Recently I haven’t shared any of my crazy and bizarre shopping sprees at markets and yard sales, but in this period I haven’t had the chance to look around squares and browse through the stalls because I’ve been following so many events.
The coat I’m going to tell you about accompanied me during my last holiday in Rovigno, and I wore it with a large Scottish hat (that kept me perfectly hidden under a large brim 🙂 )
Every time I wear it to complete my outfit it gets many admirers, that all insistently ask where I bought this wonderful lace coat.
Even some of my readers have asked the same after seeing the photographs in the article, and some of you even wanted to know where I got the hat, so I decided to write an article to answer all you curious questions!
Off to find the coat!
One Sunday, as I was wondering around Trieste with my family, I saw that there was a Sunday market behind the town hall of Piazza Unità d’Italia, and in a heartbeat I was there looking through clothes and accessories.
I notice a clothes stand with loads of items hanging, then I notice a lovely fabric, and I head straight towards it, without losing eye contact!
It’s love at first sight: a coat in warm taupe lace!
I try it on and it fits perfectly! I’m already bargaining with the seller, when suddenly a third inconvenience makes its way into the picture: “the blue Napa leather trench” … do you remember it? (If you’d like to refresh your memory here it is: https://www.missclaire.it/en/my-style/my-trench-coat-blue-napa-leather-vintage-and-at-a-breath-taking-price/ ).
Two wonderful pieces, great quality, at an incredible price: 25 euros.
And then I started to teeter, uncertainty was taking over, all I could do was play for time as I waited for someone to help me choose.
And that’s when a dear friend of mine came to my rescue: Francesca!
I’m relieved; she’ll definitely be able to help me…
A friend’s advice is always welcome so I trust in her taste and go for the trench.
Despite the happiness of having a new item in my wardrobe, all I could think about was that lovely little coat that after all was quite cheap, and that looked quite nice on me.
That coat became an obsession for me over the next days, and when it concerns vintage markets, anything you leave is lost!
I was so disappointed!
But about a month later, for my birthday, I get an unexpected present for my friend Francesca.
And can you guess what was inside?
I was so happy to have finally found my lost love; I was finally holding it, the lovely designer lace coat!
I must say, Francy really surprised me; she was so clever in buying it straight from under my nose. I usually always guess what people get me before I open the packet, but this time it really was a surprise!
My vintage mission in Florence!
But getting back to the picture of Rovigno, where I’m also wearing the hat that comes from a totally different place, precisely from Florence!
This was also something I bought in a spree shopping moment; I was in Florence for work, still when I was Italy sales representative for a coffee company. That day my boss accompanied me and we were visiting a few clients.
As we were walking around the centre, precisely at n26 of via dei Serragli, this huge hat that dominated the shop’s window immediately attracted me.
I’m at CERI Vintage! It was impossible to resist so I went in and bought it. The most original thing was to continue walking around the centre of Florence, as I visited clients, with this immense hat on (my boss was half embarrassed, half amazed).
But at the end of the day our work was very favourable!
I’m still convinced that, to dress well you don’t need to spend a fortune, but you just need to keep an eye out and search for hidden beauty!
Ph. Andrea Zangrando
