Bargain Shopping in Italy

People think that if you want to dress stylish, you have to spend a lot of money. I see more and more here in Italy women who dress well and who bargain shop. So it can be done. Women here love to shop and with the financial crisis no better in Italy then anywhere else in the world, money is spent wisely.


The local markets

In fact the local outdoor markets or "mercato" are packed full of locals and tourists with people walking away with bags of clothing, shoes, accessories, food, housewares, etc. There is a bargain to be had. In Italy you can find really nice clothing for instance at these local markets. My trick is that I go to the vendors where I see the more elegant women hanging out. Remember when I spoke of copying others in "How to Dress Italian and Look Good." These vendors have the nice articles at good prices. Granted you cannot find much stuff made in Italy but that is also the case for the stores which often times have price tags two or three times more than the local markets.

Stores

It is not so much where you shop, but more when you shop. You should know if you are an avid shopper to plan your trip to Italy around this tip: there are two major sale seasons in Italy. One sale is at the end of the Summer and the other is the after Christmas/end of Winter sale. The end of Summer sale begins after August 15th (holiday) and lasts until mid/end of September. During this period you can find all the summer clothes or footwear at great prices. Sales begin at 10% off the first week and then get slashed down to 50% and even more sometimes. The after Christmas or end of Winter sale begins after January 6th (holiday) and ends by the end of February. During this time period you can find all winter wear and footwear at fantastic prices. Again the first week you can save 10% and then more in the subsequent weeks.

Outlets

Italians now know where to go for factory direct, better priced products. Having lived in Arezzo for several years, I quickly learned from my Italian girlfriends where to go and I return the favour as only a true American would do to my visiting friends. Ditching the museums, we substitute culture for couture!

Designer Clothing & Footwear

I Pellettieri d’Italia or Prada is located at Località Levanella, SS69 in Montevarchi Levanella (Arezzo). Prada speaks for itself and this outlet is no longer a secret seeing the hordes of tourists waiting for its doors to open each day. This warehouse offers suits, coats, shirts, bags and shoes. You do have to really hunt since many items can still be very pricey. However you can take home a beautiful Prada pair of shoes for as little as €60. The outlet carries much apparel and accessories from past seasons and it is not always easy to know what is the most recent. But the vast assortment with that beautiful Prada label makes the search all worthwhile.

The Mall which is near the town of Incisa, just south east of Florence, is at Via Europa, 8 in Leccio Reggello (Florence). This includes outlets of Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Sergio Rossi. It is conveniently located since it is a short distance from the Fendi and D&C outlets.

Dolce & Gabbana Outlet, Loc.S.Maria Maddalena in Pian dell’Isola (Florence)
Fendi Outlet, Via Pian dell’Isola 66/33 in Rignano sull’Arno (Florence)
Village Outlet at Sinalunga (Valdichiana). There are hundreds of stores some designer but many pronto modo or knock offs of designers. For instance there is an outlet store called The End where you can buy (I did) 4 winter sweaters for under 100 euros total. You cannot beat that.

Of course bargain shopping entails patience and each time you come to Italy you will learn where to go and not to go to buy things. It has taken me ten years to know where to go if I don't want to be ripped off! Also often times the chain clothing stores offer decent quality clothes at decent prices: Benetton, Sisley, Stefanel, Luisa Spagnoli, etc. Let me know what you have found bargain shopping in Italy!