speed of a bicycle makes you go slower. And if you allow yourself, you can start to enjoy it. Just the simple act of noticing - of which there is so much to do - actually seems to slow life down.
Making a ragu' or a cake is nice, but when it's from a box or a jar and I just need to add water or heat, it loses its appeal. That why I look to cook things that don't take much attention but require a lot of time, like broth for instance.
The level at which food and fashion co-exist is where the story is built into the product, when the fabric or the olive oil is the result of careful thought with a clearly intended message.
Luxury is not about excess, but actually about creating an ultimate product, with intention behind each piece its composition.
Fast fashion and fast food is a reality that seems more accessible, but it's easy to take more than you need and the individual experience becomes less valued since there is always another one around the corner.
When something is harder to get, you want it more though, don't you? The wanting, the desire for something is often half of the excitement. The build up of getting next season's jacket makes you think in detail of how it will feel when you snap, zip, or tie it closed, knowing the designer was thinking of these details too.
No matter how we advance technology, we are not going to replace one key step in the production process: choice. Not that of the consumer but the unique choices made throughout the design and production process from the grain of leather on a Birkin to the type of flour in an artisanal pizza is made by a person with a clear vision of how it plays out into the finished product and the story they want not just to tell, but that they want people to experience.
There are cheap, copied and vulgar versions of both food and fashion but these two worlds do in fact, blend. They share a common trait, that when produced authentically, with refined expertise, it is an enlightening experience for everyone.
CREDITS: Melissa Lupo photographed by Dennison Bertram Melissa Lupo coat by MARGE Clothing