Valentina

High On The Heel

07 Dec 2025 7 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: BrocadeShoes, Fashion, FrenchShoes, HighHeels, ItalianShoes, KingSun, lifestyle, Shoes, ShoesRedHeel, Style

I am addicted to shoes! There, I said it!
I wonder why I keep finding so many women with the same problem. Feet have the difficult task of supporting the whole body’s weight like sturdy platforms, but they are not the prettiest part of the human body. I think, because of that, women want to beautify their feet with attractive shoes. They also care for them with massages and spa treatments. In fact, in Italy, we say “happy feet, clear mind”. If you often have a headache, most likely, your feet are tired and sore, or constricted in the wrong shoes.

When I first arrived in the US, I saw women filling up shopping carts with shoes. To me, that was absurd at least then. In Italy, we bought a couple of good pairs for winter and summer, and that was it. I was new in the country and every custom looked strange or awkward. Still, it didn’t take me long to learn and absorb the culture. Now, I lead the pack of women buying shoes with a shopping cart.
Lately, these colorful brocade ankle boots have sparked my fancy. They lace up in the front through antique hooks. They look like what the French Can Can dancers wore in the 1800th. I bought three pairs. The unfinished wood heels bothered me, the only detail that made these shoes look low-class. My artistic sense told me I needed to paint the heels black. So, I did, I painted them with an acrylic waterproof pen and a coat of varnish. I loved the result, and anyway, these are not shoes for a rainy day.

High heels were not born as the prerogative of vain women. They were mainly intended for men of power in positions of command. They were also made for warriors on horseback. The function was to keep the warriors’ feet firm in the stirrup of the saddle. In the 1600s, King Louis XIV of France, known as the “Sun King” (Le Roi Soleil), designed shoes with red heels. He created them specifically for himself. No one was allowed to wear heels higher than the King’s.

Soon, women fell under the spell of the high heels. The society’s mood of that period was very coquettish and feminine for both men and women. Psychologically, women felt more beautiful in high heels, more attractive, flirtatious, taller and slimmer. Their power was to seduce men to gain power and social status. They started with the feet. Shoe makers started to pay attention to women’s feet. They made very feminine, pointed silk slippers called sabots. These shoes featured small heels. To show the tips of the shoes, furtively peeping out of the long dresses, was sexy and flirtatious.

From then on, we know what happened to women’s shoes. Heels got bigger and chunkier. At times, they became slimmer and taller like a stiletto. Sometimes, heels have become uncomfortable. Still, we will wear them as long as they make us feel and look good. We will keep wearing them even when they hurt. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services/#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She recently certified as a colour analyst/therapist. She is also an author of 6 published books, a storyteller and a longtime blogger. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Time For A Montgomery

07 Nov 2025 13 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ItalianLifeStyle, Autumn Fashion, Fashion, Frog Coat Buttons, Montgomery Coat, Style

Montgomery is the state capital of Alabama. It is also the site of significant events in the American Civil Rights Movement. But a Montgomery is a piece of clothing. Most elementary school-aged children in Europe wore it to school during the last century. It was considered a garment for preppy school kids, especially in England. In my native Italy, adults and children are equally fashionable. My mom and her sisters were designers and tailors. They dressed us kids as though we were going to walk a fashion runway. We were so cute. Our Montgomery coats, red or blue, were paired with the iconic T-Bar leather shoes, red or navy blue, as well.

The Montgomery coat was seen long before I was born. At the end of the 1800s, the Royal Navy created the Montgomery coat for sailors as part of the uniform. It was made out of duffel cloth, a thick boiled wool, resistant to water. The garment was characterized by frog buttons made of horn, a hood and two large patch pockets in the front. A British general, Bernard Law Montgomery, wore it often in battles over the uniform, hence the name of the coat.

Since then, many actors, singers and writers have worn this coat. It goes in and out of fashion with the mood of the moment. This year is coming back again, and I bought myself a similar version. It only has one frog closure instead of the classic three frogs, and the sleeves are shorter. That’s OK here in California, it is cold only a couple of months out of the year. A thick and heavy Montgomery would be out of place.

