Michela is too humble to believe that she is an arbitor of taste, but in my opinion she is. When I first met her at New York Fashion week in February 2010, I was arrested by her presence. Michela stood out like like a glamorous Pocahontas in a tribal knit cap, red boyish cardigan, khaki military pant, the prototypical Rolling Stones tee, tan suede bucks and a fur jacket that I can imagine Daniel Boone would have worn. It is hard for me to understand, but Michela says that she is sometimes referred to as a "fashionista," but insists that she is not. It was beyond obvious to me that she was as individual as it comes when I first spotted her in her unique, earthy and eclectic layering of the classics among a sea of black platform ankle boots. Michela's arsenal of crisply pressed white button down shirts, that serve as the basis for her wardrobe, belies anything close to trendy. In fact, it seems as though she has an obsession with the fundamentals and her cabinets are filled to the brim with them. Some examples of what she feels you can't have enough of: all things military, including camouflage and khaki, leather and suede pants, and indigo and white jeans (which she so accurately claims are good for winter too). However, for me, Michela's long pin straight hair to her waste and absence of any makeup, a la Georgia O'Keefe, puts her in the category of iconic. Though she would not accept this title, take a look at her aura while sitting Indian style, barefoot, on her Zebra carpet in her indigenous, floral pants.

If you like Michela, you may also enjoy Christine de Lassus and Lexie Smith

This feature's video interview was done by Angela Grossi in Milan. The photography was done by Daniele Fragale.