John Roberts: Eternal Tour

Journeying 400 kilometers above the polar circle to Karigasniemi village in Utsjoki, Finland, filmmaker Eva Weber captures the reindeer herding that has been the livelihood of the Arctic’s indigenous Sámi people for countless generations. On the farm of local herder Ari Niiles Niittyvuopio, thousands of reindeer are brought in from the surrounding mountainsides where they graze in warmer months. Once gathered, the animals are identified by various markers and distributed to their owners, who depend on them for food, hides and, in some instances, entertainment. A popular sport in the region, reindeer racing takes place every spring, with bucks trained to pull a “jockey” on skies around a one-kilometer loop at speeds of up to 60kmph to determine who owns the fastest beast. With twilight looming at 9:30am and complete darkness having settled by 2pm, Weber and her crew braved temperatures of minus 18 degrees Celsius during the several days they spent with the animals. “They really are the most striking creatures,” says Weber. “They all have this incredible, breath-taking energy and inexplicable mystery. The noise they make is completely fascinating, beautiful, unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.”

The founder of leather goods company Il Bisonte and Florence’s most vividly stylish artisan, Wanny Di Filippo muses on the beauty of aging objects and the great character of the historic Tuscan city in this intimate video portrait by Daniel Riera. Esteemed for the beautiful bags he has been handcrafting since 1970, Di Filippo is a regular on street style blogs like The Sartorialist and on Style.com’s fashion week diaries due to his debonair flair for layering color and print waistcoats, ties, scarves and hats—all accessorized with his signature cigar. “I admire Wanny's sense of freedom and creativity,” explains Advanced Style founder Ari Seth Cohen. “He has taught me to be inspired by the world around me and to incorporate those influences into my personal style.” Di Filippo's eclectic mix is influenced by an interest in antiques and flea markets, and reflects a genuinely bohemian approach to life. “Don't be conditioned by trends and the media,” he advises. “Cultivate a personal style and buy things for yourself, not to show others your wealth. In life, what’s really important is health, freedom and friends.” Here the Florentine craftsman shares some of the city's jewels with Cohen.

Cafés
Procacci is an historic café just a shake of a lamb’s tail from the Palazzo Strozzi––it has a really good deli and is famous for its truffle panini. Other trattorias I like include Coco Lezzone, 13 Gobbi, L’Osteria di Giovanni in Via del Moro, and La Giostra in Borgo Pinti—I've been going for years and feel really at home there. Papero Rosso in Via Montebello is a recent discovery.

Museums and galleries 
The Palazzo Strozzi shows great exhibitions from ancient to contemporary art; the Bardini Museum and the garden attached offer a welcome respite from the busy city; the Museo Stibbert and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello are equally interesting and a bit more undiscovered; and for modern art I love the Aria gallery in Borgo SS Apostoli, towards the city center. 

Shopping
I'm obsessed with antiques markets. The ones I visit are a strong influence on my work. In Tuscany, most markets move from city to city––the first Sunday of the month it's in Arezzo, the second in Florence (in the Basso fortress) and the third in Lucca. And permanently in Florence you have the Ciompi Market. 

Shops that I like include Angela Caputi for jewelry, Lorenzo Villoresi for perfumes, Stefano Bemer for shoes, Penko for silver, and Angelo Vadala for portraits.

For food I go outside the city: the farm of San Michele a Torri sells great organic food.

Inspiration and culture
I go fishing in the rivers of the Apennine Mountains between the Tuscany/Emilia-Romagna regions. I like to visit the Art Nouveau greenhouse in the horticulture gardens (Giardino dell'Orticoltura), and the Roman amphitheater in Fiesole has a great cultural calendar of shows.

Tonight NOWNESS will host an event celebrating Ari Seth Cohen's new Advanced Style book. Follow live coverage of Cohen and the Advanced Style Ladies at the event on Twitter at #NOWNESSAdvancedStyle.