Autumn has started and I am happy. Colours in nature are glorious, the weather is pleasant, food is earthy and comforting. For me, this is the best season. Ciao,
Valentina

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She recently certified as a colour analyst/therapist. She is also an author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Robbie Cheadle Writes: The Plethora Of Art With Valentina Cirasola

05 Nov 2025 3 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #LifeStyle, Designer's Life, Robbie Cheadle, Valentina Cirasola Author, Valentina's Life

The blogosphere is a great place to meet interesting people that we wouldn’t otherwise meet. We get to learn about their lives, their arts, their likes and dislikes, and the world seems more familiar. Robbie is a prolific author, a professional baker and a great painter. If one examines her animal paintings, one will see that Robbie has captured the soul of the animal.
My interview focuses on my life as an immigrant in the United States and my colorful accomplishments as a designer. Head over Robbie’s blog to read it. Thanks again, Robbie. I am honoured. Ciao,
Valentina

https://roberta-writes.com/2025/11/05/roberta-writes-a-plethora-of-art-with-valentina-cirasola-of-valentina-designs-art-homeinteriors-books/

What People Do In The Streets

18 Oct 2025 5 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #CollierNecklaces, #Colliers, #Fashion, #OneOfAKindFashion, #ValentinaCrochetFashion, #ValentinaOnEtsy, lifestyle, Style

Going out the door is a question mark every day. One never knows what will happen or what one will witness. There are pleasant or unpleasant encounters. One can discover new restaurants or stores. Occasionally, one gets compliments from excited strangers. Admiring street performers is another possibility. One can walk at leisure, enjoying spending time relaxing. Others rush to get somewhere without noticing their surroundings and lose some of the street excitement.

A few years ago, I created an extravagant and original piece of knitwear. It was unlike anything I had made before. I needed to place it in my Etsy store. Still, I wanted to collect some reactions from people in the street first. This was a marketing strategy without paying for astronomical strategists’ fees.

I wore it over a black top and went out strolling in one of the upscale towns in my area. I strolled up and down the street. I looked at store windows. I sat at a cafe to pause and show off the piece I was wearing. Then I continued strolling up and down. I received a few curious comments, but nothing told me I was wearing a hit piece. I was ready to leave, almost disappointed that people didn’t react as I expected.

One woman changed my disappointment in a heartbeat. She saw me from across the street. She ran to me to ask where I bought the piece I was wearing. I told her I made it, and that was the only piece I had. Given the knowledge she couldn’t buy it anywhere else, she insisted on selling it to her directly from my body. I acted surprised, but didn’t let her insist too much. We went to sit in a cafe, made the transition and became friends. I never expected to sell it in that manner. I was only looking for strangers’ reactions as a thermometer for my next move.

From that moment on, I created one-of-a-kind pieces, which I called colliers. A collier is a term in jewellery making. It indicates a large necklace piece which covers a major part of the neckline and chest. My pieces are made with yarn and beads, and they fit the description of colliers. Their role is to embellish the neckline and keep the neck warm.
(open the picture to view it larger)

Streets are a theatre for humans to express and act out their lives. Anything can happen, just like in a scene on stage. Ciao,
Valentina
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color analyst/therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. She was recently certified as a “Color Analyst.” Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Elton John and Me

08 Oct 2025 3 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: Elton John, Fashion, lifestyle, Original Fashion, Personalized Fashion, Style, StyleIcon, StyleIconCompetition

Will you vote for me?
A few months ago, Elton John and his partner announced, on Instagram and Facebook, the “Style Icon” competition for 2026. Its main focus is fighting AIDS forever and everywhere. They made it into a fun event tied to fashion. Anyone with a flair for original fashion statements can join.

I sent them some of my photos and forgot about the event. Two weeks later, I was notified of my acceptance into the competition. Now comes the fun. I don’t know anything about my competitors, what their style is or how many votes they are receiving. I know I have been in first place since the start, but that can change very quickly.
The first round of voting started Monday, Oct. 6th and will go to Oct.16th. December will be the final voting round.

