My husband wants to shop a bit for clothes while we are in Italy next week. Any suggestions for shops to look for that would be unique to Italy even if chains? He would be looking for business casual. At home he shops mostly at Nordstrom but also some other brands like JCrew, Banana Republic and Arteryx. We will be in Sicily (and Rome airport).
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11799 posts
La Rinascente is similar to Nordstrom. Stores in several cities https://www.rinascente.it/en/our-stores.
Posted by
Bay Area, California
1638 posts
I don't have suggestions for specific stores, but do want to share my experience in clothes shopping in Italy. The cut, for both males and females, is slim. They really like tailored waists. So, for those who prefer a looser fit, buying apparel in Italy is a real challenge. In Rome, I like checking individually owned boutiques, which sell higher end stuff than chain stores.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16133 posts
There is La Rinascente in Palermo.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ymHW2wmZKVPYYcYu7
and in Catania
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZKVMGfw3TNgm3tAL8
The Rome airport has clothing stores too (including Fendi, Louis Vuitton, etc.), but expensive.
If your husband has the same problem I have (42 waist size), tell him to forget finding pants in Italy. I gave up finding pants in Italy when I no longer fit in a 40 size a few years ago. Even shirts over 17 1/2 neck size are almost impossible to find in stores (you need tailor made). If he is slim or at least not Xlarge, he will have plenty of choices.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1723 posts
Even Italians have the same problem as written by Barkinpark. For real life clothes, I buy at Fratelli Baccini in Florence, via Pisana near Porta S. Frediano.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA (USA)
559 posts
The cut, for both males and females, is slim. They really like tailored waists. So, for those who prefer a looser fit, buying apparel in Italy is a real challenge.
I had this problem shopping in Italy.
Apparel sold in the US is generally going to be more relaxed whereas in Italy, unless it's a US brand, the cuts are generally are an athletic-cut and slimmer styling. If his body type is fit and trim, he'll have a ball finding items that not only fit exactly but are stylish and trendy. The flip-side is most American's are used to a more relaxed fit since it's a larger and more wide-ranging population not to mention larger on average.
I forgot to pack a pair of jeans, I usually pack one pant and wear the other, one of them being some nice denim...I forgot the nice denim. I shopped around, and every place I went their jeans were tight... like peel it off like fruit roll-up, I need to sit down to get them off my calves, tight. I finally found a pair that worked at H&M.
As for looking for Arc'Teryx (Canadian), you'll need to seek out a specialty outdoor store, more luck up north in/around the Dolomites than anywhere else. In Rome, check out Outdoor Experience in Prati neighborhood. Otherwise, since you're in Italy I'd seek out Italian brands like Salewa, LaSportiva, Scarpa, Asolo or, other Euro brands like Mammut, Rab, Salomon, Millet, Norrona, Haglofs, etc.....
Posted by
OP
Chicago, IL, USA
497 posts
Many thanks for the great suggestions! I have copied them into my trip planner.