Giovanna Battaglia: Larger than Life

“I literally stole this fall Rochas coat from the showroom in Paris—luckily, the designer, Marco Zanini, was fine with it! I staged an impromptu photo session in my bathroom at the Hôtel de Crillon. The neckline reminds me a little of a bathrobe—a couture bathrobe. The Crillon should start offering it to guests!”

“Lorenzo Martone has launched a line of brightly colored bicycles—they look like they were dunked in a vat of paint. Here is one parked on the sidewalk outside Bar Pitti in New York. I want to get one so I can ride up and down Madison Avenue for my shopping—it’s a straight shot to Barneys from my apartment.”

“Over a lunch with my agent, I was admiring an enameled Madonna ring by the designer Sue Gragg he had just bought for his girlfriend. The next day, this box arrived at my house. I thought the brooch was the present—it looked so pretty. But in fact, there was a ring inside!”

“My mother gave me this two-faced Fornasetti vase because she said it reminded her of me. I like to dress it up. The hat is vintage, and the necklaces are both Lanvin. I’m sure my housekeeper thinks I’m crazy!”

“This is a Noor Fares hand-painted pendant—I love how monastic it looks, especially against my red Valentino trenchcoat. And by the way, the only papessa in history was named Giovanna, in medieval times.”

“While I was in Palm Beach with my boyfriend, Vlad, we came across this sports car parked on Worth Avenue. It was the exact color of my Bulgari crocodile handbag. If I owned a car like this, I would definitely match my bags to it. I have no shame!”

“At the Chanel Tribeca Film Festival dinner, they gave you these black credit cards that you could use in the vending machine [above] to pick a makeup item or perfume as a party favor. I took the cards from all the guys at my table so I could get extra goodies.”

“Joan Smalls looked like an angel at the Chanel dinner. But she has something dangerous in her, too—like a Bond girl. As I went to take her picture, she picked up a knife!”