How do you get your inspiration for the outfits you wear ?
- I'm inspired by all sorts of things - characters in films
(I'm an absolute cinephile), musicians, outfits seen on the
street... I rarely read fashion magazines, though, and I
find style blogs are my biggest source of inspiration. At
the moment my main outfit icons are Zooey Deschanel, Alexa
Chung, Sofia Coppola, Jane Birkin and Francoise Hardy.
Who has had the biggest fashon influence on your outfits ?
Without doubt my Italian grandmother, or Nonna, for whom my
blog is named! She was a dressmaker and I spent my childhood
dressed in handmade dresses from her. She was impeccably
glamorous well into her nineties.
What blogs and websites do you follow and why ?
I have an extensive blog reading list, but my favourties
are Liebemarlene's
Would you describe yourself as a trendsetter or fashion
follower ?
Neither really - although I do often get asked my opinion
on dresses by work colleagues!
How would you describe your style ?
Definite feminine, a bit retro, and frocks frocks frocks...
Does the hosiery you wear dictate the clothes,outfit you
wear ?
I do sometimes start with a particular pair of tights I'd
like to wear and build up my outfit from there, particularly
with floral tights.
What is in your hosiery drawer or closet ?
Hundreds of pairs of black 40 dernier tights, a few lost
stockings, various bright shades and one pair of knee-high
socks. Plus my hand-knitted bedsocks.
Where do you shop for hoseiry ?
Topshop, Accessorize, Primark and Dorothy Perkins for
bright and patterened pairs, Superdrug for my staple black
40 derniers.
What was the last item of hosiery you brought, how much you
spent etc ?
A pair of lacy black floral tights for Dorothy Perkins,
which were £6.
Do you ever wear 10 denier tights if so how long do they
last you ?
Not a chance - I would ladder them as soon as I breathed on
them.
When do you wear hosiery,daily-once a week etc ?
Outside of summer (and in England, we don't get much
summer!) I wear tights daily as I live in skirts and
dresses.
What is your hosiery staple ?
Black 40 dernier opaques from Superdrug.
Do you keep a spare pair of tights in your bag ?
I try to keep a spare pair at work in case of
commuting-related rips or tears - you'd be amazed how many
ways there are to get holes in your tights on London
transport.
The best and worst things about hosiery, Love-hate ?
I love using tights to add some contrasting colour or
pattern to an outfit. There's not really anything I hate
about tights, other than trying to detangle them all when
I'm getting them out of the washing machine.
It'd be lovely if you could stop by and visit my blog:
http://belladinonnaclothing.blogspot.com
Bella x