If you don’t follow Giada Biaggi in at least one of her channels, you have to do it now. Don’t read anything further, just do it.

Just to briefly explain to you what she does: Giada is editor and writer of several online fashion and lifestyle magazines, and she has an irreverent, philosophical, and stylish podcast (and vodcast) called “Philosophy & the City.” She is about to publish her first “brainy-caliente” novel, as she called it, and she is writing a movie while waiting to make a “Fleabag“-style TV series. All her projects feature a satirical accent, a passion for French existentialists, an authorial and feminist tone that wants to break down stereotypes, and a “Tyrolean slut” total look, where grandfathers’ sweaters meet sequined bikinis, with one rule: never take yourself too seriously.

A character, a personality, and a way of writing that is perfectly represented by Giada’s closet, between vintage tweed clothes and jackets, the beloved Miu Miu, the inevitable wooden clogs, and creative accessories (first of all, her foulards combined with those of Vittorio, his cocker). In this space, Giada collects all the garments she needs to give an aesthetic coherence to her world, in the name of a sexy-chic and creative revolution, which can be synthesized by the following image: a woman with a Swarovski bikini reading in the library.

How was your closet while growing up, and how did it change over the years?

I’ve never been douchey, I like to underline it. I have always been a big fan of the indie Made in the UK world; when I was 21, I bought “IT” by Alexa Chung, and her style has always been my main reference. When I was younger, I hated anything that made me sexy, and I was much more mannish. Now, instead, thanks to figures such as Lana Del Rey, I am in peace with my sensuality and the “Lolita look” that have been integrated over the years into this Britishness, defining a more mature and conscious style.

How would you describe your relationship with fashion?

I’m quite obsessed with fashion, and I spend most of my money on clothes and books. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t pay the electricity bill to not miss an offer on Farfetch. More than a fashionista, I call myself an aesthete – it drives me crazy the idea of not being able to wear that thing at that specific moment in my life because it perfectly matches that wallpaper that I just decided to put on. It’s all about a concatenation of objects and clothes that I must possess to give an aesthetic coherence to my world, this is my declination of Kant’s categorical imperative. I love beauty, and fashion, for me, is one of its most empirical manifestations. 

“More than a fashionista, I call myself an aesthete – it drives me crazy the idea of not being able to wear that thing at that specific moment in my life because it perfectly matches that wallpaper that I just decided to put on.”

“It’s all about a concatenation of objects and clothes that I must possess to give an aesthetic coherence to my world.”

What garments or accessories better represent your style?

The Barbour, the oversized tweed jackets, the Mary Jane shoes but also wooden clogs, white stockings, and hoop earrings. 

What is your everyday look?

High-waisted miniskirt, striped top worn inside the skirt, maxi-blazer, and leather loafers.

What are the three must-haves in your wardrobe?

Cuissardes boots, Miu Miu blouses, Levis’ 501, the old Tyrolean Lodens I find in the markets.

Have you ever had a fashion or wardrobe epic fail?

The flesh-colored socks I used to wear in the disco to go to high school parties.

What is the piece of clothing or accessory that deserves a wardrobe of its own?

The bandana collar by Prada that I just ordered for my cocker, Vittorio.

What’s the item or accessory you should get rid of, but can’t?

An old Missoni hoodie that belonged to my ex.

If you could wear only one brand from now on, which one would you choose and why?

Miu Miu: I love everything about this brand – the Tyrolean girly style, the maxi-necks of the shirts, the missy shoes. My favorite piece of clothing that I’ve dreamed of owning since I saw it is the vintage leather flower cap from the SS2016: I already see myself wearing it on holiday in St. Tropez.

You have a last-minute event and you’re not at home: where do you go for an emergency shopping session?

If I were very rich I would tell you Miu Miu or Prada; but given my bank account, I would say Humana Vintage. Franca Sozzani once said that if you are poor but have good taste, go research in vintage stores.

What do you have too many of in your closet?

Trainee sweaters.

“Franca Sozzani once said that if you are poor but have good taste, go research in vintage stores.”

What is your “special” bag?

The 2.55 bag by Chanel.

Sneakers or heels?

Medium heels: I have sneakers, but I can’t wear them.

Your must-have accessory.

The foulard.

Color block or black?

Color Block but not neon.

How often do you organize your closet?

