Italian Fashion | What is it and how can you embrace it?
If you know anything about me, you know my admiration for Italy goes a lot further than just the incredible holidays I’ve been on.
The culture, the food, the atmosphere, the people and most importantly, the fashion is impeccable. Italy has and continues to be a big inspiration for Mad About Fashion. With an Italian heritage, I’ve grown up to appreciate Italy and what it has to offer. I fell in love with the country only hours after landing in Rome for the first time in 2014, as I sat in a restuarant and indulged in my first authentic plate of pasta.
Everytime I have been fortunate enough to travel there, I often find myself sitting in a Piazza people watching and taking it all in. The style is so simple, yet it’s worn with complete elegance and confidence that is truly hard to come by here in Australia. We are compelled here by a very judgemental society which I think all comes down to caring too much about what other people think, when really all that matters is what we are comfortable in. To put it simply, a large population of people in Italy don’t care what others think, and to be honest I think it’s a big part of what makes their style as good as it is.
Last year in Bologna, I was sitting with Daniel and we were admiring what we loved most about people’s style. There was one lady in particular that caught my eye, an elderly woman who was rocking a Camilla-like dress with a matching bandana, big sunglasses and a beautiful handbag. It wasn’t designer, it was just well thought out, and you could tell she felt great. She was walking with confidence and everyone who saw her knew it.
I want to delve into Italian fashion and everything it is known for. If you’ve read my article with Il Globo linked here, you’ll know that in particular the fashion in Milan has been a big part of why I became a personal stylist. As I just mentioned, there is a certain aura that is worn by the people of Italy and I want to encourage that right here in Australia. But that’s only possible if we understand it.
If I were to describe Italian fashion in one word, it’s quality.
So, what does that mean?
As Scarlett Conlon wrote in her Vogue article in 2020, culture is the best place to start when trying to describe why Italian fashion is what it is. Italian people have a sense of pride in aesthetics, an incredible history of art and an appreciation for the finer details that all result in the sum of the famous La Dolce Vita, (the sweet life). Rather than creating one product that can be replicated, they take the time to make a series of things that can be perfected each time.
Without my own heritage playing a part of being bias, Italy truly is the best place in the world because of it. As Ian Griffiths, an Englishman living in Milan states “the tension between productivity and creativity is what makes Italian fashion stand out”. And I couldn’t agree more, there is a genuine love and care that goes into making fabrics which are turned into durable and beautiful pieces there, which is why it is so well recognised globally.
If you see or buy something with a tag that says ‘Made in Italy’ it’s rare that you would be wasting your money. Creative director, Margherita Missoni from the Italian label Missoni, says “Italians are quite expressive in general, so for us the way we dress… has an importance that’s maybe not the same elsewhere. We are traditionally more flamboyant, more extroverted and more cheerful which is one of the reasons why Italian fashion has always existed”. This explanation captures it perfectly.
Traditionally, the Italian culture is inviting, joyous and loud which is well represented through what they wear. Despite a lot of famous designers being from Italy which set a lot of trends worldwide, you can still be exactly who you are and make it your own.
In terms of quality, Italian fabrics are made using traditional, time-tested techniques which is why you can’t go wrong. If we compare to here in Australia, a similar concept would be Australian-made brands. Often these brands are a lot more expensive due to the material cost to either import or make their own fabrics.
I reached out to a good friend of mine, Cecilia Sella who resides in Italy about her take on Italian Fashion. She said “Italian History is one of the main reasons we are the way we are. Italy has the resources to make good quality textile materials”. Cecilia is from a town called Biella, north of Milan which is the capital of textile materials. Armani itself uses the textiles made from her hometown. “We had the resources and the evolution before a lot of other places which led us to do things first. This meant that Italy made history in their fashion. Italy has always been a country of beauty and art, whether it’s buildings, art, food or fashion”. Cecilia believes those who are born in Italy naturally have a greater inspiration to be able to create the quality fabrics and pieces that they are known for. Plus, the general ‘vibe’ of an Italian person is typically more extrovert and more open which creates a whole new world of imagination that relays into their fashion sense.
So how do we start embracing Italian fashion here in Australia?
Personally, I think the best way to embrace Italian style from 17,000km away would be to remove the pressure on ourselves. Ask yourself these questions:
Who am I dressing for?
Who do I want to be?
How can my style compliment my personality?
What can I wear to feel my best self, thus feel confident?
From here, take a deep dive into where you are shopping and think quality over quantity. Save up for pieces. Don’t overcomplicate it. Style everything. Be adventurous. Step out of your comfort zone. Avoid revealing designer tags on your accessories, in Italy it’s rare to see this. Add pops of colour to brighten the look. If any of these things frazzle you, get in touch with me and I can help!
From here, grab a glass of vino and say ‘salute’ to this fantastic thing we call life.
Embrace it for what it is and enjoy it!
Ciao a tutti!
Maddy x
