Venice hasn’t changed much since the last time I was here, twenty years ago. I was a teenager then; Venice was still, like, really old. It’s an interesting concept, this city on the water, where cars are replaced by boats and chauffeurs are charming Italian men in striped shirts. The air is so humid your hair is frizzy the minute you step out the door and you’re constantly reminded of your bladder. But it’s magical. Mind-blowing, jaw-droppingly magical. There are more colors and textures than your eyes and brain can process. The fading paint of the facades, the deep green moss on the walls, the rich reds of the gondola upholstery, the changing colors of the water, the sky, the people, the light.

I spent 48 hours in Venice. And I slept about 7. I came to celebrate the opening of the ‘Romeo Gigli for Joyce‘ pop-up store. But there was also the Film Festival, a pop-up Bungalow 8, the Bauer hotel and a few new friends. Let’s just say it helps to be a blonde in Italy.

Vintage dress by Romeo Gigli (SS 1995, from his wife’s personal collection); Shoes by Jimmy Choo; Bag by BCBG; Sunglasses by Tom Ford (Anouk).

Photos (of me) by Nadia Sarwar.

Special thanks to Karla Otto and Fiona Mackay.