Candela Pelizza

“8 o’clock dinner at Candela’s!” I read this message, sent to me by our Patricia, as soon as I woke up on a grey Milanese morning and the effect was like that of a coffee. For this issue I had proposed to interview the former model, influencer and now digital entrepreneur from Argentina, but living in Milan for years. I thought it was important to include the voice of someone who, although “Italianised” by a long stay, is not originally from our boot, a mother, to reflect our focus on families, but who denotes style, because we are a fashion magazine after all. My questions were already drafted for a long time, ready to be sent via email, once the whirlwind days of fashion week between Milan and Paris were over. Instead, hospitable as in the best tricolor tradition, Candela opened the door of her apartment to me and added a place at her table as if I were that extra friend from a famous Italian singing tune. Among her family: the determined first-born Verde, the extrovert Celeste and the very nice little Martin.

At the table, no spaghetti, pizza or ravioli stuffed with ‘nduja and burrata, which she assures me is his signature dish of the moment, but Indian take-away, French wine and the background of the hostess’ Latin-American cadence. But the Italian vibes were everywhere, in the engaging energy that this family creates around itself (“in our independence we are a very strong team” – she will reveal to me later!) and in Candela’s motherhood, which is a mix of tenderness, understanding, a few traits of rigor and the propensity to give useful lessons… precious even those on the outfit to wear to school the next day!

Out of professional duty, although I don’t think she needs any introduction, I’ll introduce her to you, in case there is anyone among the readers who doesn’t know Candela (the last name Pelizza is superfluous): she was born in Buenos Aires in 1980 and grew up with her parents and her twin sister, Vanesa – who remained “her corner of Argentina here in Milan”. Together with her, when she was seventeen, she moved to Italy and began working as a model. Thanks to her innate style, she became an It-girl and then an Influencer (both with a capital “I” because she was among the first), collaborating with the online magazine Grazia.it and establishing herself as a fashion icon. Distinctive signs that characterize her are blue eyes and the unmissable blond bob. This was followed by collaborations with digital platforms, magazines, brands and a docuseries broadcast on television, until she reached her current role as entrepreneur and digital creator, with a very popular social profile that tells, as the bio says, of “joy love beauty wonder grace creativity at the service of communication through images”. Thanks to an account edited in colors and graphics as in a fashion magazine, Candela reveals us her world in which glamour meets the intimacy of her family moments.

But none of this was a topic of conversation during our dinner. We talked about lunar influences and the symbolism of the signs of the zodiac, discussed TV shows that I couldn’t say too much about because I missed the last episode (besides, Patricia hadn’t even seen the first one because she’s always late for the latest releases), Verde’s and Celeste’s lessons at school, which also included some advice on matters of the heart, and her secrets (which I won’t reveal) for better storing flowers in vases. In the end, it was Patricia who brought us back to order (it’s her role in the editorial staff as well, an innate characteristic) by reminding us that we were there for an interview, to be done before it was time to put Martin to bed. A few questions to get to know better a sophisticated woman and a wonderful mother who has become Italian by choice.