Need women's clothing advise for Italy
 

Hi. I am planning a trip to Italy for 2 weeks in March. I am going on a very romantic trip, and we will be not only sight seeing, but going to fancy restaurants and visiting friends.
I need to look elegant and sophisticated, comfortable, on a somewhat limited budget. I am a smaller plus size, which makes this much more difficult.
The 2 things I worry about most are what kind of coat to bring for March,(trench coat, long wool coat??) and what kind of dress or attire for evening outs. Do I need 2 coats, one for day and one for night?
We will be doing much travelling during this time, so I need to find mix and match. I have heard of the 9 items of clothing that gives you 20 outfits, or something like that. I was thinking of black, pinks and a few brighter colors for accent.
I'd like to know if anyone can help find someone who could help with planning a mix and match wardrobe.
Also, if you have any advise in general for Italian attire, please say so. I know I can't compete with Italian women, as I am told they dress impeccibably. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!!

There are many, many threads about clothing. Do a search on this forum and lots of info will come up.

One of your main concerns in Italy will be dressing appropriately for visiting churches.

Also, comfortable footwear will be a must.

Hi Kanadianwoman40

I went to Italy in march and I didn't bring a coat. I brought a blazer, but I didn't go out to any fancy spots. i would bring an over the shoulder shawl for that. Not our grandmother's kind but the newer designs are quite elegant and of a decent price.

My opinion only, I would skip the pink or other bright colours and stick to the taupes or off-whites. It just makes mixing so much easier, also I wouldn't want to stand out that much. So, a couple of slacks in the gray, black scheme; I prefer long skirts (same colour scheme but you might add dark green or burgandy, even blue) a few of your taupe tops and good shoes and I'd be good to go.

Your right that Italian women do dress beautifully but I do think a good wrap (shawl) will look both elegant and comfortable.

I would only bring 1 coat, 1 long skirt, 2 pairs of pants, and a few tops that can be worn with all the items. I believe in packing very lightly and bringing the least amount of clothing that won't weigh down my suitcase and won't get worn. I have made the mistake of packing as many items for as many days as I have been in Italy and returned home to find that I didn't touch nearly 1/2 the stuff!

In springtime (March), the weather is still cool and crisp (windy along the coast). In terms of a coat, I would go with what Italians wear all the time: leather. I have a longer, pant-length black leather coat that goes equally well with pants or a skirt. You can find a wide selection at very reasonable prices at lerners.com or chadwicks.com (where I bought mine). Additionally, they pack up rather flat (vs the bulkier, heavier wool coats) so not a problem should the weather warm up. 1 coat should do it for both day and night - no need to bring 2 coats.

Don't forget to bring an umbrella for the off and on rain showers!

For evening wear, a longish length skirt (I bought mine at Eddie Bauer) in a dark color (pine green, black, navy blue, etc) mixes well with a top/blouse (you could throw in your brighter colored tops here).

Comfortable walking shoes are a must for daily walk-abouts. If you want to bring a "fancy" pair for evening, then just make that your 2nd pair of shoes to pack. IMO, there is no need to bring multiple shoes either, outside of these 2 pairs.

I agree with Huitres, a leather coat is ideal. I went to Italy in early March 2 yrs ago, starting in Venice, and working down to Rome by the middle of the month. I have a fingertip length black leather swing coat and it was perfect for day and night. I took a black and white tweed blazer, and a soft Chanel style jacket in black with multicolor flecks. Two pair of black pants, one black skirt, 4 knit tops(white, black, red, and royal blue) and a couple of scarves. (I bought the scarves as I traveled.) This combination took me through 2 weeks of sightseeing, dinners, and a night at the opera. I took one pair of sturdy black loafers(Aerosoles) which are comfortable for walking and one pair of basic low heeled comfort pumps for a dressier look. I was able to pack everything for this trip in a 24" rolling bag, with a zip-off back pack for smaller items. By the time we reached Rome, I frequently only wore the coat at night, with the blazer a perfect weight for days.