I need your hand, will you vote for me?
I hope to make it to the final elections in December. I will need the help of all my friends, family, and acquaintances. Below is the link to vote for me. You can read the program. You can also see photos of me in my personal style that got me into this competition. You can also choose to donate to Elton John’s Foundation for this great cause of helping AIDS patients. Donations are tax-deductible and count as votes for me. Thank you, with love and gratitude. ❤️❤️❤️

https://styleicon.org/2025/valentina-cirasola

Ciao,
Valentina

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. She was recently certified as a “Color Analyst.” Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Traveling Kaftan

24 Sep 2025 12 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #HistoryofKaftan, #Inspiration, #Kaftan, #KaftanFashion, #LifeStyle, #ModernKaftan, #Travel, #TravellingKaftan, Fashion

I have been part of a project called “Travelling Kaftan” by Gale Low, one of my digital friends on Facebook. The whole project started with an unusual idea. The psycho-pandemic was chaotic. I think the world was played up. While we were all on forced lockdown, she wanted to spread joy and love in the world. She aimed to do this by sending a Kaftan to various places. She invited her most active Facebook friends. I was one of her favorite friends in this project and surely lifted everyone’s spirits.

Gale lives in England. She received the colorful Kaftan from her sister in South Africa. Gale sent it to someone she knew. From that moment on, it travelled to many locations in the world before it reached me. I received it from someone in Texas and I sent it to someone in Malta.
After receiving the Kaftan, Gale required the participants to wear the piece. We had to photograph ourselves and write a small inspirational phrase. Finally, we had to post it on Facebook and share it on our pages. I was told this Kaftan was hand-embroidered in Hawaii. It is a spectacular work of art.

I wrote:
“Where there is color, there is music.
Where there is music, there is love.
Where there is love, there is happiness.
Where is happiness, there is food.
Where there is food, there is wine.
Where there is wine, there is warmth.
Where there is warmth, there is a fire crackling and a sense of home.”
From @The Drawer Of My Thoughts”

Today, a Kaftan is a fashion statement. Modern designers have made it from silk, bamboo, linen, cotton, printed fabric or encrusted with jewels and beads. It is mostly used as beachwear and loungewear. Its history goes back to ancient Mesopotamia. It is also found in Middle Eastern countries, Northern Africa, and some parts of Europe and Asia. Worn by royals and high-roller, powerful people, it meant “social status”. The shape has always been large and flowy. This design allowed for riding horses and enabled comfortable sitting on the floor with legs crossed.

I suggested that Gale write a book about the Travelling Kaftan, with all our pictures and our stories.
I hope she is doing it. Ciao,
Valentina

What Season Are You?

09 Sep 2025 8 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2026Colors, #ChromaticHarmony, #ColorAnalysis, #ColorCombinations, #PersonalizedColors, Art

Have you ever thought that when you have all the answers, life changes all the questions? It happened to me a couple of years ago. I thought I knew all about the subject of colors. Then, I saw an advertisement from a school in London teaching color therapy courses. It sparked my curiosity enough that I enrolled, and a few months later, I became a colour therapist. I was on a roll to learn more about this fascinating and infinite topic. I found a Brazilian woman who teaches color analysis. She often comes to the US to teach in person. I waited until she came to San Francisco to take her course, and ultimately, I became a color analyst.

Colour analysis is concerned with achieving color harmony and balance. Magic happens after a session of color analysis. Sometimes, one makes a discovery. Other times, it is surprising to learn the best color for one’s complexion is the color never imagined. When this happens, old beliefs about one’s color are challenged. as it happened to me with the Teal color. I never considered it to be my best, I found it dull and uninteresting.

Color analysis plays an important role. It transforms people. The choices made after a session, day after day, are also crucial. A thorough self-awareness is essential. With this awareness, one can make informed decisions. These decisions will help in buying the right clothes in the right colors. The guidance lasts for many years to come, resulting in looking radiant on all occasions and saving money.

2026 Colors: Warm Mahogany, Transformative Teal, Cerulean Blue, Key Lime Green, Silver.

I discovered that in my Soft Summer palette, Teal is a very good color for me. It makes sparkles when paired with brown. It is a perfect discovery, as these are the colors of 2026 as well. New color energy is entering my wardrobe.

Colors are not merely suggestions. One must like them first to consider using them. Above all, they must suit our essence to achieve a great color harmony. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2025 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She is also a color therapist, color analyst and author of 6 published books. Additionally, she is a longtime blogger and a storyteller. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Certainly Not A Languid Summer

18 Aug 2025 10 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #Artwork, #GardenDesign, #PaintedCanvas, #PaintedFurniture, #StrikingPaintingWalls, Life

Summer is winding down. Days are getting shorter. For some reason, my work always seems to get heavier in the summertime. It has been said that Summer is the season that gives us permission to be lazy, not in my case. Clients who want to remodel a home or part of it always start the job in the Summer. They aim to complete the job before the end of the season and before the Fall holidays begin.

