Monday Muses {May 11th}

Much as their respective cuisines have long vied to come out as the best in Europe – if not the world – so too have the fashions and lifestyles of France and Italy been friendly rivals. I adore both, be it pasta or patisserie, Gaultier or Gucci. Yet I married an Italian man, hailing straight from the heart of Italia, and as such this fascinating, at times dauntingly beautiful culture permeates my life.


{Charming Barilla pasta advertisement from 1952, discovered through Design o’Blog’s artfully inspiring post 22 Beautiful Vintage Italian Posters.}

This week’s Muse is the Italy of the past. The sort of picturesque, crumbling brick building laden, wildly sophisticated, sometimes dirt poor sometimes dizzyingly rich world that was Italy pre, during, and post World War Two. When Sophia Loren and Gina Lollabrigida captivated silver screen audiences, it was de rigeur for widowed ladies to don head to toe black, Ferragamo’s creations were on the feet of many Italian fashion lovers, and over in America songsters with Italian surnames like Sinatra were ruling the charts.


{Gina Lollabrigida appears so sweetly girl next door while she posses in a beautiful summer dress. Photo via The Florentine.}

For Italian vintage pieces head right to the source – or if a trip abroad isn’t in the cards – to the website of an Italian vintage clothier such as Pitti Vintage in Florence whose site is in English. Who knows what sort treasures could be unearthed while riffling through a second hand or vintage shop in Italy. Maybe something incredible created by the likes of Sorelle Fontana, Fendi, Fernanda Gattinoni, Valentino, or Missoni. Though amazing as couture designers can be, I think I’d be very happy to find authentic Italian pieces hailing from the forties and fifties, the sort of that your everyday sort of woman wore.

While there are many wonderful Italian movies that were made in the mid-twentieth century, spanning from the heart wretchingly touching to the quirkily odd, without a doubt my all time favourite is Fellini’s 1960 classic, La Dolce Vita, which stared an impeccably well dressed and handsomely dashing Marcello Mastroianni as a journalist in the 1950s. More than the film’s plot itself (pure Fellini all the way), it is the culture – presented in black and white – of Italy during this time period, from upper class night clubs and a castle to the back streets of Rome that hold my attention rapt. It’s easy and more than a little romantic to image oneself in the sort of dreamy, devil may care world La Dolce Vita embodied (even if it did not reflect that Italy that most post WW2 Italians knew).


{Looking ravishingly beautiful as she played a character with striking similarities to Maryiln Monroe, Anita Ekberg exudes flirtatious beauty as she takes a dip in a Roman fountain. Movie still from the Wiki page on La Dolce Vita.}

To me vintage Italian style is about clean lines and subtle but feminine pieces. Full or pencil skirts, sweaters belted to reveal a woman’s curves, elegant heels, sultry swimwear. It is less flashy than modern Italian fashion, but no less desirable. The same of which could be said for life in Italy itself.

{Viva vintage Italia!}

1. Red Suede Platforms, 2. sophia 1961, 3. vintage poster - Olio Radino, 4. Coffee machine old italian style {Click on a link to see a larger version of a particular image and/or for photographer information}

Ciao until the next post, my bellissima vintage dears.