7 classic italian pieces to shop secondhand
chic, elegant, with a dash of sprezzatura 🤌
Ah, Italy…could it be heaven on earth? The food, the culture, the landscapes, the language…and of course, the iconic fashion!
Traditional but never boring
Italians are masters at keeping fashion interesting, always mixing conventional clothes with bold, statement pieces.
My Italian friend Marta says it best:
“Italian style is a fusion of tradition and innovation, bourgeois elegance and subcultural flair, classic lines and rebellious twists, sacred and irreverent—all coexisting in a country that is also a mix of flavors and contradictions.”
Walk a day in Milan and you can’t not notice how classy but cool everyone looks. It’s the perfect balance, best mastered by the Milanese sciuras.
Says Marta: “The sciuras are stylish, confident, older women spotted in the streets of Milan. Their hair is always impeccable and they’ll pair their sequined dresses, glittering skirts, lavish feathers, and statement coats with sweatshirts, simple tees, and baseball caps.
It’s practically a belief system in itself, with just one commandment: staying effortlessly cool at every stage of life.”
Elegance over labels
In the wise words of Miuccia Prada:
It’s not necessarily about being rich or expensive but you don’t have to be banal; dressing and elegance is more complicated than that. You have to try and elevate the level of dressing in some way, make it more thought out.
7 Italian classici to thrift
Lucky for us, Marta shares Italian staples we should add to our closets, and that are great to thrift (she found most of these for herself secondhand, too!)
(Yes 3 out of the 7 are shoes because this is Italy after all…)
1. The Veneziane / Friulane shoes
These classics date back to the 19th century from the Friuli region. They were originally crafted with recycled materials (like bicycle tires for soles!) and became popular in Venice for their comfort and style.
Says Marta: “The friulane are outfit savers. Their velvety pop of color make any outfit feel more elevated—whether it’s jeans and a t-shirt, or your second (or first!) pair of shoe at a wedding, they always do the job.”
An important tip from Marta: “These shouldn’t you cost more than 60£/$/€ (used to be 30!). They’re victims of their popularity and some brands charge too much: don’t accept it and keep searching!”
🔮 Secondhand finds for you (all under 60 and made in Italy, I promise, Marta!)
Go for a soft light blue (size 39, 40€):
Or why not a bright red (size 40, 50€):
Some more: blue (size 36, 30€), night blue (size 39, 50€), orange (size 36, 38€)
And because it’s honestly so precious, red for your tiny one
2. The Capri sandals
These leather sandals from Capri grew in popularity in the 50s-60s when the island became a trendy summer destination.
Celebrities like Jackie Kennedy and Brigitte Bardot would vacation there, often spotted with these now iconic sandals.
🔮 Secondhand finds for you
Go classic with these beige sandals for just 25€ (size 41)
Or glam it up with these silver ones (size 38, 30€)
Some more: yellow (size 40, 15€), red (size 39, 30€), brown (size 37, 10€), white (size 41, 25€)
3. The Armani suit
Italian designer Giorgio Armani revolutionized suit fashion in the 1970s. The Armani suit is sleek, minimalist, high-quality, and impeccably tailored.
🔮 Secondhand finds for you
I’m this 🤏 close to getting this blue number (XS, 145€)
It’s summer so why not go for a brown short suit (M, 30€)?
Some more: beige pant suit (M/L, 30€), light blue linen pant suit (XL, 65€), black pant suit (M, 120€), grey skirt suit (M, 54€), short sleeve & pants suit (L, 50€)
…and this fun, non-suit, linen set option (L, 38€) that I couldn’t not include
There’s so much good vintage Armani out there! If you’re worried the fit won’t be perfect, just head to your local tailor and you’ve got the perfect suit for life.
4. Prints prints prints: Missoni, Pucci, Etro, Marni
Italian don’t shy away from bold and loud prints.
Missoni and Pucci paved the way in the 50s and 60s, and in recent decades Etro and Marni have also pushed boundaries with their unique designs.
These are all great brands to search for secondhand statement pieces.
🔮 Secondhand finds for you
Loving this cute Missoni sleeveless top (S, 42€):
And this Pucci vintage skirt (L, 150€):
Some more: Striped Marni blazer (M, 170€), Missoni twin set (S, 100€), Marni shirt (M, 85€), a similar Etro linen version (L, 50€)
And what about this rainbow Etro blazer (XL, 160€)?!
5. The Borsalino Panama summer hat / The winter Fedora
These perfect hats by Giuseppe Borsalino have been around since 1857. Then, Humphrey Bogart wore the Fedora in “Casablanca” propelling them to worldwide fame.
Be like Marta: break out your Panama hat in the summer, and rock your Fedora in the colder months. Shouldn’t we all be wearing hats all year long?!
🔮 Secondhand finds for you
Here’s your summer Panama for 90€:
A few more Panama options: 135€, 50€, 135€, 150€
And your winter Fedora for 100€ (love this one!):
Or another brown one for just 33€, khaki for 25€ (!), electric blue (100€), and one last brown (30€)
6. Tod’s Gommimo
This mocassino has been around since the 70s. It’s one of those clothing items that feels like it’s been around forever, and yet never ages. I love the rubber pebble sole.
Listen to Marta:
“We know we know, it doesn’t sound very interesting, does it? But when in doubt, stick to the classics: suede loafers, a summer shirt and linen shorts have never hurt nobody.”
Also they come in every single color!
🔮 Secondhand finds for you - all pretty much good as new: brown (size 36.5, 50€), orange (size 41, 125€), purple (size 39, 80€), green (size 36, 50€)
It’s a no-brainer to shop these secondhand considering they’re up to 550€ new!
7. The summer “Roman Holidays” dress
A light, feminine dress for warmer Italian summer days. You can wear it with sandals and color friulanes. And with a gelato in hand, of course.
But to be honest, the more Marta explained this one, the more I started to understand:
It’s not really about one specific dress. It’s about the ~🇮🇹~🍝~vibe~🌞~🍦~
(And perhaps that sums up Italian style in general?)
🔮 Secondhand finds for your next Roman holiday
Like this lovely MaxMara dress (S, 60€):
Or this collared number for just 11€ from United Colors of Benetton (M):
Some more: Krizia skirt (M, 15€), MaxMara (M, 35€), Prada (S, 150€), Armani (M, 29€), Versace (S, 120€), United Colors of Benetton (L, 25€)
We still have so much to learn from the sciuras and Martas of the world. But these 7 pieces are a first step to feeling just a little bit more Italian.
Grazie mille Marta for the wisdom, and to you all for reading 💚
— Laure
Such a luscious list, I’m pinning everything! Also still thinking about the most perfect mossy green friulane shoes I found at a thrift shop last week that were 2 sizes too small. Luckily you have so many good links!
Even though I don't have a trip to Rome planned this year, my summer is calling for a Rome dress. I bought the white Benetton dress from your list and I'm looking forward to it! Thanks for your great work!