Bags, Boots, Breads, and more!

The weather has turned in Florence and now that it's sunny it's time to bust out the new addition to my boot collection! Those of you who know me know my intense love for boots. Flat boots, tall boots, riding boots, over-the-kneee, ankle, suede, brown, black, grey, tan, slouchy--you name it! It's part of the reason I love the cold weather so much.

Italy has a love for boots as well. Like in London, I envy the boots I see from tourists all over the world. "Mi piacce i tuoi stivali" means "I like your boots." I think.

But unlike Londoners, the styles of coats this winter are very different. I've been craving a gorgeous trench coat since before arriving in Europe. In fact, I saw a beautiful black one that fit perfectly in Macy's (I think it was DKNY) on sale for only $100 in the states! Silly me, I decided to wait before I bought one and now I cannot find the classic trench I adore. Of course, Burberry always has style...for min 750 pounds.

I'm also a lover of a good wool coat, and want one for the future, if only I could find one.

However, Italian style on the streets of Florence is leaning more toward the return of the puffy jacket. shiny nylon puffy jackets. That's right--they've never been so chic.

Further research might explain they phenomenon. but i see them everywhere. on fashionistas, on mature women in Chanel suits and Cartier jewelry. They are short, long, belted, shiny, matte, fur lined, hooded. Perhaps they evoke the idea that "oh i'm just getting my groceries and then I'm off to the Italian Alps for the weekend." For me, though, seeing them in November in 68 degree weather seems a bit absurd. Will it last? What do you think? Personally, I'll stick to the search for the timeless trench.

Finally on the fashion front, something I've always noticed, from Milan to Florence, is that Italian women take great pride in their designer handbags. Don't get me wrong--I am a collector myself. I love my Kate Spade bag for all occasions and my teeny tiny Prada reserved for those special ones. But the Italian women always has a great big designer bag.

 Here's the thing. They are signature bags. I'm not so fond of the Louis Vuitton and the Gucci but women do buy them because they never go out of style. I don't need my LVs or my interlocking Gs--I want a bag that is aesthetically pleasing, not merely a status symbol. I know these "classic" looks last for decades--therefore making a large bag an investment in style. Yes, women in America do this as well, but it's another trend I've noticed. Great pride in handbags.

On top of all this window shopping, I've been loving the bread here in Italy. Normally I stay away from so many breads, pastries, and sweet, but here they are irresistible. Here's a look at some of the delicious bread we got from the local market, as well as the homemade tirimisu I talked about in a previous post.

Getting hungry. Maybe it's time for a snack.

Also, I am loving this book I picked up at the Uffizi. It's called "Dressing Renaissance Florence: Families, Fortunes, and Fine Clothing," by Carole Collier Frick.

you can find it on Amazon here.

It started off a little dense, with talk of the Florentine Guild System and Tailoring, but it covers the history of dress, the fabrics, the professions associated, their social standing, and the ritual surrounding dress. It's quite fascinating and I leave you with a quote from the intro:

"This book attempts to better understand the society of this fifteenth-century city, not by focusing on a particular event or group of people, but instead by investigating a node of common concern among them, that is, their clothes. I am interested in the irony that the making of clothing functioned to unite people across class lines, while at the same time the clothes themselves were manipulated to amplify the distinction between those classes."

xoxo,

Antonia