Never, I’m not a big fan of Marie Kondo and all these closet-organizing things. I think we were created for something bigger than folding clothes to feel fulfilled. Luckily though, I have an obsessive-compulsive mom who does it for me every time she comes to see me. 

Is your wardrobe a sacred place, or do you let other people (besides us) in as well?

I have a closet similar to that of Carrie; I have a lot of gay friends working in fashion, so you can imagine. We also saber inside, like a closet-privè (laughs).

What’s at the top of your wish list right now?

Prada‘s Cleo bag and Gucci‘s Mary Jane shoes in patent leather with baby-like holes on the tip; I will buy one of them before the summer. I would also like some hair clasps, like, four, from Girlswithpearljewelery, to take an artsy selfie (lol). 

“I have a closet similar to that of Carrie.”

What are you saving space for in your closet?

A Trolley by Dior to finally go to Tokyo when it will be possible. 

Describe your closet in one word.

A “Tyrolean-slut” wardrobe.

A look from a movie or TV series that left you speechless.

The looks of the three protagonists from “Heartbeats” by Xavier Dolan; when it comes to TV series, everything from “The Marvelous Misses Maisel.”

“A ‘Tyrolean-slut’ wardrobe.”

What’s the book on your nightstand right now?

“The Appointment: (Or, the Story of a Jewish Cock)” by Katharina Volckmer. It is the funniest and most desecrating thing I’ve read recently. A unique post-feminist voice. 

The superpower of your closet (the one it has or the one you wish it had).

My closet says, “Hey girl, stay here, and I will turn you into a sexy-chic French existentialist right away!” 

What does it mean to you to feel comfortable in your skin?

I’m not a big fan of body positivity. I always want to feel uncomfortable in my body, because this is a terrific creative catalyst for me. 

“I always want to feel uncomfortable in my body, because this is a terrific creative catalyst for me.” 

What’s the latest thing you discovered about yourself?

Men find me sexy; I’ve found it out late, but I don’t feel it, you know? I play with sex a lot even in the comedies I do, but it’s still something that I feel deeply far from me in the first place.

Creativity: What does it mean in your life and work, and how do you express it?

I believe that being creative is about creating something new; it seems obvious, but it is not – today, I find that we are all too derivative. For me, creating means carrying on imagery that has never been lexicalized before, saying something new or at least in a way that has never been used before, and that’s what I’ve tried to do with my podcast and that I’ll carry on in my vodcast as well. My creative revolution can be summarized in the following image: a woman with a Swarovski bikini reading in the library.

What was the article that you enjoyed the most writing up to now?

An article I wrote a few years ago for Marie Claire that questioned the feminism of “Sex & The City;” formally it is not my most beautiful article, but it’s the one that revealed my militant and anti-conformist vein.

“For me, creating means carrying on imagery that has never been lexicalized before, saying something new or at least in a way that has never been used before.”

Your approach to fashion is even comic, and your vodcast is proof of it: what pushed you to speak in that way about a topic that’s often considered “too serious”?

For me, taking oneself seriously is stupid, which is why I left the academic field. I have friends who work in fashion whom I love, but sometimes, they act like they’re saving polar bears. On women, fashion is a way to tease stereotypes: do you like women with bikinis? Then listen to the women with bikinis talking about Freud!

What will be the future of fashion and communication in your opinion? 

I hope we will get back to the content; I believe in platforms like podcasts and Twitch, for example.

What are your next projects?

In the future, I wish I could live by writing fiction like Meryl Streep in “She-Devil,” although I like being a journalist in a more authorial tone as I am doing for Cosmopolitan right now! In the immediate future, I will make the Vodcast of “Philosophy & The City” that will be available on YouTube and publish my first “brainy-caliente” novel in a way which has never been done before in Italy! I will also do some videos for Indie Magazine, an independent newspaper from Berlin, which will be fashion-pills in a comic key. Among the big projects, there is a film that I have been working on for a long time, it is a scandalous female biopic that I’m currently writing. My dream is to write a TV series like “Fleabag,” maybe inspired by my book, who knows!

“On women, fashion is a way to tease stereotypes: do you like women with bikinis? Then listen to the women with bikinis talking about Freud!”

“My dream is to write a TV series like ‘Fleabag,’ maybe inspired by my book, who knows!”

Photos & Video by Johnny Carrano.

Follow Giada here.