Shopping in Rome
This short compendium of Roman shopping is for all shopping lovers. A compendium for all tastes, from high fashion chic to the cheap items on the market stalls, and with a mention of the new frontier of shopping, halfway between chic and cheap: outlets. Remember that if you want to go shopping in Rome, you will need a bit of time time, so book a few nights extra in the hotel in Rome that you are staying in.
- Roman labels: from Sorelle Fontana to Gai Mattiolo
Many famous names in Made in Italy fashion from Rome and elsewhere started their careers in this city, often opening an atelier that soon began to attract the curiosity of aristocrats, politicians and film stars who then made them famous.
- Sorelle Fontana – a historical label that dressed the Roman upper middle classes in the post-war period until the Dolce Vita era and then went on to the United States and Hollywood, designing and making film costumes for international stars.
Capucci - Capucci opened his first atelier in Paris and then finally opened one in Rome in Via Gregoriana. One of the few “independent” designers: Capucci detached himself from the traditional fashion circuits and personally organized the presentations of his collections almost as if they were art exhibitions. In 1995 he exhibited his designs at the Biennale in Venice.
- Fernanda Gattinoni – She opened her Rome atelier in 1945 near Via Veneto. Her clothes were worn by famous people such as Anna Magnani, Evita Peron, Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn.
- Lancetti – Roman by adoption, he opened his first atelier in Via Margutta, the famous street of artists. This was almost an omen of his fame as a designer-painter that he later obtained.
- Valentino - Valentino opened his first atelier in Rome in Via Condotti, and hit success after a fashion show at Pitti Immagine in Florence. He is one of the cinema world’s famous designers: stars such as Liz Taylor, Joan Collins, Julia Roberts and Claudia Cardinale wear his creations at gala evenings such as the Night of the Oscars.
- Laura Biagiotti – Renamed the “Queen of Cashmere", Laura Biagiotti is famous for her fine cashmere knitwear and for her frequent use of the color white in her creations.
- Fendi - This maison was set up in 1925 in Rome as a fur coat and leather goods shop. Later, the five Fendi sisters created the label that is famous worldwide.
- Brioni – Male tailored elegance. Famous worldwide for the high quality of their clothes and for being 007’s tailor, embodied by the actor Pierce Brosnan.
Battistoni – A historical, male tailors’ atelier in Rome, which was a favorite of the Duke of Windsor.
- Gai Mattiolo – Born in 1968 in Roma, he began his career as a fashion designer very early and is now one of the most popular “young” names in fashion.
Famous names outside the city: the outlets
Let’s ignore the single-label outlets that spring up here and there in the province and let’s concentrate on the new McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Castel Romano: a kind of consumer orgy concentrated in 20,000 square meters. This huge shopping city, 25 km south of Rome, was opened on October 9th 2003.
We will bet that after a day spent here, even the most hardened consumer will feel the need to have a rest from shopping for at least a month!
The Castel Romano outlet center has 95 shops including the famous labels (Etro, D&G, F.lli Rossetti, Moreschi, Mariella Burani, Calvin Klein, La Perla), younger brands (North Sails, Mandarina Duck, Liu-jo, Guess, Diesel, Levi's, Stefanel, Tommy Hilfiger) and manufacturers of various accessories (Lagostina, Bassetti, Samsonite).
Go there, choose, buy and take it for granted that you will have a strange feeling in your stomach for a few days. Don’t worry: whenever you go to places like this, post-consumer guilt is normal!
Markets and flea markets: visiting the stalls looking for a bargain
For the more alternative consumers who snob the artificial lights of shopping malls and those who are attracted by the idea of owning something that is out of the ordinary, we recommend a visit to the Roman flea markets. Get rid of the concept “in a hurry” from your minds for a while and take all the time you want: rummaging among the stalls requires considerable concentration. Your efforts will most definitely be worth it though: from the bottom of the stall, the bargain of a lifetime or a valuable item could crop up, or even just the issue of Tex Willer that you were really fond of but that you lost during your last house move.
Porta Portese that veiled air of illegality that it inherited from its origins still persists: during the Second World War, this was the city’s black market. Today you can find old furniture, clothes, records, books, plants, CDs and a lot more too (Via Portuense and Via Ippolito Nievo, every Sunday).
The Mercato delle Stampe will literally drive fans crazy; magazines, prints and old books (Largo della Fontanella di Borghese, every morning except Sunday).
Finally, if you are looking for vintage clothes or just second-hand clothes, you have to go to the market at Via Sannio (Via Sannio, every morning from Monday to Saturday).
Go to directories of the Web Sites
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