Rome advice please

[MaxJones]

Gentlemen,

I'm looking for advice on stores, shops and tailors in Rome. I welcome any advice, insights or observations you have. I'll be looking for beautifully classic, elegant clothing and shoes, though I prefer not to spend any more than I have to. I'll be in Rome for the winter, so I'll have plenty of time to try out suggestions and give feedback. Perhaps a trip report with sources will come from this.

I'll be searching Via Condotti and other posh venues which I know will have plenty of fashionable desiderata, but I'm hoping to find some discounts or at least good values. I'm particularly hoping to find something along the lines of a Roman Century 21 or Neimann's Last Call, if such places exists.

Thanks,
M


Below I've listed a few suggestions from previous SF posts on Rome.

Davide Cenci
Battistoni
Eredi Pisano
Battistoni
Caraceni
Mimmo Siviglia
Rubinacci
Santoni Store at end of Via Condotti

 

[MaxJones]

Really? Nothing?

 

[Thurston]

You're not likely to find any discounts or good values. The B&S Forum and ebay are your best bets. The dollar, while getting better, still sucks and Italian retailing is designed to appeal to tourists with more money and romantic ideas than shopping sense. There are outlets outside of Florence and certainly other places but they are, at a minimum, way out of the way.

 

[chorse123]

You've got a nice list, although you left Boggi off, and that's a good place to visit. I've read somewhere that Pisano has seasonal sales, and their Italian prices are already below those in the U.S. I like their stuff.

 

[MaxJones]

I am definitely going to shop at Boggi. The Sartorialist apparently loves it, and their website is intriguing.

I'll add Pisano to the list of places to investigate.

Thanks

 

[chorse123]

Well, the Sartorialist likes a lot of things, some I would find objectionable. But I think they offer a pretty fair value. Their casual trousers were made by Mabitex and Incotex when I was in the shop last fall.

 

[TheFoo]

I think Davide Cenci is overrated. In Rome, it's essentially a department store that sells designer clothes from all over the place--including lots of Polo and Burberry.

If you're going to be there for so long, it might be worthwhile to checkout Rubinacci's Naples location. The Rome store is really just a small satellite.

I second the Battistoni recommendation. There's lots of cool stuff there.

Most importantly, eat lots of carbonara.

 

[chobochobo]

I've just come back from Italy and the pickings in Rome were rather slim. Boggi is okay but nothing special, lots of 'own brand' stuff. Battistoni is worth a look certainly, remember to go further into the courtyard and not to make the mistake of thinking that the first part with mostly women's stuff is the whole thing. I didn't buy anything in Rome except for a couple of ties from a street seller (!) - quite a character, he said that he was 'Paul Greenberg' and made the eponymous ties that he was selling for 150 Euros or so, quite well made with interesting fabrics and contrasts but not for me. He had short hair on his right side, long hair on his left side, tied up in a ponytail. He wore something that I can only describe as like a Austrian hunting jacket and grey flannel MC Hammer low crotch pants.

 

[daniele6]

For ties go to Cruciani & Bella in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina (at the west end of Via Frattina).
Lots of Holliday & Brown, the most complete selection of Drake's in Italy, 50oz 7-folds from a neapolitan independent maker and Thurston braces of every kind/color.
For Gallo knit ties (if you like them) check out the Gallo stores in Via della Vittoria, near Piazza di Spagna.

 

[chobochobo]

^
I could have done with this info before I left

I didn't see any Gallo ties, only Gallo socks...

Shopping was much better in Milan.

 

[Britalian]

outlets and workshops on outskirts do exist with good stuff. do some interweb diggin'

 

[mr. magoo]

Eredi Pisano in Rome is a chain with a few outlets. Decent quality, fair prices and much broader selection than in NYC -- reminds me of what Faconnable used to be once upon a time.

Also, if you're there for long enough, I'm pretty sure there are a series of outlet malls -- kind of like Woodbury Commons -- in Italy that are probably worth checking out. Do the usual searches and you'll find.

 

[MaxJones]

Thanks for the interesting and diverse suggestions. I don't think I'll be seeking out Paul Greenberg necessarily, but I will be investigating many of the other spots.

I'd like to think that there are discount stores and outlets around Rome but I could easily just be presumptuous and wrong. The dollar is gaining a bit but still very weak, of course, but I don't have the impression that Romans are swimming in euros either. To put it more succinctly, the demand is there for deal hunting.

 

[chobochobo]

Oh, I wouldn't even know how to direct you to find Paul Greenberg, though I think he was in one of the lanes leading up to the Piazza Novana, but they all seem to merge into one after a while. I did get a very nice Marinella and a cashmere Stefano Ricci from him.

From my own research, I believe the best outlets are located close to Florence. Rome has a few small C21 type shops in town.

 

[MaxJones]

Originally Posted by chobochobo

Rome has a few small C21 type shops in town.

I'd love to know more about these.