13.12.09

Street Fashion in Northern Italy

I am in Italy for 3 weeks and am spending time in a lovely town in Northen Italy called Arona. One thing I can't help but notice is the exceptional dress sense of the Italians. It is easy to spot the tourists. They seem to be dressed a bit daggy or not matching. But even the daggy Italians look stylish. Their daggy clothes seem to have an edge. Even the old nonna’s dress well. They are not trendy but classic. The men wear blazers. Suits, collared shirts, tailored shorts. Older men wear trousers.

Some of the looks I have spotted:
  • Navy polo’s - very popular, classic style
  • ¾ jeans and smart collared shirts, flat shoes
  • Black straight skirt with white collared ¾ shirt and black ¾ top over.
  • Coral detailed t-shirt with white capri’s and white shoes, white bag.
  • ¾ sleeve t-shirt with green/olive botanical print, olive trousers, taupe heels, beige cloth bag
  • Metallic silver sneaker and metallic silver Chanel bag with black pants and black t-shirt.
  • Nonna – white polo, denim skirt below knees, white deck shoes, navy cardi.
  • Man – Purple, collared, button-up, sleeves rolled ¾ tucked into slim jeans, aviator sunnies.
  • Man – crisp white button up, collared shirt tucked out over jeans, smart brown shoes riding a push bike.
  • Man – Navy blazer over navy pants (but not a suit) lilac collared shirt. Very smart.
  • Black and white shift cotton print dress with deep V neck trimmed in black. Black strappy wedges. Black sunnies.
  • Dark grey high neck dress with racer back. Long gold chains
  • Lots of white pants, various lengths, mainly with coloured tops and white shoes and bags

They don’t seem to accessories too much. Classic, quality essentials – being shoes, bag, belts, nothing superfluous. Clothing pieces themselves are simple. Not too many pockets, colours, frills, stitching details. The clothes speak for themselves so there is no need to over accessories them.

A classic simple wardrobe leads to an uncluttered dressing regeim, saves time, head space, wardrobe space. Not sure if I can say money, as timeless classic pieces can cost a lot, however, you are definantley spending it less often.