collaborations – Nicole Ballardini

CAMOUFLAGE

Written by nickyinsideout on August 6, 2016. Posted in collaborations, Fashion. No Comments on CAMOUFLAGE

If you’ve been reading my blog and follow my Instagram for a while now, you might have noticed – enjoyed – found inspiration – ~~had enough~~.. hopefully not! 😉 that I am a big fan of wardrobe essentials, denim and non-colors..

What can be more effortless that boyfriend jeans and cropped top during summer time? Since fashion blogging and fashion photography is my job, I do get overloaded with clothes.. True that! But feeling good in what I am wearing and staying true to my style without experimenting too much it’s, to me, the most important.. and nowadays I do not accept a job unless it’s a brand that truly reflects my style I feel confident in sharing it with all of you.

Here comes the most coveted question I am being asked these days.. Why I hardly, almost never, show my face on my blog and Instagram?

Because the hobby that I loved much enough to become my job is not necessarily about my daily mood or my daily life.. It’s about a passion for fashion, style, fabrics, photography, lighting, angle.. not necessarily about my face. It’s about what I am wearing, the timeless pieces I invest in, my vision of it and the way I put them together.. About what inspires me, what’s trending at the moment in a way we can wear it on the streets, about the details.. not necessarily a full face shot.

Like the look I am sharing with you today.. It’s so ‘me’ since I feel at the same time comfortable and chic in it. Nothing beats a pair of boyfriend jeans paired with a feminine top and a new bag that, as a contrast, is anything but basic.

The bag is from Republica Moda, a website specialised in latin american premium fashion brands. I finally added some camouflage to my wardrobe because it stays true my my regular non-colour palette but it’s that kind of statement I always like to add to a casual chic outfit built on basics.

With regards to showing you my full face, I didn’t change my mind but I did appreciate all the very kind requests.. Luckly enough, nowadays we have snap chat (username ‘nickyinsideout’) and Instagram Stories which give some insights of our daily life between the outfit pictures and my face (or half of it) is there daily with my darling baby Emma!

Inside Out the Look:

Bag: Schutz from Republica Moda | Top: na-kd | Jewelry: na-kd | Jeans: Dricoper | Shoes: Celine

Created in collaboration with Republica Moda. Story, styling and creative direction my own. Photography by Cotton and Cream.

VISIBLY INTERESTING NEW BAG

Written by nickyinsideout on July 30, 2016. Posted in collaborations, Fashion. No Comments on VISIBLY INTERESTING NEW BAG

As far as I can remember, and normally – when it’s about fashion – my memory works quite well.. I never owned an acrylic bag before this Kanjana Designs beauty.

I think the idea everyone could see the ~~super messy~~ content of my bag was putting me off and holding me back by purchasing one.

Do you feel the same way?

Turns out, I was wrong!

I was so captivated by the minimalistic and at the same time super sleek design, that I decided to give it a try and add another baby to my collection.. Because who ever owns enough bags?

The fact that everyone could see crystal clear what’s inside my bag actually makes me leave home ~~a lot of rubbish I never need~~ the things I normally over carry around and just take with me the essentials.

So, not only elevates my outfit but actually makes my life a lot easier and leaving the house’ve never been that faster!

It’a a winner!

Inside Out the Look:

Created in collaboration with Kanjana Designs. Story, styling, photography and creative direction my own.

DENIM ON DENIM

Written by nickyinsideout on April 10, 2016. Posted in collaborations, Fashion. 2 Comments on DENIM ON DENIM

Writing today’s post from Italy on my birthday in a total state of happiness! Emma is asleep next to me, my boyfriend is flying in from Amsterdam, I am getting ready to go out to celebrate with my friends and family, and a birthday trip to Venice is coming on Monday.

As a thirty-something girl, together with my lifestyle, also my style is adjusting and becoming more stable. This means less trend-experimenting and more awareness of what my own style is about. If you ask me what I will be wearing this spring summer I answer, without a shadow of a doubt, my closet will be made of denim, whites, black and tan colours. I went through a lot of ‘fashion stages’ and it took me about thirty years to become so firm on my own taste but there are some combos that never get olds.

Denim on denim.

While it’s tempting to wear my boyfriend jeans all day every day, it doesn’t hurt to shape up the denim game introducing a skirt and pairing it with a different wash denim shirt and statement OTK boots. Finally, I am not the kind of girl who likes to look too sexy, especially during the day, so I felt very comfortable adding a black knit to dress down the entire look and giving a chic touch added by the gold details.

Inside Out The Look:

SOCIAL MEDIA OR REAL LIFE? I TAKE BOTH PLEASE!

