The Italian Girl Beats French Girl Chic
Pictured: MONICA BELLUCCI
Italy and France coincide with a mountainous and Mediterranean border, so it’s not a surprise that there are cultural similarities between the two; a Romance language, a shared love of café culture, music that can somehow ooze both sultry and camp. Thus, it is conceivable that the Italian Girl follows a similar premise to French Girl Chic- a disdain for diet culture, an aversion to athleisure and contempt for the contrived.
One may start to wonder, is the Italian Girl simply the French Girl, olive-oil soaked under a more generous sun?
Yet the Italian Girl has a flare that differentiates her.
Whereas the French Girl prides herself on effortlessness, the Italian Girl fuses a vivaciousness into her style. Perhaps we will refer to it as ‘Italian girl Vita’. Her jewellery is maximal and adventurous- it’s her grandmothers , it’s gold , it’s bordering on kitsch.
Pictured: CARLA BRUNI Note: The flare in the details- the cyclical mahogany sunglasses, the stance, the fitted grey turtleneck that shows a glance of midriff, the chocolate leather jacket- this Italian supermodel is displaying Italian Flare in one shot
This post offers a How To on ‘Italian Girl Vita’ that in our opinion defeats the chic French Girl. Swapping c’est la vie for la dolce vita, the liquor of choice from Pastis to Campari, Agnès B for Ferragamo, croissants for maritozzi, yet keeping the cigarette intake the exact same.
The Brands the Italian Girl Wears
Pictured: ALICE PAGANI
The number of Italian designers is numerous, from Dolce and Gabanna to Gucci, however unless you’ve snagged a vintage deal on the Real Real or from the depths of eBay, these brands are not of budget for the usual Italian Girl, or for the usual person. The Italian Girl loves Intimissi for their lacy nightwear tops that double as going-out tops when paired with the right bag and perhaps a metallic eyeshadow, Brands such as Blumarine, Guess Jeans, Fornarina, Alberta Feretti, Pepe, Kappa, Roberto Cavalli and D&G Jeans that are prized over by people like myself outside of Italy are just common-wear inside of Italy. My Torino-native best friend was confused why I was so excited after finding the most fun vintage Blumarine red cami which had a graphic BLUMARINE slogan inside a diamonté heart on it (unbelievably kitschy) for an affordable price. ‘Blumarine is so normal in Italy’ she claimed, and she was right, the majority of Blumarine sellers on Vestiaire were based in Italy.
This flare, that the Italian Girl has in her style and clothes is normal and unrealised to her, just look at Monica Bellucci’s floral chiffon dress she wore to a 2002 red carpet, or Alice Pagani’s shaggy fur jacket, or Bianca Balti’s long-sleeved tee with a statement pistol on it-the Italian Girl’s style is innately spirited. I noted that my coolest items of clothing are always from Italy, like my Dolce and Gabanna cropped ruffled top that reads “TI AMO” on the back which I bought secondhand that is a nightclub staple for me.
Attached below are some clothing items to use as inspiration for ‘Italian Girl Vita’ that trumps French Girl Chic.
Pictured: BIANCA BALTI
Dolce and Gabbanna rare Baseball Chic top on eBay for £170
Diesel colour-block leather jacket on FARFETCH for £895. Nothing is more essential for an Italian Girl than a staple leather fitted jacket.
Roberto Cavalli silk trousers on Vestiare for £148. Note Cavalli’s other iconic printed and graphic trousers.
Armani Exchange midi dress on Vestiaire for £41. This dress is very Bellucci.
Accessorise like an Italian Girl
Pictured: VITTORIA CERETTI
I happened to be in Rome on a sunny and early Spring morning, along with the chirp of park birds emerged the tottering of heels, wedges and boots- Italian women were commuting to their office jobs. These Italian women had an understated glamour I could only hope to emulate when heading to a 9-5. For the Italian Girl, heeled boots, a stylish pair of sunglasses or a wristful of bangles are add ons the same way contact lenses are for the rest of us . Don’t mistake these potentially punchy accessories as chintzy but rather think of them as playful. The Italian Girl is not idealised and flawless like the French Girl appears to be without trying.
The Italian Girl will do too many limoncello shots and disco dance until the early hours, except the next morning you’re not looking at her dark eye circles, you’re wondering where her handbag’s from.
I read a really interesting piece on ocular fashion in Milan by Vogue fashion writer Liana Satenstein on how eyewear in Italy is far more than functional, and that the peculiar shapes and shades that the frames are sold in in ‘Otticas’ are a stylish announcement. The same goes for other accessories; the handbag, the sunglasses, the shoe, the ring etc. Italy is renowned for it’s craftsmanship, tailoring and designs since trading commenced in Venetian ports 900 years ago- it’s all in the details. There is a vivacious character in Italian accessories that I admire, I once owned (but have now lost) a retro Italian gold necklace that had an old flower pressed in the pendant. Below we’ve attached some Italian Girl accessories…
Mondo Mondo pulp gem embellished ring on FARFETCH for £106. Note: Maximal + chunky jewellery is ideal, even better if it’s vintage
Gucci by Tom Ford 2004 archive metallic navy Horsebit Clutch on 1st Dibs for £1068 . Note: The Horsebit Clutch has been revived on the 2023 Gucci runway
Versace rectangular pale gold glasses on The Glasses Company for £88. These are so Gisele Bundchen in the Devil Wears Prada.
