I’ve Lived in Milan for 20 Years—3 Styling Tricks I’ve Learned From Italy’s Chicest Women

Tamu McPherson is a Who What Wear editor in residence. She’s worn many different hats in the fashion industry, including editor, photographer, content creator, consultant, and stylist. She’s collaborated with Prada, Bulgari, Burberry, Mango, Sézane, and many other brands. She founded All the Pretty Birds in 2008 and has been based in Milan since 2005.

“Italian women always show up impeccably,” Tamu McPherson tells Who What Wear. “I am so happy that I have been able to pinch bits of their flavor into my personal style.” Of course, she cites the grande signora of Italian fashion, Miuccia Prada, among her style inspirations, but McPherson also takes cues from everyday women in her adopted city of Milan, where she’s lived since 2005. For her first story as one of Who What Wear’s editors in residence, McPherson shares the top styling tricks she’s picked up during the past two decades in Italy. Along the way, she extolls the virtues of designer outlets, rule-breaking fashion, and unexpected color combos.

I remember when I moved to Milan, I arrived with a surplus army parka, one wool coat, and a cropped brown leather bomber. Within my first week in town, I learned that what had been my hero trio of outerwear in New York was sartorially inadequate in the Italian fashion capital.