Written by nickyinsideout on March 31, 2016. Posted in collaborations, Fashion, Mom Blog. No Comments on SOCIAL MEDIA OR REAL LIFE? I TAKE BOTH PLEASE!

We shot these images last weekend on what seemed a perfect day. It was Saturday, the sun was shining on our way to brunch with friends, the temperature still a bit low but actually a very good feeling in the sun. The perfect day to start enjoying leather jackets, off the shoulder knits and spring colour boots.

Just 5 days ago seems so far away when a perfect moment like this doesn’t reflects real life. Thankfully nothing really bad happened but yesterday Emma bumped her head against the kitchen table and since the morning after she’s been very sick. As a new mom I’ve read many times that there is nothing as bad as seeing your baby poorly and now that I am experiencing it, this is one of the worst moments.. feeling powerless in front of a sick baby is really the most terrible of feelings.

So tonight, when Emma finally was able to fall asleep and rest, I was going to relax a bit and write this outfit post.. I found myself thinking about the difference between real life and social media.

Today I could have shared one of these nicely edited photos – and I did – or a shot of real life of me in the hospital waiting room wearing a track suit and try to keep my baby smiling. Emma is indeed the most important person in my life and my life rotates around her now. She needs her mommy like no other needs me that much on this planet. I don’t see it as ‘faking the perfect life’, I prefer to read it as a sweet escape from the real life. When I open my Instagram, I like to see pretty things, get inspired by the fellow bloggers and instagrammers and keep inspiring you guys. I think there are enough bad things happening on this world when reading the news so I like to see social media platforms as a happy escape from real life sometimes.

The instagram accounts I love the most are the ones well edited, which show me fancy things, good photography, latest trends and yes let me dream for that fraction of the second when I see and enjoy the picture. So when they say that social media is not real life, I kind of agree but if I can choose, I choose both!

All of us need that daily sweet escape from what’s happening around.

My only tip today will be to don’t feel sorry to share something beautiful on your socials even if you had a sxxx day. It will make you feel better even if just for those 5/10 minutes. But don’t be afraid, if you feel like it, to share your true feelings with your community. You will be surprised on how many sympathetic and sweet girls you can find on a platform like instagram, ready to share an advice or a similar experience. Even if I don’t usually share my ‘bad’ days on my socials, I did share my experience many times with my insta-friends and always made me feel a ton better!

Ultimately, as opposite as everyone is advising these days. I say turn your instagram notifications off!

It is still possible to enjoy the intimate moments with your loved ones and a nice coffee or dinner out (after a table shot of course) and go back to check what’s going on instagram an hour later.. the best way is to interact and be part of the community! #sharingiscaring 😉

Inside Out the Look:

STATEMENT TEE AND VINTAGE LEVI’S

Written by nickyinsideout on February 14, 2016. Posted in collaborations, Fashion. No Comments on STATEMENT TEE AND VINTAGE LEVI’S

What’s better than ripped denim and a white t-shirt? A great start if you ask me.. But to be a bit less humble than plain white this time, I wanted to show you this cool statement one from Rock & Model.

When I was asked to style this t-shirt, I immediately thought about vintage Levi’s. There is something about boyfriend ripped jeans that makes a t-shirt absolutely necessary. No matter if you prefer a casual look or something more polished with sky high heels, there is always room for a statement t-shirt in your closet.

I paired my new t-shirt and my favourite boyfriend jeans with this oversized blazer and dressed it up with high heels for a smarter approach. This combo would also look great with sneakers, moving the jacket across your shoulders for a more casual, yet chic, look.

On a side note, I received several messages on my Instagram about these vintage Levi’s. They are very popular at the moment so, if you are thinking of getting a pair, these are the classic 501s. According to my experience, when you decide to go jeans vintage shopping, first of all you need some patience.

Sizes vary from year to year so you will probably end up trying on dozens of them before finding the right fit. Don’t get scared when you find out your regular size fits too small.. I did! Before finding out vintage sizes are smaller than our regulars. Expect to go up at least one size, if not two, depending on the fit you are looking for. In my case, I wanted a boyfriend fit so I went up three sizes! Finally, if they end up being too long you can get them tailored. I like them rolled up so I didn’t need any alteration but I might have them shortened closer to summer!

Good luck with your research! It’s fun!

Inside Out The Look:

CAMOUFLAGE

VISIBLY INTERESTING NEW BAG

DENIM ON DENIM

SOCIAL MEDIA OR REAL LIFE? I TAKE BOTH PLEASE!

STATEMENT TEE AND VINTAGE LEVI’S

Created in collaboration with Rock & Model. Story, styling and creative direction my own. Photography Alessia Ballardini.