I don’t know about you, but Italian style is all I can think about right now. The stylish women in Europe’s cultural capitals like Milan, Florence, and Rome seem to possess a certain effortlessly cool polish that the internet (and this editor) can’t get enough of. Thanks to the popularity of influencers and designers like Gilda Ambrosio and Amina Muaddi, their particular brand of elevated glam is inspiring droves of outfit re-creations by us Americans.
As someone who studies Italian style like it’s my job (well, it sort of is), I thought it would be fun to put myself in their shoes for the day and imagine the types of things that would fill their carts on a shopping trip to an American standby, Nordstrom. Although the beloved retailer that’s the topic of much of our conversations here doesn’t have any doors in Europe at the moment, plenty of popular Italian staples are casually sitting on its site as we speak.
Behold—the ultimate guide to shopping our favorite retailer like a true Italian fashion person, from the items they’d be buying to what they’d politely skip.
As the resident OTT dressers of Europe, Italian women are rarely spotted in heels fewer than three inches and in the spring and summer, they especially prefer strappy ankle-tie sandals to accompany their dresses. Seeing as Nordstrom’s shoe section is a huge draw, I think they’d beeline to it for these strappy sandals and skip ballet flats despite their trendier status right now.
If Italian style could be summed up in a single word, it would have to glamorous. The Italians are rarely ones to sacrifice style for comfort. Instead, they prefer silhouettes that nip in and highlight their figures, so if you were to peek into their virtual shopping carts, there’s a high likelihood you’d find Versace-esque corset dresses complete with beautiful boning—and zero nap dresses in sight.
While their French and Scandinavian friends almost always wear tailored trousers when they’re not wearing jeans, Italian women prefer utility trousers like cargos and parachute pants instead. You’d find them shopping Nordstrom’s wide selection of the baggier cargo styles to wear with everything from sneakers to strappy heels.
Another thing Italian women don’t do? Give up a statement piece for something more practical. Sure, slouchy totes may be trending at the moment, but all I see cool women in Milan and Rome carrying are their smaller statement bags that add a pop to their outfits.
Glam, OTT, maximal—all the descriptors of Italian-girl style get at the same theme of their anti-minimal aesthetic. They tend to go for high-octane pieces like feather-trimmed dresses and crystal-embellished accessories and rarely pass up the opportunity to have fun with what they’re wearing. These are some of the exuberant pieces I know they’d be freaking out over at Nordstrom.
Rarely ones to shy away from an on-the-rise trend, I noticed Italian women are jumping on the gorpcore train and reaching for cool trail runners like the buzzy pairs from Salomon. That said, they’d more than likely pass over the more classic pairs in Nordstrom’s sneaker section.
Sultry and glamorous are only one component to Italian style. While denim is a staple around the world, in Italy it’s less about classic jeans and more about daring and experimental denim looks. It’d be easier to spot a denim corset or denim cargos on their Nordstrom shopping lists than it would be to spot classic skinny jeans.
Their ready-to-wear wardrobe may be maximal and glam, but their swimwear collections are really anything but. I couldn’t help but notice how Italian women eschew their style sensibilities when packing for vacation and almost always go for simple string bikinis. I guess even Italian women need a style palette cleanser and swimwear is where they dial things back.
Thumb through the feeds of any Italian It girl and you’d be hard-pressed to find many hemlines below their knees. They’re huge fans of mini skirts, and they expertly balance the bare-legs look with something more oversized up top.
Up next, see the 7 major shoe trends of summer 2023.