I was thinking of all i created during my last trip in the Spring. I made new friends, visited new cities and organized new speaking engagements in Europe, making the trip so much fun. I travel off-season, and I really love being on vacation when the rest of the world is at work. The lines to visit Museums are not long, restaurants are not full and life flows as it should. I get all the attention from service people just as I give attention to my clients in the Summer. While I was engaging in my occupational activities, I found time to paint a striped wall in my living room. The wall is long and tall. It has a high roof pitch on one side. It required the use of a tall ladder. I painted it all freehand while hanging on a ladder most of the time.

The stripes are burgundy and metallic gold. In the photo, staring at the wall, I look as if I am questioning myself: “What have I done?” Although I had never done anything so bold, I was more curious than scared. Paint is paint, easy to redo if the result is not quite the desired one. After I returned the paintings to the wall and the furniture against it, I was pleased more than ever. The gold stripes brought rhythm and light to the wall, and the room now has posh vibes.

After that experience, I moved to paint a boring brown coffee table and changed it into a leopard print. It has a gold metallic base as well. The purple sofa where this coffee table sits looks lively. Metallic gold is a recurrent feature in my home.

Did I stop here? Absolutely not. After a long time, I am painting again. So far, I have completed six canvases. The theme is fantasy flowers painted from my photographs taken in various places. The plan is to paint a series of six landscapes next.

In the meantime, the work in my garden is completed. I made a great improvement to an area between fruit trees that was no longer satisfying me. My gardener, who is not a landscape designer, followed my ideas to the letter. The project brought him satisfaction as it was evolving in front of his eyes. At the end of the work, he told me something surprising. He said he had learned a lot from me over the years. Often, he doubted his skills to build gardens the way I wanted. Still, he did it. I am happy to pass the torch of my knowledge. It pleases me to help a young person who didn’t have the chance to study. Now, he can offer those design ideas to other clients and not just planting or cutting weeds. The bistrot patio is the name I gave to this new area.

I thought by now I knew everything about colors. Then, the opportunity came to study a few courses with a Brazilian color master. I took the chance and I certified as a color therapist and color analyst.
In September, I will be in new courses.

I lived this Summer with intention, energy, and creative flow rather than drifting passively through long, idle days. I will have time to spend languid Summers when I pass to another dimension. Now, I only have time for exploration, vitality and purposeful joy. Ciao.
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2025 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Between Renaissance and Liberty Styles

04 Jul 2025 6 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #BariCulture, #ItalianLiving, #LifeStyle, #RenaissanceArchitecture, #TravelItaly, #TravelMemoirs, #TravelPuglia, Photography

One day, I woke up and found myself in a Renaissance town. From my window, Brunelleschi’s dome greeted me every morning. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Such a treasure was only a five-minute walk away from my hotel. It was a historical building as well. I woke up in history and went to bed in history. Excitement filled me every moment of the day. Being born in an exceptional country, where beauty is the password, is an indescribable feeling. Dreaming of being in a historical place and pretending to be in a different era was a reality. Every corner and every small detail of the buildings spoke of history. I had all the intentions of enjoying and soaking in beauty. This was Florence. It is one of the most prominent Renaissance towns in Italy. Travellers, artists, financiers, and tradespeople have been invading it since the first building was erected.

Everything interested me, and not only architectural details. I took pictures of designs on street pavement, store displays, building corners and niches. I snapped photos of stairs, roofs, ceiling designs and stores’ entry doors. I photographed patisseries, gelato stores and restaurants. I immortalized statues, windows, balconies, artwork and horse-drawn carriages. Florence is a concentration of beauty that got me to tears a few times.

It was a sad moment when I spotted a tourist yawning in front of the Davide by Michelangelo. Those are the fast travellers. Those are the people who visit 10 countries in a week. They take a selfie in front of a masterpiece just to say they have been there. They buy a t-shirt and go home. During their travel, they learn nothing and don’t even remember where they have been. It was also sad to see Florence turned into an amusement park for tourists. This transformation is happening in all the Italian art cities.

