the vintage lover's guide to florence
four shops, what i bought, and a curation of secondhand jewelry.
Hi! How are you?
My poodle’s chronic tummy issues have been flaring up, so my life currently revolves around her eating/medication schedule and boiling filets of cod. I can’t get the fish smell out of my fingers. I’m gonna try for a solo date this week (lunch + something nature-y) to stave off the pet caregiver burnout. Would love your recs <3
Tidbits:
As a self-proclaimed bralette bitch, I wrote about trying on a push-up bra for the first time in over a decade for UNSAID. Because being inside a Victoria’s Secret dressing room will never NOT feel like a Marina Abramović performance art piece to me.
Did you hear about Anna Wintour visiting San Francisco to scope out the city for Vogue World? Whether or not it actually happens, the public reaction has surfaced two sentiments: (1) fashion is getting really cozy with tech $, and (2) Bay Areans are eager to project an image of SF as a fashion capital (GAP HQ, Levi’s, North Face, etc.) The tension lies in whether that image and recognition is going to be contingent on tech wealth. Like, the Zac Posen profiles can only do so much for SF’s fashion PR. Interesting convo to keep tabs on.
Today’s newsletter is the final installment in my Italy travel coverage this summer. You catch up on the Rome and Tuscany guides here :)
This guide includes:
A recap of the Gucci Museum
Four vintage shops I loved, and what I bought at each one
A curation of vintage/secondhand jewelry pieces inspired by my Italian finds
Palazzo Gucci
I enjoyed this more than the Uffizi Gallery. A must-see for anyone with an interest in fashion!!! It’s part archive, part experiential exhibit, part store. And if you’re going there during the summer, the cocktail of AC and whatever Gucci fragrance they spray in there is incredibly refreshing.
As someone who doesn’t have the deepest knowledge of Gucci’s history beyond the Jackie bag and some Tom Ford era prints, I thought the exhibits were educational in a super engaging way.
VINTAGE STORES
1. La Botteghina di Serenella Rossi
A tiny jewelry store with vintage and antique pieces hand-selected by the woman who owns it. The doorway is this pretty stone arch with the warm glow of yellow and green lights from inside—you can’t help but wander in like a moth…
The selection was great—glimmering gold treasures and radiant costume jewelry pieces—but don’t expect bargain prices.
I would say that vintage shopping in any major city with a tourist economy is going to be more expensive than on online secondhand platforms. There were so many unique pieces that I ooo’d and ahhhh’d over, and I got a little anxious thinking about how much I had already spent in Rome. Tbh, that’s on me for underestimating how fruitful the vintage shopping in Florence would be…
I had 10-15 pieces placed on a velvet tray to “think about,” but ultimately I narrowed it down to the pieces I loved most/felt that I could not easily find a substitute for online.
The first was this bronze fish on a cord chain with links. I think bronze is good for playing with bigger, bolder, more experimental jewelry styles that would be cost-prohibitive with gold. The chain is super long, and it looks best worn over a long tunic or flowy dress.
And I just couldn’t leave this one behind— an 18K gold slipper with a tiny diamond. So delicate and pretty, but weighty for its size.
After I made my purchases and the shop owner packed them in velvet pouches for me, I tucked them into the most secure inner pocket of my bag as I walked back to the hotel, smiling like I had a secret.
Beyond the paywall: more vintage stores I loved, what I bought, and secondhand vintage jewelry to shop.
