Aureta Thomollari is an Albanian American luxury consultant with a dream for an Instagram. Her photos consist of every color and every place you could possibly imagine, lined up perfectly alongside the other, creating a grid that looks like a painting. Her captions are a series of hellos and goodbyes. Hi, Milan! Goodbye, Havana! See you soon, NYC.
On her most recent trip to Athens she took us along as she went to a contemporary art fair, visited the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble and watched the sunset over the Acropolis. Her feed was devoid of feta and white-and-blue storefronts and instead filled with skyscapes and ancient columns, although she admitted her favorite thing about Greece is “the beautiful Ionian sea and the delicious food.” Our personal favorite thing was of course seeing Aureta’s outfits, which were the perfect contrast of modern glitz against the temples and theaters of Greece’s past. It may have something to do with her accessorizing: “I choose my outfit based on my mood. I love to wear extra jewelry when in Greece.”
We are convinced that she owns every pair of oversized metallic sunglasses that we’ve ever wanted. Her most recent Greek purchase? “A pair of purple Prada shoes!” She also wore the greatest yellow-and-green printed jumpsuit we’ve ever seen that actually reminds us more of Brazil than anything (she also packed a Tucan clutch and a lime-green boa).
But just like her Instagram, her outfits are a series of memories and greetings and farewells of trips and countries past. She manages to bring every corner of the world to every place she’s visiting. Which is what makes her photos so compelling, the clash of cultures and colors. And although we’re wishing we were with her in Greece, we hope she brings part of her trip to us. Here’s to hoping we see Aureta in New York soon, walking down Bowery looking like a Greek goddess (and of course, her favorite is Athena).
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Suitcase, TUMI 19 Degree Short Trip Packing Case