My speaking engagements were well received, and I decided to repeat the experience next year. The talks were on “Color Intelligence” and “House Harmony”. The same subjects for more speaking engagements took me down to Puglia, my native region. The landscape in this region is very different from Florence. The countryside is flat. The coastline of the Adriatic Sea is long. It covers 900 km of many cities and small towns. The air is fresh with sea breeze and all four winds of the Mediterranean. People of this region are happier, friendlier, louder and more creative in the living philosophy. Food in Puglia is lighter than Florentine food. There are no heavy sauces and no creams. There are no braised meats and no heavy stuffed pasta. The cuisine includes fish, a wide variety of vegetables, lightly cooked meats and fresh fruit.

The main city, Bari, was built by a Frenchman, Joaquin Murat. He was Napoleon’s brother-in-law. The city was constructed in the style of French architecture of the 1800s. Later, the fascist dictator Mussolini brought many modern upgrades to the infrastructure. He also refurbished the city centre in the Liberty style. This was a floral, ornate, romantic and appealing style of the early 1900s.

The city of Bari today is no longer the city I left when I emigrated to America. People’s mentality now is open to novelties. Throughout the years, the city managers added many public events that changed people’s lives. Tourists flock to the area as there are more things to do and see. There is more harmony and willingness to keep the city alive. Traffic, I must say, is still chaotic and disorganized.

Walking along the promenade on the Adriatic Sea, I pondered what is there on the other side of the pond. Was it all worth it when I decided to move away from all this beauty? I was in Italy for two months and completely forgot about the world; I didn’t even open the computer once. I was happy to live that life. It was too familiar to me. Despite the changes in society, it is still a society that highly values human personal relationships. I remember one day I walked into a very small family-owned haberdashery store to buy a couple of buttons. After fifteen minutes of conversation, the store owner offered me a cup of espresso coffee. We were conversing as if we had been friends for a long time. I didn’t even know the woman, nor had I shopped there before. Her hospitality was genuine and I ended up buying more than two buttons.

I walked along the promenade on the Adriatic Sea often, pondering. I thought that after two months, it would be difficult to return to a modern society. In that modern world I live in now, buildings all look the same. There are no embroideries on the façade or balconies with flowers. There are no phantasmagorical designs, statues, or antiquities to admire. People are too busy grinding through their day. No one offers me a cup of coffee just because I entered their shop. I created a good life in America, no doubt.
I will never know how my life as an artist might have turned out. What if I had lived in one artistic city? I could have fed my soul with all artistic expressions. In that special place, where even just looking at a building or a panorama could ignite a spark of emotion. Ciao.
Valentina

Copyright © 2025 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

An Art Deco Evening

07 Apr 2025 16 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #ArtDecoDinner, #ArtDecoFashion, #ArtDecoStyle, #DiningInStyle, #Style, Fashion, Food

I often dream of slicing through time to find myself in a different era. I feel influenced when I watch period films or read stories from other times. I believe every era had rough times one way or another. Still, when my fantasy plays, I notice things that today aren’t here anymore. For this reason, every now and then, I organize theme dinners. For two or three hours, I enjoy reliving the atmosphere of another era. Yesterday, Sunday, was the turn of an Art Deco dinner. I asked the guests to dress to match the era, even with only a few details. This helps everyone feel part of a relatively prosperous and frivolous era. Guests are usually happy to follow the suggestion. They often show up fully dressed in a costume of the specific era. Here, costumes can be easily rented or bought at a reasonable price.

You know that minimalism characterizes Art Deco. It is a linear style, geometric, clean without frills. The prominent colors are black, gold and silver, followed by white, powdery colors, purple, red and green.

I found the right fabric to sew the tablecloth. At the Tamara de Lempicka art exhibition, I bought the plates. On one of my many visits to antique shops, I found the printed glasses from 1920. They were even signed and I also found the two cute demi-tasses.

The black velvet pouches, to the left of each plate, contain the napkin and the flatware, something different. At the end of the evening, I will fill the pouches with cookies I made. The guests will take these home as a token of friendship. I cooked three typical dishes of the 1920s. As it is customary in America, each guest will bring a specialty of their choice or something to drink.

(I think the original 1920s demi-tasses are adorable.)

I searched for this period’s food. Deviled eggs seemed to have been a very popular appetizer in the 1920s. The main course was roast veal with mashed potatoes. For dessert, a typical of the era pineapple upside-down cake completed the dinner. The conversation was interesting and flowed to the tune of 1920s music.

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble