I found it really hard to decide what to wear today. I stood in front of my mirror and put on at least a dozen different outfits, but I finally found what I was looking for. I’ve got this great black silk tank with a ruffled turtleneck. I bought it in Italy so you know it’s stylish. I’m going to pair it with jean shorts and my hot, black, Miu Miu gladiator heels.

This black tank is one of my favorites because it makes me feel so sexy. I associate good memories with it. The first time I wore it I was in Italy. I was new to the city, alone, and bored. I got dressed up and decided to take an evening walk to watch the sunset over the Arno River. I wasn’t five minutes from my apartment when, somehow, I ended up on a date. His name was Enrico, and he was a club promoter for one of the hottest clubs in Florence: Central Park.

He invited me to watch the Spain vs. Germany football game (that’s soccer for Americans) at a small bar called La Luna Rosa (aka The Pink Moon). It was a quaint bar, and he was a nice boy. He wore Prada sneakers and a Gucci belt. He introduced me to his friends at the bar. One of them was a tall, handsome, man that resembled Adam Brody. He kept saying to me: “You cannot be American! You dress so European!” I was flattered, but at the same time, I hoped he realized that not all Americans dress bad. One thing that I realized in Italy is that Italians take fashion so seriously. They put on their finest jewelry just to take the trash out. Some Americans do realize that fashion is an art, even if we don’t include taking out the trash.

There was also an artist in Italy that I befriended one day. I was sitting outside the Uffizi Galleria, on a dirty bench, when he stopped his caricatures of Woody Allen and approached me. He complimented my brown Enzo Angiolini gladiator sandals. He said that he sits there outside the Uffizi everyday trying to sell his art and he sees way too many women in ugly shoes. I laughed aloud, but got a little sensitive for Californians when he mentioned how much distaste he had towards flip-flops. I mean I don’t wear flip-flops UNLESS I’m on the beach, but I felt for the millions of people in California that wear them everywhere.

There is a huge cultural difference between American and Italian ideas on fashion. But, I hope that America will find more value for fashion as the Italians have.