Shopping In Italy

Prada, Dolce and Gabana, Gucci, Ferragamo, Versace, Fendi, Paciotti, Etro, La Perla, Panerai and the list goes on. Shopping and fashion are as synonymous to Italy as slot machines are to Vegas or white sand beaches are to the Caribbean. Where Milan is known for its clothes, Venice for its blown glass and Rome for its shoes, it is the general consensus that Florence is the best all around city for shopping in Italy and one of the best in all of Europe. For some guys, this might suck, as it could represent long days at a time being drug around with the wife, watching her try on all sorts of things and spending “YOUR” money! Well, let’s just say that Anna got lucky on this one. About seven and a half years ago we came to Italy for the first time. Something strange happened to me while I was here. It was as if an elixir was snuck into my drink one day. From that point forward I became a chick when it comes to shopping. To say that the two of us are dangerous together would be an understatement. We have been waiting for some time to write about the shopping in Italy as it is without question near the very top of the list of things that we love about living here. We are convinced that we will never see all of the amazing shops here in Florence (You can bet your ass we will try though!), but we have frequented enough of them at this point to feel comfortable saying that we are resident experts on the subject! For this column it is necessary to bring in the foremost expert Anna, whom I will interview:

Q1 – I’m only going to say a few words and please respond with what comes to mind: “Shopping in Florence”
AA – “Speechless. The Italian people are all about quality and not about quantity. Its like everything else here. The houses are small as an example. You can’t afford to buy “Many” things, so they buy quality things that last for a long time. Case in point is the cashmere blanket that I bought for colds nights when watching TV. Yes it was expensive, but I bet you I will have it for twenty years (Rather than throwing it out in next seasons rather goodwill bag because I am tired of it and I never really liked it in the first place). Its soft, it’s warm and I absolutely love cuddling up on the couch with it.”

Q2 – What exactly is it about Florence that makes it such a great shopping city “Describe it to us and how it differs from home”
AA – “You have every single store that you can imagine in one area, from designer to local quality goods that you have never heard of or seen anywhere else. Its not just clothes that catch my eye everyday. Here you can get the finest paper, linens, socks, underwear etc…. it’s the best of everything all in one place. The best thing is that you go to the sock store to buy socks, the underwear store to buy underwear, the stationary store to buy stationary. The selection is so far superior when you are in a store that specializes in just one type of apparel. I love the experience of walking in this ancient city in the open air. I love not being in a mall, finding a new street that you have never been down before with a new store that you have never seen.”
The other thing that I love is that there is very limited quantities in the higher end apparel. As an example, when you walk into Etro and see something that you like, they will only have one or two of that item in your size. This guarantees you that you’re not going to see fifty people walking the streets wearing the same clothes as you. I love this.”

Q3 – Just three more words and what they elicit in terms of a response: “The Prada Outlet”
AA – “I LOVE the Prada Outlet! You’re truly getting Outlet prices and the selection is huge. It’s the same merchandise that you get at the actual Prada store but at 50% to 70% off and a season later. I’m always asking Tim if we can go. It’s a little scary at times, the magnetism is has one me!”

Q4 – What is the major difference in the way that people dress at home versus here in Italy?
AA – “At home, there is a uniform! Everyone wants to look like everyone else. Here, they strive for individuality. Its that simple, nothing else need be said.”

Q4 – Why do you think that the Italian people like to dress up so much?
AA – “It you look in their stores, they don’t have the mundane uniform that the US has with the major department store outfit. Here, you walk into a store and you find unique things that you won’t find anywhere else. The people here are much more courageous in the way they dress. Perhaps its that the people in the US don’t have an identity, unless they fit in with the masses. Here, everyone wants to be unique. They don’t want to identify with the masses.”

