Walking the Runways at Milan Fashion Week with Model @vittoceretti

Follow along with Vittoria’s work and travels at @vittoceretti on Instagram.

Italian model Vittoria Ceretti (@vittoceretti) grew up just a few hours away from Milan, which makes walking the runways at Milan Fashion Week feel all the more special. “Milan makes me feel like I’m home,” says the 19-year-old. “Whenever I come here, I’m most looking forward to seeing my family and walking for the Italian fashion houses. It makes me proud to be representing the Italian flag!”

Going Behind the Scenes at Versace with Donatella (and Audrey)

For artistic director Donatella Versace (@donatella_versace), inspiration comes from women whose lives are complex — much like hers. “I am always thinking about a woman who flies high in her career, she has her family, her friends, her social life, her private life,” says Donatella, who showed her latest collection for Versace (@versace_official) yesterday in Milan. “Most importantly, she has control of her life, more than ever before. This to me is the new power of women, and the power that I want to express in my shows.” To understand what goes on behind the scenes at Versace, you also need to follow Audrey, Donatella’s Jack Russell terrier (@audrey_versace). “She is always with me, even at models’ fittings, and I trust her opinion about everything,” Donatella says. “It is like she somehow has the Versace DNA.”

@unskilledworker Paints the @gucci Show for the Fourth Time

To see more of Helen’s paintings, follow @unskilledworker on Instagram.

At Wednesday’s Gucci runway show in Milan, there were models, hair stylists, makeup artists and so many gorgeous clothes — but only one painter. Helen Downie (@unskilledworker) was in attendance for the fourth time as the house artist, invited by Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s (@gucci) creative director. Helen’s role is to document, in portraits with solemn eyes and colors that seem to bleed off of one’s phone, the enchantment of a Gucci show. “Alessandro is creating something so magical at Gucci, they are clothes that whisper of stories and adventure,” says Helen, who taught herself to paint two years ago. “I want to make faces that people find themselves being drawn into. Imperfections and honesty are what make people interesting and warm. I want that to be reflected in my work.”

Food That Looks Good and Tastes Good, with @dailybreakfast in Milan

For more from Laura’s daily breakfast, follow @dailybreakfast. For more from the Milan World Expo, explore the Expo 2015 Milan location page and follow @expo2015milano on Instagram.

“The culture of Italian food is renowned worldwide and although this is a small country, every region has its gastronomic tradition and even within each region there are huge culinary differences,” says Milan-based photographer and food stylist Laura La Monaca (@dailybreakfast). As a freelancer, Laura says breakfast is the only fixed point of her day before shooting, preparing and working with chefs to create dishes which are not just photogenic, but entirely delicious too. “The food styling process starts from the dish itself: I try to understand what may be the difficulties in terms of photography and try to minimize them. For example, the pasta is better to photograph al dente rather than cooked, and a bit of olive oil makes it more pretty in photos. Then I think about how to serve it, about the set and props to use,” she explains.

Milan’s Expo 2015 (@expo2015milano) runs through the end of October this year, with 140 countries showcasing sustainable solutions to providing food for everyone. “This is a great opportunity for Italy,” Laura adds. “An opportunity to bring attention to the enormous amount of food wasted every day and to learn about the traditions and culture of the countries that joined the Expo.”

A Simple Approach to Colorful Cutouts with @giopastori

To see more of Gio’s cutouts, follow @giopastori on Instagram.

The illustrator Gio Pastori’s (@giopastori) approach to creating his playful cutout illustrations is simple. “I usually use no more than two to three colors,” he says. “I sketch my ideas before, then I draw the subjects with a blade on colored paper with no guidelines, to keep it fresh. Then I put it all together.” For Gio, who lives in Milan, Italy, the fashion world often influences his colorful work — from a Moschino sandal to a Valentino print. “The fashion world’s rapid change and depth is something I find exciting and inspiring.”

Gio, who only recently finished his university studies in illustration, wants to continue his work surrounded by inspiration. "My dream is a good-quality studio shared with good friends in a nice place doing beautiful things.”

Pausing for a Photo Before Hitting the Runway with the Hairstylist @sandyhullett

For more backstage photos and videos by Sandy from Milan Fashion Week, follow @sandyhullett on Instagram.

As she checks on each model moments before a fashion show begins, Sandy Hullett (@sandyhullett) pauses to take a picture. “I view my photos as a continuation of my work, a kind of record of the backstage atmosphere,” says Sandy, who is the hairstylist Guido Palau's first assistant. Sandy describes the scene as sometimes crazy and stressful. “There are time constraints and girls coming late from another show,” she says. “Sometimes a makeup artist, hairstylist and manicurist all have to work together to get the look done in time. But it’s fun, too. We are all a huge team working for the same goal and I feel very lucky to work on some incredible shows with amazingly inspirational designers.”

Sandy assists Guido Palau at menswear, couture and ready-to-wear shows for some of the biggest fashion houses in New York, London, Milan and Paris. For the Prada (@prada) show during Milan Fashion Week, the hairstyle was designed around the jewelry. “The colors of the clothes were beautiful and the fabrics and accessories, amazing,” Sandy says. “I loved the idea that a girl would use a beautiful brooch on her dress and then use the same ones in her hair.”

Sandy says that she’s always been a hairstylist. “I used to cut my brother’s hair and any friend who would let me from a very early age,” she says. “I would make him sit while I’d brush and comb his hair into these weird shapes! For me, hairstyling is an art form, a sculpture that can be molded and transformed.”