Photo by Flavio Vallone on Pexels
When a place is called the 'City of Dreams,' you know it's full of delights and wonders that stay with you long after you've left. Florence has earned this distinction from being the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. A city that housed the likes of Michelangelo and Da Vinci must be magic, and it has largely retained much of this artistic richness in places like the Uffizi Palace, Ponte Vecchio, and the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. Its influence on culture extends to fashion, which is why more than 7.8 million tourists visited Florence in just the first nine months of 2024.
Despite being dethroned as the fashion capital of the world, the city still has an unmistakable place in the revered halls of fashion history. After all, it spawned the 'Florentine four' of fashion designers who truly embody what makes the industry an art form - Gucci, Ferragamo, Pucci, and Cavalli. This is also where aspiring luxury designers learn their trade now, with the renowned Polimada school of fashion recently opening a new campus at Manifattura Tabacci to accommodate more students wishing to learn about various aspects of the industry.
If you're dropping by to bask in Florence's beauty yourself, why not embody the culture and dress for the occasion? You can play around with styles and brands as you please, but a great place to start is with some key accessories and garments that tie directly to the iconic names that came from the city.
Gucci sunglasses
Credit - @gucci on Instagram
As beautiful as Florence may be, it's also situated in a country that has UV radiation levels up to 20% higher than northern European countries. Therefore, you will need to protect your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses on your sightseeing tours of the city. In the spirit of embracing the quality and style of one of its renowned fashion houses, try wearing some Gucci sunglasses. The Florentine label's new SS24 collection mixes bold new looks and classics from the archives, so you can look timeless and chic with the rounded frames of the GG1517S or the more angular GG0529S. These styles carry over the designs that helped the brand spread its roots beyond Florence while offering high-quality polyamide lenses that provide 100% UVA and UVB ray protection.
Ferragamo coat
Credit - @ferragamo on Instagram
Be it a trench or a flowing coat, locals in Florence often wear outer garments because of the city's brisk weather in colder months and humidity in hotter seasons. It's also a useful way to cover up when trying to enter areas with dress codes, which are often imposed in religious sites throughout the city. You can't go wrong with the unmistakable flair of a Ferragamo coat, which continues to uphold a design language harkening back to the highest period of creativity in the designer's history. Even if you go for something less stylised than its structural pieces, the craftsmanship is unmistakable in the shearling coat or double wool and cashmere offerings from the brand.
Pucci scarf
Credit - @emiliopucci on Instagram
Florence is often faced with very cold or very warm weather, so it's good to have an accessory that protects you from the sun and heat while also providing coverage for snow and winds. Pucci has long been known for its unique and vivid aesthetic, largely present in the silk materials Emilio Pucci himself favoured. Comfort and practicality lend themselves to a well-made silk scarf, and Pucci delivers both this and unmistakable fashion sense with offerings like the Iride and Leocorno-print silk-twill scarf and the Marmo and Orchidee Carré.
Cavalli dress
Credit - @roberto_cavalli on Instagram
The international fashion scene has seen a huge resurgence in demand for vintage Cavalli pieces, with major stars like Beyoncé, Bella Hadid, and Lisa wearing and collecting older Roberto Cavalli works. The clamour for and value of these designs take on an even deeper meaning after the designer's recent passing. The great mind was known for blending flamboyance and sophistication effortlessly, creating dresses that are stunning to behold and feel like they ae actually meant to be worn (and not just displayed). The care taken into the construction of these dresses is perfect for travelling across the cobbled streets of Florence, just casual enough for a stroll yet still proper enough to be appropriate for cultural sites you may want to visit.