Q5 – Finally, every guy’s favorite subject…Ladies underwear. How does it compare here “Shopping Wise” to at home?
AA – “There is no comparison. Ask Kirk! You can pay more for underwear here than you can for a outfit at Macy’s. Its absolutely beautiful. Its something that you want to be in, and like everything else in Italy, its quality. When I go to La Perla and I cant find the bra that I want in my size, because the two that they made for that store have already sold, it makes me realize that this is NOT Victoria Secret where everyone in town is wearing the same thing. You feel good under your clothes. You really do.”

In follow up to the notion that Italians take more pride in what they put on every day versus Americans, I have some parting thoughts. There is an element to the dynamic of dress that exists here that we don’t see in Los Angeles, that I believe affects the way people see themselves. In Los Angeles (And many other places in the US) people live in the suburbs. The average American spends most of their time in the car, their home and at the office each day and very little time walking the city streets. Here in Italy, it is virtually unheard of to drive right up to your place of business or a local restaurant, park your car and walk right in. What is commonplace is to park your car and walk several blocks to your destination, therefore being seen by dozens of people along the way. This is the “Runway” dynamic that I witnessed in Paris some seven years ago, when I concluded that the city itself was simply one big runway (Like at a fashion show), with everyone wanting to look their best as they were constantly on watch. I have told Alex (Our guide) on more than one occasion that I can pick out an American tourist by simply looking down when I walk. The shoes tell the whole story! Italians simply don’t wear tennis shoes with Dockers, or Teva’s with socks (Sorry if any of you do, but this is simply the worst look on the planet!), or shorts in 70 degree weather (Much less 50 degrees). Its not that Italians don’t wear shorts, it’s that they wear them for sports, but not as a part of everyday life. Woman, don’t chain themselves to their jeans here. Its not uncommon to see an Italian woman wearing jeans, but its even more common to see them wearing a dress or skirt even in cold weather where they don fashionable (And I might add sexy) tights.

Beyond their pride in appearance, Italians have taken style and fashion to an art form. I will never forget the first time I came to Italy. Time and again, I would see men wearing color combinations that I would never fathom (A grey suit with red dress shoes, a brown suit with a purple shirt, etc…), but the bottom line is that all of them worked! One time when I was in Bellagio, in a men’s clothing shop, the guy behind the counter said to me “Why do all American men only wear black”! Very infrequently do you ever see someone in Italy taking the easy way out with a black suit with a white shirt and tie. Heck no, anyone can do that combo, this is about creativity, what the Italian people wear is art.

What really stands out however is the pride that the Italian senior citizen takes in their apparel. On a daily basis, we witness an old man walking the streets in nice dress shoes, a fashionable hat and scarf along with a stylish coat, or an old woman wearing nice boots with a flattering skirt and a scarf that ties it all together. Where this sense of pride in appearance comes, we are not yet sure and are left only to speculation. What we do know, is that it’s a true pleasure to see people taking pride in their appearance and that walking the streets of Firenze is truly candy for the eye! The fact is that many Italians are not as fortunate financially as Americans (Not certain that this should be a measurement of success by the way!) You have no idea how expensive it is to live here. When we return home it will seem like things are free (Especially food). This will be examined further in a future blog when I have compiled more data (Our experiences are perhaps jaded as a result of where we workout and the circles that we have been running in). For now, let’s just say that its really hard to make friends here. Many people are very closed and distant and it has been a challenge to take relationships past the surface level. There is no doubt that the native Florentine is a very proud individual, one who cherishes his or her city, its contributions and historical significance, but its just strange meeting a people who have such a shell around them in many ways. What is really odd is that these are the same people who have time and again gone out of their way to help when you are in need (Lost etc…), but they seem to have a small group of close friends and family and are very reserved in many ways. Perhaps this is how it is in the US for an outsider, but our experiences are different as expatriates who don’t speak the language fluently. This is not a universal statement as we have met many down to earth and open Florentines, like our neighbors in the castle, Simone’s family, my friend who works at the gym named Claudia etc.. More to come once I have done more investigating and you can bet we will continue to work hard to crack this code of making friends!