Our Italian Holiday / PART 01

Travel is a precious commodity, often guarded by time and money (or lack there of)... and it is one thing that is climbing my list of priorities in recent years.  

Our collections are often inspired by romantic European holidays, driving retro convertibles down windy cobbled streets to picturesque pebbly beaches.  Soaking up the sunshine while sipping an Aperol spritz.  Or riding bikes with baskets filled with flowers, baguettes and cheese to picnic in charming country side villages.

So last month, with my husband Darren and daughters Evie, 12 and Alice, 9 we burst out of our Bali bubble and travelled to Italy.  Returning to some of my favourite places in the world with my family and creating life-long memories to share together was a new and amazing experience.

We flew into Milan and drove the hour or so straight to Lake Como.  We had a chill day to get over our jet-lag and take a look around before our big photo shoot the next day.  Our Aussie creative team was also there, so we met up for our first Italian feast of cheese, bread, olives, pizza and vino - all the essentials on an Italian adventure!

The next day was shoot day... and was one of my favourite shoots to date.  Working with our photographer Sarah Fountain (AKA... Sara Fontana) and model Chayde Nettle is always fun, but shooting in Italy was MAGIC!

The whole team were put to work, including Evie and Alice.  We had to make do with a sheet for a change room, and dragged suitcases of samples over cobbled streets, much to the amusement of many interested onlookers.  Every turn, every street and every door with the iconic lake in the background was so picture-perfect... our job was an easy one.

With the photoshoot wrapped and the creative team gone, the family holiday began.  On the first day of our holiday and last day in Como, we set off to explore the Lake.  As it was the end of the summer season, we had many of the smaller towns and villas to ourselves as they were almost deserted.  Bellagio was still a hive of activity and a great spot for lunch, all the while keeping an eye out for George (Clooney!)