Clothing shopping in Italy
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Schegge
Go incognito in style, with highly original masquerade masks revealing influences as diverse as Gothic architecture and Modigliani. Well into the night, you’ll find this dedicated mother-daughter team wielding tiny paintbrushes, coaxing minute baroque tendrils into bloom along the side of a Klimt mask.
reviewed
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Angelo di Nepi (Via Cola di Rienzo 267)
Roman designer Nepi adores rich colour, and combines Italian cut and style with rich Indian fabrics: sumptuous reds, shocking pinks, intricate embroidery and heavy silk to make you as pretty as a peacock.
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Valentino
The watchword for old-school glamour and elegance. Valentino himself might have retired but the label still carries on his dedication to beautifully cut, red, white and black, red carpet–ready outfits. Men head to Bocca di Leone 16. tebro An old-style department store that has kept wealthy locals in linen, socks, ties, swimwear and underwear for over 140 years. You can even have sheets made to measure for your yacht.
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Bomba
Discerning Romans worship Cristina Bomba's sartorial creations. Here they're mixed with Metradamo and Liviana Conti gowns, Nafi De Luca millinery, Donatella Pellini jewellery and idiosyncratic footwear from Fiorentini & Baker. There's a small selection of modish ties and shoes for men, while bespoke fans can book a Monday appointment with the in-house tailor (a basic dress or suit takes about a week to complete).
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Suzuganaru
Suzuganaru’s men’s and women’s boutiques sit side by side, selling whimsical, individual clothes that you won’t find anywhere else. Photographer-designer Marcella Manfredini makes some of the women’s clothes in the shop, and there are dresses in unusual prints and accessories such as bright lacquer bangles. Next door the men’s clothes are lower key but equally hip.
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Artigiani Pellettieri – Marco Pelle/di Clemente
Ring the bell at this unassuming doorway and hurry up flights of stairs to a family-run leather workshop that feels like it hasn’t changed for decades. The elderly artisans create belts (€70 to €100), watch straps (€40 to €90), bags, picture frames, travel cases, and other such elegant stuff. You can take along a buckle or watch to which you want a belt or strap fitted.
reviewed
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Serravalle Scrivia
Serravalle Scrivia is around 80km south of Milan on the way to Genoa. This Ligurian version of an outdoor SoCal-style mall, has faux two-storied streets and over 180 shops, including Frette, Dolce & Gabbana and Petite Bateau. The same coach company that services Fox Town also does Serravalle (return €15; www.zaniviaggi.it), or catch a local Milan-Genoa train to Arquata Scrivia.
reviewed
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Salvatore Ferragamo
Star shoemaker Salvatore shod Hollywood stars in the ‘20s before setting up shop in Italy in the ‘30s, and creating both the Roman sandal and the wedge heel. This is where to look if you’re after perfect-fit classics in unconventional materials, as well as fabulously glamorous clothing (beautifully cut men’s suits are just along the road at number 66).
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Cavalli e Nastri
The Milanese took a while to take to vintage (Won’t people think I’m poor? How will anyone know what label it is?), but this gorgeously colourful shop in the heart of Brera has led the way. Stock is mostly sourced from mythical early and mid 20th-century Italian fashion houses, lovingly curated and priced accordingly (some mediocre ‘70s pieces rather cheekily so).
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Antichi Kimono
Not only does local designer Gloria Gobbi turn vintage Japanese obis into corsets and bags, she's known to transform Uzbekistani carpets into coats, selling them alongside her eclectic handmade jewellery and other fetching accessories by Euro artisans. There's even a small selection of silk scarves and quirky accessories for male individualists.
reviewed
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Temporary Love
Backstreet boutique-gallery Temporary Love collaborates with artists to create limited-edition men’s and women’s bags and edgy threads – from where-did-you-get-that T-shirts to hand-painted totes. There are five collections/exhibitions a year, and they’ve worked with France’s Serge Uberti and local street-art hero Sten.
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Elio Ferraro
Style queens raid these racks for classic one-off outfits and collectable prototypes - think Tom Ford feather dress designed for Gucci that's straight off the runway. Highlights include vintage Pucci, Missoni and Valentino, mixed in with architect-cum-designer Elio's own creations. Match it all with cult interior design pieces from the 1950s to 1980s.
