I've known Elisa for an unidentifiable amount of time, but I have a vivid memory of my first encounter with her and her sisters. It was a photoshoot taken by a friend, Valentina Costa, where, in an indecipherable and utterly poetic time, all five of them are portrayed in all their extraordinary beauty. Elisa's mother is German and her father is Italian, and as you can imagine, she comes from a large family, with six children in total. She is married to Alberto, and together they live in Verona where, two years ago, she opened Céleste with Angela. Céleste is our favorite clothing store in the center of our Verona and you can find it at Corso Santa Anastasia 41/B.
Tell me how the idea of opening your store, Céleste, came about?
Angela and I had known each other for years, then due to a conjunction of astral events, we both found ourselves at a certain point in our lives intersecting with this common idea. We sat down to chat and shortly after decided to take a trip to Paris. It was there that we brainstormed the initial ideas to start our project. Everything came together very quickly. It was a rapid succession of events that, in a very short time, led us to open the doors of our store, Céleste.
Why the name Céleste?
Personally, I like the name itself. It's very personal, intuitive, and easy to remember. Furthermore, Paris is in both our hearts, and Céleste had an absolutely Parisian appeal. Another detail that led us to this choice is that the first store, opened on Via Portici, was in a location where all the nearby shops had a person's name. So, this fortuitous circumstance also helped us approve the name.
What comes to mind if I say Luce?
If I think of the word "luce" (light), I think of the sparkle of the sun on the sea. If instead I think of Luce as a brand, I hear the notes of 70s disco music in my ears and the bubbles of champagne in my mouth, because it's effervescent, Luce is that item that brings joy to your wardrobe.
What is your Luce?
My family, without a doubt. My sisters. Light, peace, serenity but also discussions and the hard truth that is always right. They are my rock.
What's in your bag?
Cigarettes, pieces of paper where I jot down inspirational phrases or three-page topics. I start writing, collect all the papers, and create a daily diary. I write completely at random on papers of all kinds. That's why my bag is something super personal to me. I always carry a lip liner and an eye pencil with me too.
What are your favorite beauty products?
I use an orange blossom cream by Diptyque. It's my cream-slash-perfume, because it works so well with my skin and I really feel like myself when I wear it. It doesn't have a name, it has an L engraved on the jar. I'm not someone who changes perfume often; I only change them if something special happens. My latest purchase is Orris Tattoo by Parle Moi De Parfume, and I always carry that with me too.
Elisa is wearing: ANAIS powder pink dress
If you want to get to know Elisa, you can find her here: @__la_eli__
Her shop, Céleste, can be found here: @celeste_verona
All photos of Elisa via Greta Casagrande
Image via @thierryporter
Holiday Image Henrik Purienne via @purienne
SMILE, please Image Elaine Constantine, Vogue Italia 1999 via Creaturesofcomfort
You can find Elisa's shop, Céleste, on Instagram: @celeste_verona