Italian Fashion

There are some striking difference between Italian and American fashion, particularly for women. Here is what I have noticed:

1. Italians do not wear flip flops on the street. Flip flops are viewed as shoe wear only for the beach. Flip flops are the most popular shoe wear for people my age so this is a hard adjustment because we are use to wearing them everywhere, even in the winter! I have stopped wearing my flip flops because it is a give away that you are not Italian.

2. Leave your stilettos at home. Rome is a labryinth of cobblestone and paved streets. It is a definitely a physical challenge to walk in stilettos in Rome. I brought a pair with me and I am leaving them in the box. Most Italians don't wear stilettos anyway, but there are a few younger Italians who have managed to master this art.

3. Italians do not wear "gym sneakers" on the street. By gym sneakers I mean the white athletic shoes that Americans wear with jeans on a daily basis. No Italian male or female wears this kind of sneaker, ever. Instead Italian women wear brands like Converse or Diesel which are more of a cosmopolitan street sneaker with different colors, designs, and fabrics. It is true that an easy way to tell if someone is not Italian is by their shoes.

4. Italian women do not wear shorts or short skirts. Shorts are also considered beach wear. They do wear capris, but on the most part Italian women do not wear above the knee skirts or shorts. If you do wear shorts in Italy becareful because it will call attention that you don't want to you.

5. Italian women do not wear their hair in a ponytail. I believe it is viewed as a fashion faux pas here because I rarely see an Italian women with her hair up. Also I noticed women are "cat-called" less by men when there hair is up.

6. Italian women love to color coordinate, definitely more than in America. When I was in Florence I saw a woman wearing a red coat, red shirt, red pants, and red shoes. It was quite overwhelming. Even my Italian teacher today was wearing green jacket, with light green shirt, and green pants. I think in America we usally don't color coordinate as much.

7. On a daily basis Italian women do get more dressed up than American women. I don't usually see older Italian women wearing jeans during the weekday. Usually, a typical Italian women wears a nice woven top, a skirt or dressy pants, and leather flats or boots. Italians definitely love to wear boots, and I don't blame them beacuse they are so beautiful here!

8. Sunglasses are the main accessory for Italians. They definitely wear them with attitude. A trend right now with the youth are aviators. Designers like Ray Ban and D&G are huge here.

9. If I could offer any words of advice on how to not look like a tourist it would be to bring a nice pair of sunglasses, a pair of nice flats, black pants, and a plain tops. Not only will you feel more comfortable when you are in the city, but it will probably help reduce your chances of getting pick pocketed.