What coat would posters suggest for going to multiple Italian locations in December and January? I will be in Venice, Florence, and Rome and I want something that can handle all of these weather conditions. Nothing I have seems perfect. I do like the idea of a leather coat, but I think that will be a rather expensive item to get at this point.

I have a long navy wool coat that I like, but I'm afraid of what to do if it gets wet, or if the temperature gets into the high 50s and 60s (although I can do fine without a coat once the temperature gets into the low 50s).

Here is an appeal to everyone in the world: ease up on the black! In London and New York, EVERYONE looks as though he or she is going to a funeral. In fact, some streets look like a long, hurried funeral procession.

The overabundance of drab in the world has really made us look like one vast proletariat. Does anyone remember the ValueJet commercial that featured the contrast between first class and coach? A man boarding "another" airline entered first class, where the fflight attendants were clad in curls and wispy Roman togas, laughing, uncorking champagne and feeding passengers grapes by hand. His ticket looked at, he was marched straight to coach behind a curtain, where there was a funeral dirge playing, no seats, only people crouched on the floor, dressed in drab colors and shabby, a few cages of chickens about, presided over by a stern commandant of a woman slapping a truncheon in her hand.

I am not advocating anyone wearing togas, but in my opinion the large cities have taken on a look of the coach cabin in that commercial, minus the chickens. Yes, if you look closely, some of these funeral costumes are of the best quality fabric and construction. But they are BORING, GREY, and DEPRESSING. Also, conventional wisdom aside, not everyone looks good in black!

Kanadianwoman, if you MUST wear black and shades of gray, PLEASE do add accents of shocking pink, lime green, whatever you want or looks good with your coloring---ANYTHING to relieve the drab.

I understand the desire to pack light but please, please do not travel with one skirt two pants and a couple of tops. By the end of 4/5 days you will be so sick of all of it that you'll want to burn it. You don;t need 2 new outfits per day - but if you're doing only cities and will do primarily nice restaurants for dinner you need at least 5 day time and 5 dinner outfits. Each one can be worn several times - with washing or cleaning as needed.

Yes, a leather coat is the way to go - and they're really not that expensive - even for a nice one (try the bloomies catalogs - they have several on sale now - I've had a couple of them - love them and they last forever and always look great - and sophisticarted enough for travel).

I would stick with black as a base for pants, sweaters and dinner pants or skirts outfits - but add white and colors for tops, scarves etc - to brighten it all up.

Be sure to have comfy walking shoes for day - and reasonable comfy dinner shoes (I have smashing ankle booties with a low heel as well as really comfy pumps with a higher heel that look better with the skirts.) Just be sure you can walk confortably on uneven surfaces for at least 5/6 blocks without turning an ankle.

As for dealing with the luggage - all of this should fit easily in a moderate size wheelie and a small carry-on. And, after all, that's why there are porters!

I would go with mix & match pieces in fabrics that pack well - I use knits alot (jersey, cotton, silk).

Although I believe in packing light, you can go overboard, resulting in the desire to burn your pathetically few packed clothes (the phenomena mentioned above). Especially with romance involved & visiting friends and I would not be overly skimpy.

I'd pack into a 24" expandable rolling suitcase something like this: low boots, dress flats, walking shoes, 2-3 skirts, 4 pants, 10 tops that can be layered and are interchangeable. One cardigan sweater, one jacket of some sort.

Check out Chico's online for great ideas, not sure about sizes but they have some wonderful travel-specific pieces. Do you have a Macy's store available? They have excellent clothes in their (plus size) "woman's world" department.

A "smaller plus size", an oxymoron if ever i saw one.

Those of you suggesting a leather jacket, should stop and think, you don't want her to look like the calf from which the leather came from now do you?

I'll neglect any style tips, you're best to go for dark colours which will slim you down a bit. However, my best advice will be to eat salads for a year or so, then you can dress how you please.

mk2, as I suggested on another thread, do try to work on your manners. Surely there is some book in one of the London bookstores that can direct you how to respond like a lady/gentleman, whatever the case may be. Good luck!

