WHO: Jessica Albano, 24, stylist and accessories designer.

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Queen West.

READY TO WEAR: Albano wears gold hoops from Aldo (www.aldoshoes.com), a red terrycloth onesie from Iguana Vintage Clothing (6320 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; 323-462-1010), navy blue belt and sandals from Value Village (1319 Bloor W., 416-539-0585), wooden bangles from Fabrice (www.fabricetoronto.com, 55 Avenue, 416-967-6590) and a watch that was a gift from her mother.

STYLE PHILOSOPHY: The Australian stylist is embracing her inner “Bronx Gina” with this current look, and is gearing up for a hot and sweaty summer filled with gold accents and colourful hues. She also recognizes that this is “totally something my mom would have worn” as a young, first-­generation Italian woman in 1970s Melbourne. “I was always aware of my Italian parents never leaving the house unless they were looking totally immaculate.”

DRESS UP: While she may fret over the humidity’s effects on her natural curls, Albano is welcoming the heat. Describing her personal approach to styling as often a cross between “$5 Value Village and $300 Yorkville boutique,” she readily lists off summer-­appropriate choices such as skirts, dresses and, in particular, “high-waist jeans with kick-ass pumps.”

JUNE SHOPPING LIST: Heading off this month for a quick jaunt to London, Berlin and Amsterdam, she’ll be shopping vintage in London’s Hackney district with a friend and name-checks Tatty Devine (www.tattydevine.com, 236 Brick Lane, London; 0207-739-9009) for choice accessories. “It’s great because right now is sale time. So new or vintage, I’m down to see what’s over there.”

favourite style statement: “It’s a 1950s bright red bicycle with a back-break, no gears,” she says. “His name is Hansel the German Stallion [and he has a] hamburger bell.” Albano relies on Hansel to take her to haunts like Luna Café (181 Dovercourt, 416-588-3374), Unit (1198 Queen W., 416-537-6646) and 909 Vintage (909 Dundas W., 416-916-7599).

TORONTO IS… Well, it’s complicated. “Toronto has been a love affair for two years. Like any relationship, it’s on and off, particularly in the winter,” she says. “You have to be practical [in style], but I think there’s a restraint on self-expression.”

LOOKING FORWARD: Having recently styled a shoot for the upcoming issue of Pound magazine, Albano will be kick-starting her Melbourne accessories line Kitty Drinks Milk in Toronto this year. Expect bags, jewellery and “elaborate fascinators.”

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