5 Minutes: Elisa Nalin

1.5 min read

Famed for clashing colour, prints and her impeccable sense of style, Paris-based stylist Elisa Nalin is every inch the street-style star. We speak to the Italian about fashion and more.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 
I kiss my son.

What are your everyday wardrobe staples? 
A masculine silk shirt in a simple baby blue colour. Men’s trousers (a bit short on the ankle) and a pair of flat shoes, lately I like to wear loafers or slip-ons.

Do you have an everyday motto? 
Be nice to people, smile and never give up!

What items of clothing will you investing in over the next few months? 
I don’t like to spend too much money on clothes or accessories, but when I do I always end up spending my money on Dries van Noten and Pierre Hardy shoes.

What emerging fashion talent from Italy (or Paris) should we be keeping an eye on? 
Lahssan is a very talented and creative young man in Paris. His trenches are to die for! And Marco de Vincenzo from Italy, I thought his last collection was gorgeous.

Do you have an all-time favourite outfit? 
No, I change everyday depending on the mood I wake up in the morning.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 
Follow your dreams and listen to yourself.

Images Courtesy of GoRunway.com

What does style mean to you? 
It’s about personality and being yourself. I don’t follow trends. It’s important to have a natural and effortless charm, elegance, and as Parisians say, ‘Un certain je ne sais quoi’.

In what ways do your Italian heritage and culture influence your style choices? 
I think it is in my DNA, in my roots and blood – always feeling the need to be well dressed, not for others but for you. As Tom Ford once said, ‘Dressing well is a form of well manners’.

Do you have ‘rules’ you follow for styling? 
Not really. Maybe there is one: I always have to believe in the woman I’m dressing and in the image I’m creating of her. When the model or actress is all set and dressed, I’m always asking myself, ‘Do I believe in her? Would she dress like that?’

In what ways does Parisian culture influence your day-to-day dressing? 
It’s certainly an endless sort of inspiration. Paris is so varied in all of her styles. All you have to do is sit down at a café and watch people passing by – I love to do that!