So to get my own dose of fashion this week, I decided to make the rounds of the designer outlets south of Florence on a very rainy Wednesday. My primary goal was to find a stylish pair of black flat shoes that wouldn’t fall apart trouncing around the very dusty, often muddy "sacred white Tuscan roads" at Castello di Casole this spring. The entire trip took about six hours including lunch at a café and quite a few wrong turns but it was well worth it.
My first stop was a little outlet just south of Florence called D&D (with the first D drawn backwards). I never would have known about this place had it not been for the ever resourceful Silvia Anchini, Program Director of Castello di Casole’s Vintners Club and longtime resident of Florence. She told me about this little gem when I was in the market for inexpensive, colorful cashmere sweaters and jeans last fall. D&D has a hip, Soho warehousy feel representing a hodge-podge of Italian designers. The highlight was a new spring line from Roberto Cavalli in bright florals. [To get there from Castello di Casole, head north on the Firenze-Siena highway until it dead ends at the roundabout in Firenze-Certosa. Take the first exit towards Florence and turn left at the Relais Hotel Certosa then follow the signs for D&D around to the left. There is a great little wine shop called Vinoteca Chianti on the corner across from the hotel which is worth a stop on the way out].
Then I jumped on the A1 towards Roma and got off about 20 minutes later at Incisa in search of the Dolce & Gabbana outlet I had read about in a town called Rignano. After circling around for awhile, I finally gave up and pulled into the Troussardi outlet. I am not all that familiar with this designer but the handbags and leather clothing were exquisite works of art. I found a greyish white leather dress with beads that might be the most beautiful article of clothing I have ever held in my hands. I caused a little scene when I pulled out my camera to take a few shots, which is apparently forbidden at all of the designer shops, so I cut my visit short and got directions to D&G which was just 1 kilometer down the road.
Located in a nondescript office building, the Dolce & Gabbana outlet is spacious, light and contemporary with the shoes and clothing perfectly presented. I strolled through the aisles admiring the women’s collection and tried on a few trench coats. Then I found a gorgeous dress that looked like it had been hand-painted by Jackson Pollock. I am still thinking about it a day later and wishing it was hanging in my closet right now. There were no black shoes with less than a four-inch heel, however, so I focused more on sneaking a few photographs than actually shopping. The prices were better than I thought they would be. I plan to return someday when I am feeling a lot more flush.
Just a five-minute from D&G, The Mall, located in Leccio, is a discount designer shopper's paradise. The list of designers represented here is awe-inspiring: Agnona, Bottega Veneta, Emmanuel Ungaro, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hogan, La Perla, Loro Piana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Tod's, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. The Mall is the real deal, like the outlets in the States were before the designers started manufacturing cheap clothes specifically for the outlets. My first stop was Burberry. I often fantasize, especially on rainy days like this, about owning a black Burberry trench coat and it seems that whenever I visit this store they have loads of trench coats but none in black, which was the case today. They have a very nice selection of coats, scarves, sweaters, shirts and belts and not just in the smallest and largest sizes.I saw a sale sign in the window of Pucci and slipped in to try on a dress hanging in the window that was half off the already discounted price. One thing I have noticed about The Mall is that the salespeople are always chatting among themselves and they seem rather disenchanted with the whole sales process. I actually felt more comfortable asking the security guard what he thought of the dress than the young lady who put me in a fitting room.
I had experienced a vision while driving down the A1 that the perfect pair of black flat shoes were waiting for me at the Tod’s/Hogan shop and my heart started to race as I approached the doors. I scanned a wall of shoes finding one or two possibilities but none in my size, and then, there they were, calling to me. Black patent leather flats, a cross between a loafer and a ballet slipper, but with more style and that signature nubby Tod’s sole. The shoes fit perfectly. I was, needless to say, ecstatic.
Before heading to lunch at the café, I cruised through the Gucci shop which is always worth a cruise through, and tried on a black leather biker jacket that was heavily discounted. Had I not found the shoes at Tod’s, I might have splurged on the jacket but I felt happy and satisfied as I enjoyed a crunchy salad in the café at The Mall, a great spot to people watch and catch runway shows on the flat screen TVs above the bar.
Having achieved my goal for the day, I could have headed home, but I really wanted to hit all of the designer outlets just to see if I could do it all in one day. So I jumped back on the A1 heading towards Roma, got off in Montevarchi about twenty minutes later, and after several wrong turns I found myself at SPACE, a massive, ominous grey building with no windows and rows of triangular turrets on the top. Inside this intimidating structure is the Designer Outlet to End All Designer Outlets- Prada, Miu Miu and Jil Sander. Oh, to have loads of cash in this place! I stayed there for almost an hour and spent about $100,000 in my mind. Thankfully none of the black flat shoes I liked were in my size or I might have come home with a second pair that I didn’t really need but couldn’t pass up because they were Prada, for god’s sake, and they were on sale. At least I managed to sneak a few photos.
Just for kicks I stopped at the Pratesi outlet on my way home, a great source of unique, inexpensive, well-made shoes and handbags. (There is also a tiny Pratesi outlet in Monteriggioni, my favorite little walled city just 20 minutes from Castello di Casole). Apparently the drive from Montevarchi to Poggibonsi is one of the most beautiful stretches of road in this part of Tuscany but it was raining and getting dark so I took the fastest route towards Siena. I really just wanted to get home to admire my new Tod’s shoes.
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