Where to GO? How to GO? When to GO? The ITB is the world’s biggest travel fair, 26 halls dedicated to global tourism in Berlin.
Images by Vladimir Smichov for Black and Paper
Stepping into the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence was a dream. American press dubbed Ferragamo “Shoemaker to the stars”. Pickford to Garbo to Crawford wore his creations on screen and off.
Born the eleventh of 14 children in the Southern Italian city of Bonito. After opening his first shop at age 9 in his hometown, Ferragamo left his native Italy in 1915 in a third class berth for United States to learn more about footwear. Opening his store in Hollywood in 1923, the boutique was a patronized by Hollywood Stars. Fame and fortune followed, the quality of his shoes garnered the shoe designer a reputation known for luxury.
1927 was the year of Ferragamo’s First Class return to Italy on board the ocean liner Roma. Returning to his native country a very successful man, settling in Florence, the center of culture, style, and fashion. Purchasing the 13th century Palazzo Spini Feroni on the bank of the Arno River in the Piazza Santa Trinita, this would become the office and atelier of the privately held Ferragamo S.p.A.
I was given a personal tour of the Ferragamo Museum. Studying Cinema Costume in university, I came across the name Ferragamo often. It is a word I associated with the heydays of Hollywood Stars: Harlow, Monroe, Kelly, and Hepburn to name a few. Beyond the beauty of a shoe, I learned Mr. Ferragamo had an intellectual curiosity the body and footwear. He studied at University of Southern California as well as patented 400 inventions concerning shoe design.
The Museo Ferragamo is housed in the basement of the Ferragamo headquarters in Florence.
The museums exhibition is titled “The Return to Italy”. Ninety years ago Salvatore Ferragamo returned after 12 years in the United States. Creating a sense of being on an luxurious ocean cruise, the color palette was blue and white with the details of the ocean and sumptuous nautical travel. The presentation is spread over 8 rooms with each having a central theme. Room 3-Folklore and the Decorative Arts in Italy. Room 4-Italian Women. Room 5- “Industrious Florence of the 1920’s. Room-6 The Italian Home Room 7-The Body in Parts Room 8-The Body and Its Aesthetics. The exhibition is organized by Carlo Sisi.
The Museo Ferragamo is located at Piazza Santa Trinita 5/R Florence, Italy
Opening time from 10 to 19:30
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Black and Paper is in Marrakesh, Morocco for the holiday season. This exotic city in the Sahara is a wealth of sights, smells, and sounds.
I am preparing the features, stay tuned.
For Christmas 2017, Black and Paper goes to Marrakech, Morocco. We are looking so forward to the visiting the exotic dessert city of inspiring landscapes and spectacular gardens. A highlight will be our tour of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. A entire center dedicated to the Master of Fashion. (The story is coming soon)
Stay tuned for the travel feature.
Shopping for a bargain is always an adventure. I call these outings “Fashion Expeditions”. My latest expedition took me to the Ingolstadt Village in the south of German, located in this center are over 130 stores from many top designers and brands. 
The center is architectural fairytale kitsch painted in soft pastel colors designed with a simple one trail layout of stores on both sides. Europeans may find it a bit plastic but being an American, I felt at home.
When shopping for bargains or at outlet centers it is important to do a bit of research. Check prices at local sales outlets then make a plan. Buying the first thing you see is not what I recommend, explore first to see what is on offer. I usually go from store to store for a first round venture to check out what store has what. For me, 
50% off the retail price is minimal incentive to shop at an outlet center because they are usually outside city centers, meaning the savings have to be worth the travel.
My Store Experiences:
Ralph Lauren– This store had a large selection of men’s and women’s fashion.. Were the prices good? On some items, yes, I bought t-shirts and underwear. The prices were comparable to TK Maxx but with many fashion choices from the designer label, a shopper could not go wrong. The customer service was excellent. I spent 72 euros.
Bally-The Swiss luxury brand outlet store had great discounts up to 70% off, but sadly for me, nothing in my shoe size. I really wanted a pair of leather trainers at 75 euros in blue or black.
Tod’s-I was hypnotized in the Italian luxury shoe wear brand’s store. Blue leather hi top trainers or round toe suede ankle boots 70% off. I decided on the round boots, classic style for only 125 euros but there was a bit of remorse about leaving the hi-tops.
Trussardi Jeans-This brand’s menswear collections was on hit for sweaters and jackets. A button down wool sweater and slim cut pants were on my menu at 70%. The fit was perfect. The sales staff was very patient to say the least. How many sweaters did I try on? A LOT! I am sure I drove the sales people to the nearest bar at quitting time.
Sunglasses-I wandered into this small store on the corner by accident, a nice selection of brands and styles. The sales lady was welcoming telling me the store had a reduction on many designer frames. I ended up buying a pair of Marc Jacobs sunglasses for a steal at 65%.
Gant-A spacious store divided by one side for womenswear, the other for menswear. The premium brand had many items at deep discounts. I was looking for a gift. I found the perfect outerwear in the form of a 100% wool poncho at 80% off.
Gucci-The top luxury brand retained its status even at a discount. The boutique was first class all the way from service to clothing on hand, temptation on every shelf. I wanted a bag. I saw a jacket all at a major discount. I had to walk away on blow my budget. When a person says, “GUCCI AT A BIG DISCOUNT” it is hard to walk away without feeling shaken.
A very productive shopping outing at the Ingolstadt Village, my fashion needs were met without breaking my wallet. If you are planning a “Fashion Expedition” in Europe put Ingolstadt Village on your list.
For more information go to: Ingolstadt Village
Goodbye Instagram! It was nice while it lasted but for some reason it never felt like a relationship beyond a necessary inconvenience. Black and Paper has decided December 31st will be the last day we post on the social media platform. The thirst is real on Instagram and we are not thirsty. In an Age of Unrepentant Self-promotion mixed with suspect followers and likes, this is not the place for us. It is better focus on our growing web site instead of getting lost in the mix of endless selfies. Black and Paper is about informing along with inspiring; promoting creative people and looking for wonderful things to share with our readers. We try to be genuine. If the product does not fit, we do not recommend like many influencers for hire. For these reasons we decided Instagram or “Instathirst” as we call it did not fit with our philosophy. A Big “THANK YOU” to our followers! We will post more pictures and commentary here on blackandpaper.com
Holiday season has started. Black and Paper offers some tips on where to go/ These cities are lesser than their bigger counterparts but offer a traveler a rewarding experience of beaches, culture, and cuisine.
Porto, The second city of Portugal has exotic charm and flavor on its sleeve. There are great beaches around the city.
Stockholm, the Queen of the North, regal without being imperial. A city with many islands for sunbathing and swimming.
Marseille, the entire Mediterranean culture is rolled into this seaport city. Beaches are west and east as well as cliff diving.
Berlin is a city known for its hedonism but from April 13th to September 15th the city will host the International Garden and Cultural Exhibition.
As a fan of gardens and parks it was exciting to get a tour of the event before the opening.
Numerous landscaped and garden themes cover the 104 hectares park with ranging from tropical to vertical gardens to desert terrain to open spaces collections.
Another highlight of the event is the various cultural activities that will take place, more than 5000.
The IGA exhibit can be reached by the U5 Metro line in Berlin, station IGA Berlin.
For more information go to: IGA