Tamu McPherson's life is a great lesson in how to move your career with the changing times – and your evolving passions.
The former lawyer-turned-founder of the street-style site All The Pretty Birds, has gone from super-blogger (right up there with Susie Bubble, Bryanboy and Man Repeller), to Instagram star (more than 100,000 followers and counting) to model (yes, that was her in J.Crew's SS17 New York Fashion Week presentation) to health and wellness evangelist. All while avoiding the 'influencer' cliche.
Born in Jamaica, Tamu left the island at six years old to move to New York, before eventually studying at Fordham University and later moving to Italy with her husband Galileo (together they have a nine- year-old son, Piero).
Now, the 40 year old is one of Milan's most-beloved fashion fixtures, known locally for her highly individual way of dressing, which translates to her tightly curated home. Here, she talks us through the pieces that are the extensions of her style.
PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
'I collect all the great art and photography books: Newton, Sidibé, Fordham, Avedon. I'm also reading A Brief History Of Seven Killings by Marlon James. He won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for fiction. I bought it because, like me, he's Jamaican and we're all so proud.'
MY SON'S DRAWING
'My son Piero drew this picture of our family last year. Look at the clothes he put my husband in! I love the way he's drawn my hair, and the fact he's standing with me on the side of the Christmas tree. It's all so us.'
RUSSIAN SHAWL
'I bought this at a stall in Moscow. It's a keepsake, but also something I wear. I'll style it with a Céline jacket - I love mixing traditional costume with modern pieces.'
SATIN BLUE NO. 21 MULES
'I can go from minimal to maximal in about 42 seconds. I can kind of just travel on both wavelengths. And I like that these shoes do this too. The mule is such a sexy silhouette.'
STATEMENT FURNITURE
'I'm a big furniture collector; I get a lot from antique shops, and most of my sofas and chairs have been reupholstered. These grey, velvet ones are from a dentist's office. We love the textile designer Kvadrat, and the furniture designers Achille Castiglioni and Eero Saarinen.'
THE PAINTING I LOVE
'This is by a Brazilian artist called Marcel Cordeiro. I haven't seen him for a long time, but we discovered him when he was dating our interior decorator. I love how romantic it is and the poetry on the painting: "Bring me up to the sky, high in the sky. I'll look down into the bottom of the ocean and leave me there looking down."'