Dear kanadianwoman. With 2 weeks in Italy and wanting to look elegant, sophisticated and comfortable is in my opinion easy to do. And we will not forget the romantic look either!

First of all, to answer one of your last questions with a question. Do you live near a major shopping center that has a good dept. store. If so, do they have the service of a shopping assistant. Many do, free of charge. You call them, tell them your size, your budget and your needs as you did here. They will set up an appointment with you. When you arrive they will have a selection of items for you to try on and review. Now, if there is nothing that you like there is no obligation for you to buy. I would make sure that this consultant (an employee of the dept. store) has been to Europe. And just make sure you find out that there is no fee for their service if they cannot supply you with what you are looking for.

A 2 month visit to Italy had me taking this. On ankle length black stylish trench coat that was waterproof. Still own it and enjoy it. It is timeless. Goes well with everything and anytime of the day or night.

But a leather coat will certainly be right in style in Italy. And I would think easy to find. I would go for black. Length would depend on what you look good in.

A 3 piece black suit (blazer, pants and skirt). A black pair of jeans. A black wool turtle neck. A sort of terra cotta colored sweater. A cream sweater. A cream silk blouse. A black and white tweed skirt suit. A 2 piece red silk blouse and skirt (that looked like a dress when worn together). A couple of silk dresses in quiet colors. A cotton blue blouse and black/white very small stiped blouse. A long zippered striped terry robe that also worked as a beach coverup that you will not need in March.

I took 3 pairs of shoes (one worn on the plane of course) and the other 2 packed. One of the packed ones were dressy. All black. Had shoulder bag for plan and a very small evening purse in checked luggage.

Purchased a few beautiful silk scarves in Italy to go with my clothes and they were so easy of course to bring home.

You do not need "tons of clothes". And you do not want to purchase clothes just for this trip. Buy what you feel good and comfortable in and that you can mix match, which obviously this is what you are already thinking of.

And don't forget, you might see something in Italy you might like to buy.

Italian women do not have the abundance of clothes that we North American women have. They do wear dresses or skirts so much more than pants. They dress rather timeless IMHO, classic and ladylike. Clothes that can last you for years. My Italian friends have so fewer clothes that we do, and I have seen the same wonderful clothes over the years. Classic and timeless. So do not worry if your friends see you wearing the same thing, or more or less the same thing with a change of a top, scarf or whatever.

You might think of getting a dressier top to go with a suit (assuming you buy one) to dress that up for romantic evening. And a beautiful shawl would not take up any room in your luggage.

Have fun shopping. You can attack this during the next few months. Good luck as I know that buying good classic clothes for a resonable price is not as easy as it use to be. But have fun!

As loveitaly says, the Europian women I know buy a few good basic items and war them year to year. My girlfriend in Provence I have seen wear the same beautiful linen dress out to dinner but dressed up with different scarves or jewelry. Rome, Paris, New York, you can dress the same way, very sophistocated but appropiat to the season.. In the villages, smaller towns, you can be much more casual. Great shoes and bag are more important than a varied wardrobe. Remember Hannibal lector, he was so right. Buy the best bag, shoes you can swing(not for this trip) the best simple classic skirt, A unique jacket, cashmere sweather, Coat or trench with removeable lining and you can go anywhere and feel comfortable.
I bring a pashima or silkblend cashmere shawl for the plain or if it's the kind of weather I need them. the real pashima is expensive but worth it as you can actually slide it through a ring. that's how light it is and never goes out of style.

Travel Smith mail order catalog specializes in travel clothing. They recently started to offer many of their pieces in 1X-3X. www.travelsmith.com

Please consider an elegant cape. I saw a lovely, flowing cashmere cape with trim and a decorative closure at the neck. No worries about length and it could take you anywhere. If cashmere is too expensive there are a number of less expensive blends available. Just ensure that you get a fabric that drapes softly and that the cape is actually "shaped" and proportionate to your height and weight so that you don't look like you are wrapped in yards or meters of fabric!