Italians turn the Ordinary into Extraordinary

There is a certain kind of magic about Europe that just makes everything better here. Getting lost and taking an extra hour to get home is a pleasant experience because there is so much to explore. Having to study for hours at a time is okay because my study spot overlooks the beautiful Arno River. Spending a little too much money on dinner is great because I just tried something I never had before and now it’s my favorite food.

That magic also applies to the shopping. Sure, Florence is a Mecca for leather goods and luxury designers (I’m looking at you Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Emilio Pucci and Roberto Cavalli) but even the low-budget, regular stores that we have in America are just better here.

I’ll be the first to admit that I suffer from an extreme shopping addiction. It ranges from cheap stores, like Forever21, all the way to the high-end designers. As long as it’s cute and it fits, I’m lusting over it. Before I came to Europe, I never really thought twice about stores such Zara, H&M or ALDO before. They were on my radar, but I had never found anything amazing there before. They just seemed… Eh.

Zara and H&M typically appeared to only have basics geared towards young professionals and work attire. ALDO always had the same styles as DSW or the designers, but stuck in that awkward upper-bottom-tier price range. However, European Zara, H&M and ALDO are a completely different story.

Walking into these European branches is like walking into a new world. In Florence or Milan, these stores have style, uniqueness, excitement and life. Each garment is a statement piece in it’s own right and edgy as hell. They can be paired with nearly anything and still look good. Their innovative designs are rare to find in the United States, making the pieces here that much more intriguing.

Another thing that these European branches have on the American ones are the prices. Call me crazy, but there is no better feeling than seeing some trendy, unparalleled clothes with the word “Saldi” all over (Italian for “Sale”.) While American sales racks are banished to the back of the store, disheveled and picked over, European stores feature sales all over the store and on almost all pieces. Coming from the shopping addict, this may be a biased opinion, but seriously, what could be better? Here are some examples of what I’m talking about…