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Ethic
This hint-of-boho place is an Italian clothing chain, with retro-influenced, original, bold designs – tribal silver jewellery, military-style coats, long suede boots and cute twinsets. It’s an eclectic mix in interesting colours, fabrics and designs. Plus, it’s reasonably priced. There are loads of branches around town.
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Super
Lauded by French Vogue and Japanese Elle, minimalist, unisex Super ditches big-name bores for hard-to-find threads from Italian innovators February and Mario's, and progressive foreigners such as London's Poetic Licence and Anglo-French label April 77. The retro furniture's for sale, as is the cool collection of quirky designer novelties.
reviewed
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The Place
The Place is halfway between Milan and Turin. Billed as a ‘luxury outlet’, the Ermenegildo Zegna group has gathered upmarket Italian brands like Gucci, La Perla and Bellora together in a ‘village’ in view of the Alps. There’s no direct public-transport link; a change of trains and a taxi from the station is required.
reviewed
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Camiceria San Marco
Have quality shirts tailor-made in San Marco! If you can wait 10 or so days, choose from numerous models the kind that suits you best and then pick the material, anything from cotton to silk. Dressing gowns and silk pyjamas are options too. Wander in and inspect the limitless bolts of material waiting to be turned into your clothes.
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Patrizia Pepe
Who can be bothered with all those flounces and bows on the metro? Patrizia Pepe gets what urban women really want - feminine tailoring - and makes it snappy. Her cuts are curvy and colours clever, with a certain refinement that shows who's in control here, and she's perfectly capable of pulling off cream leather knickerbockers.
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MM
Leather goods in Florence may be of high quality, but designs can grow repetitive. Not so at MM (also known as Monaco Metropolitano), which offers bags, belts and bracelets in creatively natural shapes and textures. You can often watch craftspeople cutting, tooling and sewing the exquisite leathers right inside the shop’s door.
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Maga Morgana
Maga Morgana, an independent boutique, stocks a mix of brightly coloured knitwear, woollen wraps, Minnie Mouse shoes and flimsy frocks. Some are Luciana Iannace's own designs; other items are sourced from Paris, Florence and elsewhere. Head down the road to Via del Governo Vecchio 98 (06 687 80 95) for silk and wedding dresses.
reviewed
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Araba Fenice
This is a stylish local alternative to the big names nearby for elegant women's suits, usually cut from wool or linen. Or the long dresses with matching nifty vests might catch your eye. A few steps west, at the bridge, is the house where 15-year-old Mozart stayed with friends and had a whale of a time during Carnevale in 1771.
reviewed
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Stockhouse Il Giglio
Cheap is a relative term in Florence, but you can pick up some interesting men's and women's fashion items here, and occasionally turn up some genuine bargains. Name labels can come in at a considerable discount. Florentines consider it one of the best stockhouses for picking up labelled items at off-the-back-of-a-lorry rates.
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Davide Cenci
For a look that discreetly whispers old money (think blazers, slacks and brogues in summer; tweed and flannels in winter) head to Davide Cenci, which carries a selection of impeccable top Italian and international labels (Ralph Lauren, Tod’s, Hogan, Ballantyne, Pucci) and own-brand tailoring for men, women and children.
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Lei
Lei is the place for girls who like a bit of high-class frivolity at not-too-outrageous prices. The racks are filled with pretty party frocks, unusual tops and T-shirts, and there are delicious-looking shoes from brands as diverse as Camper and Katherine Hamnett. There's another branch at Via Nazionale 88 (06 482 17 00).
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Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico & Stefano keep the it-crowd looking fabulous, smart and sexy with their seductive and never-shy takes on fashion. Think slinky trouser suits, leopard-skin underwear and gangsters’ molls, Scarlett Johansson and red-carpet dressing. Their D&G diffusion line is around the corner on Piazza di Spagna.
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Bottega di Commercio Equo e Solidale
Inside the enlightened Città dell'Altra Economia (City of the Other Economy), Bottega di Commercio Equo e Solidale sells eco-friendly threads, accessories and designer recyclables such as funky lolly-wrapper handbags, milk carton purses and lamps made from classic Italian caffetiere (espresso makers).
reviewed
