Italian Style

Lovely Florence

 Yesterday, I ran out out to the mall to do a quick errand and dropped into a designer store to lust after the shoes and bags. While I was dreaming of what I might buy, I was complimented on my Furla bag. The  sales guy asked me about it and loved it's color. I immediately thought back to last summer when we traveled to Italy and the very chic Italian lady who helped me choose it.

My Furla

The four of us, traveled to Rome, Florence, and Venice. I may do a post on the trip in the future, but it really was beyond beautiful. We all loved it. The one thing I noticed immediately, was the amazingly stylish way Italians dressed. They have a chic that is quite different from the French, who have an off-handed style.

This gentleman is on his way to work in Rome.  Would you ever see someone dressed so nice on a bike here?

Most Italians wear clothing that looks custom-made to fit them. The clothing just looks luxurious, the fabrics and details. Their garments are simple, not fussy, but they fit their bodies perfectly. Also, they have the most amazing shoes! Everyone had gorgeous leather shoes, as I guess you would expect.

A couple in Florence. Don't you love how they kind of match?

A chic older couple. How often do you see 60 year olds dressed this nicely?

My husband thought I was a nut, but I took a few stealth pictures of Italians. Men in gorgeous suits on bikes and scooters, couples dressed to go out for the night and the like.  One thing I could not take a picture of was the clean, unmade-up faces of the Italian women. These women wear no foundation, no anything and natural hair which is not blown dry. Seeing women like this, I can see how Raphael and Botticelli were inspired by Italian women. I wanted to be one. No finger or toe polish on these girls and it looked damn good. You could see the Americans coming miles away and we all looked like we tried just so hard. These women embraced their natural selves, walked with beautiful posture and exuded an almost intangible beauty.

Which brings me back to my bag... I was hoping to buy at least one nice leather item on my trip. In Venice, I found myself in Furla which is one of the few places you can buy leather bags a little more inexpensively than they are sold in the states. The saleslady was one of those natural Italians. Very friendly, she and I chatted about both having two boys, (yes, I was shopping with men- of course they were outside!) She, being about the same mid-forties age as myself, had not a stitch of makeup, short naturally curly dark hair, unpainted nails and was so fresh looking. The same description of someone here might be akin to a granola type. That could not be farther from the truth in Italy.

My boys in Florence at an beautiful fruit stand.

She kindly gave me her opinions on bags I tried on and ventured to suggest a teal, slouchy, over-sized bucket bag. I would have never thought of such a strong color and shape, but on it was wow! I loved it and got the matching wallet too. In my mind, I needed a neutral that would be an investment. She was so on the money and ahead of fashion. Now, in this season of color, I am very in style with my teal bag and the shape is so unique too. Each time I put it on, I think of that very stylish and sweet Italian mother and take a little makeup off too.

Above Florence with my younger son.

A rainy day in Venice.