Gio’s Journal
From mad hats to man substitutes, Giovanna Battaglia, W’s intrepid style maven, finds inspiration wherever her glamorous life takes her.
“These shoes [above] are Giuseppe Zanotti’s designs for Tapeet. They’re cool, right? They look like Marie Antoinette meets men’s wear. I’m starting to wear flats more now that I’m a New Yorker, though I’ll always be into high heels, like these other Giuseppe Zanottis [below].”
“Designer Vika Gazinskaya had her drawings printed on fabric for these necklaces. It makes even the biggest necklace lightweight.”
“Cavalli e Nastri is one of my favorite vintage stores in Milan. The last time I was there, they had this on the sofa. They said, ‘It’s a substitute for a man.’ ”
“There is this amazing store in Milan, L’Oro dei farlocchi, run by a charming—and sometimes grumpy—man, Maurizio. But he’s never grumpy with me! It’s the best place for gifts—like these coral charms, samurai flasks, and Pulcinella figurines, and they have this Roman-boy statue that I just loved. The African costume in front of an Italian brocade screen is so chic, and this clock, which is from an old church tower, always says quarter to midnight—so you never have to leave the party!”
“I loved this zebra—which was a prop on a recent shoot—so much that I decided to kiss it. And then I got a balloon giraffe and zebra for my garden in Milan—blow-up pets, since I don’t have time for real ones.”
“One of my obsessions is pyramids, so I stacked my Prada jewelry cases like Legos.”
“This is a Lanvin sunglasses box—the only thing I added was the earrings. Isn’t it the most genius display? The lips and eyebrows and bow are glued to the base, and the glasses are attached with elastics. When I wear them, I replace them with another pair so the box always has eyes.”
“I was on the set of a shoot walking around wearing this hat, trying to act very serious, but everyone was laughing. I was like the mad stylist instead of the mad hatter!”
