"The French were more sophisticated, more complicated," the Principessa Galitzine suggested in later life. "Whereas the Italians were light-hearted and young. They loved life."
This disposition resulted in clothes that combined ease and luxury - a low-key kind of glamour, as typified in the Principessa’s own invention of wide-legged pajama-style trousers, memorably dubbed "palazzo pants" by fashion maven Diana Vreeland.
While Paris embraced the structured, exaggerated silhouettes of Christian Dior’s new look, Rome was developing a fashion identity of its own. "We broke away from the French," Micol Fontana told fashion trade bible, WWD, in 2000. "The Americans were instrumental in shaping our attitude toward fashion. They were practical and needed clothing they could live in. And we were ready to deliver. We were more informal; our fashion was more linear and more practical. You could wear it on the street and no-one was going to stare at you."
3-29-2009
Leather boots seem to be just as much a part of the Italian culture as pizza. It's doubtful there are many Italian PETA supporters, and you can spot an Italian woman simply by her boots and coat. Fur coats are ubiquitous in Italy. Everyone has one.
I love the above quote about Italian light-heartedness. This sums up why I love Italy. The Italians know how to live the good life and above all how to have a good time, but they're not pretentious and are sophisticated without being over the top.
One fashion trend I immediately noticed upon arrival was the python print. Guess who (metaphorically) walked down the aisle in authentic python stilettos? Yours truly. At first I was really proud of myself for being so trendy, but by now I am feeling unoriginal and very mainstream. Good thing Americans are 6 months behind Europe's fashion trends, or so I've heard. By now the snake skin leather boots are becoming last season and the new collections are starting to hit the window displays.
I have noticed the Italians are wearing a kind of boot that looks like a cross between a cowboy boot and a classic Italian style pointed toe boot. Fantastic. I really like the ankle cut version too. The girls are wearing the ankle cowboy boot with shorts. LOVE IT. They also look fantastic over jeans. I definitely want a pair.
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