ANNA VITIELLO

Name: Anna Vitiello

Instagram: @annarvitiello

City: London

Intro: I’m London-born but Italian-Filippino by heritage, and the rich cultural influences within my family got me into fashion at a young age (that - and my Grandmother’s penchant for incredible jewellery and shoulder pads.) My career began in magazines - I spent 5 years at Harper’s Bazaar styling and writing about fashion and fine jewellery - and have since founded a visual consultancy, working with brands to better understand their direction and how to communicate through beautiful imagery.

What are the lessons you’ve learnt in lock-down? I’ve learned that you do have time when you slow down. My life consists of juggling many different things with minimal help - my business and clients, projects, constant travel (almost every few days I was on a plane) for work and personal reasons, regularly being on location etc. - and I do often feel pretty worn out. With such a drastic reduction in travel this year, I’ve felt a little more grounded and centred than usual - it’s been a big lesson, as I hadn’t realised quite how much pressure I’d been piling onto myself on a daily basis. It’s given me a little more space and time to concentrate on the important things in life - my home life and doing much more charity work which is something I’d always wanted to focus more energy on but was never in one place long enough to do anything meaningful. I’ve also felt more grateful than ever. Even through the hardest times this year - I lost my Grandfather who was on a trip in the Philippines quite suddenly and it’s definitely been the hardest loss of my life - I’ve still felt grateful in a way that I haven’t before and have looked to this gratitude to get me through the harder times.

What do you miss most / what are you looking forward to? Ironically, I miss the travel the most. I love London, but I don’t feel my happiest here - I feel happiest when I’m in Italy or am somewhere in the world learning about and immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures. I’m very lucky to get to travel so much and, even though at times it’s stressful and I could do less of it, there’s really nothing I love more.

What have you learned about yourself this year? I wouldn’t say that I’ve learned anything new, necessarily, but I feel as though the values that I hold most dearly have been reinforced. I’m even more driven to build a business in which I can give other women the support I never had as a young woman in the workplace, and I’m even more ambitious in my hopes and plans for the brands that I work with.

Thoughts for the new year? I have an ethos of not consuming life in years. It might sound excessive, but I try and look at every day as a new opportunity to better myself and situations around me. So, for now and for 2021, I’d like to bring the lessons I have learned over the last few months and use them to create a better world for myself and people around me in some small way everyday.

What are you wearing and why were you drawn to it? A beautiful pink tulle dress. I was first drawn to magazines by a 2004 edition of British Vogue that featured a couture shoot, and I was mesmerised by how it transported me into another time and place. Fashion has its place in the real and dream worlds, but I’m very much drawn to pieces that fall into the latter - just like this dress. Plus, with almost no events and red carpets this year, I couldn’t resist the temptation to put on a beautiful gown.

Anna wears: The January Gown in hot pink tulle.