Valentina and Francesca see fashion as wearable art

Valentina and Francesca are not real people, but rather the bold and sophisticated Italian alter-egos of San Mateo-based mixed media artists Juliana Stoy and Asha Raval. The design duo recently launched their first fashion blog, valentinafrancesca.com, which follows the adventures of the two characters as they traipse around the Bay Area in playfully creative ensembles.

Raval, 28, is from Palo Alto, and Stoy, 29, is originally from Bulgaria. They met while attending art school in London and moved to San Francisco several years ago to start Animal Spirit Design, a mixed media, illustration and fine art business, which attracted private buyers as well as corporate clients such as CB2.

Their artistic eye and design background sets them apart in the blogosphere as they approach fashion as wearable art.

"We don’t view fashion as just clothes or apparel. It’s really a story, it’s a narrative, it’s a character. It’s art in itself," says Raval.

Soft-spoken Stoy, who has long, deep red dyed hair and dresses with comfort in mind, wearing flowing bohemian-style skirts and blouses, is the perfect counterpart to the more rambunctious Raval who loves rich texture and says she would wear a great pair of heels, no matter how painful.

Though their styles differ, Stoy and Raval’s love for bright colors and striking combinations brings the the two together.

"That’s what’s exciting about our blog, we’re two girls that have the same appreciation of beauty and uniqueness but wear it in really different ways," says Raval.

Rather than posting perfectly poised shots like you might see on some fashion blogs, Stoy and Raval are not afraid to show their personalities and sense of humor in their photo shoots — like when they use shower heads as mics while posing in a bathtub at the Ritz Carlton.

Their clothing choices and combinations are equally creative.

"When I was younger there were times when I thought: I really want to wear that, but is it too crazy? I would worry that it was a little too out there," Stoy says. "I hope our blog encourages people to not be afraid and not hold back any creative ideas they have to do with their style, and just go for it."

In their recent blog post about San Francisco’s Maiden Lane, Raval went sport-luxe with orange Nike shorts and a neon green Nike top paired with high heeled Miu Miu boots, while Stoy wore a classic mini skirt and and a blue leather jacket to complement her Donut Clutch by Go Jane.

With a love for European refinement and fashion, Raval and Stoy were excited to feature Maiden Lane, one of their favorite places in San Francisco because of its French-Italian vibe and growing number of European luxury retailers like Margiela and Marni.

"Fashion is really coming to San Francisco in a way that it hasn’t before. It’s a really exciting place to be and we kind of want to be the leaders in that role of bringing that European background and look to this area," Raval says.

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