Jackets in Italy? What to check out while in Tuscany

[RL204]

Hello All,

Random ask here but thought I would reach out as this group has a wealth of knowledge. I’m landing in Florence on Nov 9th and touring Tuscany for a week. Any shops I should check out for leather jackets or other clothing that links this group together?

Thanks in advance.

 

[handymike]

Oh my...have fun!

 

[Observe]

Shangri-La Heritage is from northern Italy, but may be too far out of your way in Tuscany.

 

[Aloysius]

IMO if you’re going to shop there, you’re better off going for traditional menswear than workwear/Americana, which would really be a waste.

 

[Observe]

IMO if you’re going to shop there, you’re better off going for traditional menswear than workwear/Americana, which would really be a waste.

When in Rome. (Florence?)

 

[Will Zach]

When in Rome. (Florence?)

Milan is the place to be for regular, fashion, and footwear items.

 

[jadub]

the Badalassi Tannery is about 1 hour from Tuscany. If they have a visitors center I think it may be worth a visit. I would definitely give it a shot if I were in the area. Might be a beautiful ride to boot.

 

[handymike]

I still wear the 2 belts my wife bought on the Ponte Vecchio 25 years ago. I agree, belts, wallets, bags, etc are going to be plentiful, cool vintage inspired vegtan jackets- maybe not so much.

 

[Tom71]

Assuming you will go with your wife, the whole budget will be gone for her "calzature" anyway...

 

[Jasonindenver]

It is not the same game as it was even 10 years ago when there were many family run craft shops in the Florence area. Sadly, many producers have switched to large mass produced operations using immigrant labor around Florence in order to be able to post a “Made in Italy” label. In many cases the items are simply finished with a couple of steps done in italy whereas the bulk of the work was previously done in third world countries.

Here is an article discussing the trend in handbags…

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...workers-who-assemble-designer-bags-in-tuscany

That being said, you can still find high quality items if you know where to look. You will pay as much as a quality, craftsman made jacket here.

Here is one respected source….

https://scuoladelcuoio.it/en/76-shop

Years ago, my wife bought a wonderful lambskin moto jacket from…

https://www.peruzzifirenze.com/en/negozio/men/jm0007/?v=7516fd43adaa

I found the men’s styles to be rather limited, though.

The best thing we did years ago was hire a professional shopping guide. Seriously. Maren Eriksen is a US ex-pat who has lived there for years. If you tell her what you are looking for, she will know where to find it. Money very well spent.

https://florenceshop4it.com/