For example: when dressing to go buy a bit of milk, we wouldn't describe it as an activity that requires "bella figura", we just don't want to look like homeless people and our "not looking homeless" is at a certain standard; but they would say that, by dressing appropriately, we are paying attention to "bella figura". That's because people here can go VERY low on standards of appearance in circumstances like that, while we just won't.
which makes the whole thing extra weird because even if she might not be aware of a direct translation being available she should know how it's used in italy.
it's perfectly fine for a finely dressed gentleman to spill a drink on his wife's boss on a party, which is a perfect occasion for a "proprio una bella figura hai fatto" > "yeah, such a good impression you made" and it's so common of an usage I can't fathom how it got related to fashion in the article part she penned.
It's a cliché in UK. They correctly diagnose the Italian obsession with high standards of appearance, but they liberally use "bella figura" to describe it in contexts we would not consider as such.
For example: when dressing to go buy a bit of milk, we wouldn't describe it as an activity that requires "bella figura", we just don't want to look like homeless people and our "not looking homeless" is at a certain standard; but they would say that, by dressing appropriately, we are paying attention to "bella figura". That's because people here can go VERY low on standards of appearance in circumstances like that, while we just won't.