Who Is She is a column that unveils essentially the most elusive tastemakers on the web.
Earlier than everybody else began babysitting eBay auctions and searching property gross sales for giant button earrings (name it the Bottega Veneta-effect), Federica Labanca had already amassed a set of the baubles that she’d been carrying for years. “I have been carrying huge gold earrings since like, I can not even keep in mind,” she tells me on a video name from London. Although her earrings—a defining characteristic of her model—are huge, her love of classic is greater.
The Italian artistic director is considerably of an anomaly of the internet-famous trend woman trope: whereas most content material creators will let you know that solely an iPhone is critical to take nice outfit images, Labanca prefers a digital camera—with flash. She despises the subjective and fast-paced nature of developments (if something she says she goes towards them), and most of her garments are older than her. With a neatly coiffed facet half and a number of glamorous archival items, she’s what you’d think about an Italian movie actress from the 80s who time-warped into the twenty first century would seem like. And actually, the last decade is the place Labanca attracts most of her sartorial inspiration, referencing figures like Andy Warhol and her personal grandmother (her grandmother’s closet can be considered one of Labanca’s most well-liked sources for classic). “I am very into discovering gems which might be initially from the 80s, so not simply 80s-inspired however really from the last decade,” she explains. Sequin and pretend fur are staples for Labanca, and her penchant for the dramatic might partly be attributed to her reverence for Italian pop star Mina Mazzini. The soprano was a daring image of her time, with shaved eyebrows, bottle strawberry blonde hair, larger-than-life hairstyles, and unapologetically daring outfits.
Labanca’s nostalgic-glam perspective has gained her a wholesome following on social media, however she did not simply put up a bunch of fairly photos to get there; as a visible merchandiser, Labanca labored beneath Miuccia Prada—a really huge deal should you’re a trend nerd—earlier than placing out on her personal as a artistic guide. Now lately again from L.A., the Milanese tastemaker is sharing why she rebels towards developments, what it is prefer to work with Miuccia Prada, and her ideas for sourcing designer gems eBay like a professional.