Street Fashion in Naples

I’ve always had a strong interest in fashion and like to think that I'm pretty original with my style, but between a lack of creativity and a lack of money, I know I’m only kidding myself by thinking this way. While my style may not boring, there is definitely not anything special about it. I have the best intentions to be creative with my clothing but my wardrobe still consists of basic jeans, basic tops, and a few cute dresses. After 4 months in Naples I am still trying to figure out the fashion here, and it’s hard to resist temptation to buy items that are staples in every Neapolitan woman’s closet. Which makes me wonder: even for the most independent-minded, do your surroundings really impact who you are? Can you EVER really be an ‘individual’ or have you ‘own style’? I think not. Of course we all have choices as to what we wear or what kind of personality we exude, but I think it all boils down to availability. If you’re a sport-loving comfort-seeking type of person who only ever wears Nike sweatsuits and sneakers, and you move to Italy, you might eventually start wearing nice jeans and designer loafers, simply because your old sweatsuits aren’t available here.

I think that Neapolitans, as all Italians in general, take fashion very seriously. Not even necessarily what they are literally wearing, but their makeup, hair, the way they present themselves, and overall the type of ‘air’ that they give off. Without fail, every time I go out in public, I walk past some beautiful Italian woman, gracefully walking down the impossible cobblestone streets in the highest of heels, hair blowing in the breeze, and absolutely radiating confidence. They take so much pride in how they look.

So I’ve decided to take to the streets and do some research. What are the most common styles here in Napoli? What is one thing that almost everyone seems to own? And most amusing – why do I stick out like a sore thumb when I wear ripped up Abercrombie jeans and Rainbow flip flops?

Popular trends I’ve spotted in Naples:

• One-piece outfits and jumpsuits

• Harem pants
• Italian women never wear shorts, especially never jean shorts. Shorts are considered beach-wear only. If you see anything above the knee, it might be something like this:
• Sunglasses are an important accessory…I’ve found that both the ‘aviator’ and ‘way-farer’ style by Ray Ban are still most popular

• Shoes
-Lots of wedges and espadrilles


-Hogan shoes are really popular, especially with men, but I can't bring myself to like them! To me they look like New Balance knock-offs, and I've never been a fan of New Balance...

-Absolutely no flip flops (considered beach wear only) or gym/running sneakers (exercise only). Even stilettos aren’t that popular…I actually feel kind of out-of-place if I wear my Nine West classic black pumps.

-Other shoes that are really popular: Chuck Taylors or other trendy sneakers like Diesel and colorful Nike high-tops

-Possibly the most popular shoes for women in Italy are boots: leather, suede, flat, high heeled, cowboy, platform…any style and with any outfit, dress, skirt, shorts, pants…. However, UGGS are not popular in Italy at all! I don’t think I can live without my UGGS in the winter so I’ll just have to deal with sticking out!

• To me, one of the best accessories EVER is a stylish moped helmet slung on your arm!


• Other accessories: Louis Vuitton purses and belts are still very popular. Alviero Martini is huge right now, especially in Naples, and everyone seems to own a piece from this collection…I’m sure most are knock-offs. Rosa has a really nice Alviero Martini watch. I’ve seen purses, watches, belts, even shoes by him. The purse below runs for about $500.

• Color coordination seems to be very popular. One day I saw a woman wearing dark purple jeans with a light purple top and a purple jacket. Same goes for red, green, any color of the rainbow.

Typical outfits I always see when out and about:

Typical outfit #1: A short-sleeved button up shirt, tucked into skinny jeans, a nice belt, and a pair of wedges or boots.

Typical outfit #2: Knee-length flowy dress or skirt, cute top, saggy belt, and boots or wedges.

Typical outfit #3: T-shirt featuring Hello Kitty or Paul Frank or some other image, tucked into skinny jeans, and Chuck Taylors or some other sneakers.

Now...You sing in heaven

I feel kind of special that in 50 years when people say “Man, remember when Michael Jackson died?”, I can say “Oh yea! I was nannying in Italy then…” It’s one of those things like, where were you when the first man walked on the moon? Or, where were you when you found out JFK was assassinated? Well, I was living and working in Italy when Michael Jackson died, and it was extremely interesting to get the international perspective on it.

I was reading the news online before bed, actually reading about the death of Farrah Fawcett, and right before shutting off my computer I refreshed my homepage to see if there were any new headlines. There was: Michael Jackson was being taken to the hospital for something or the other. I admit I rolled my eyes, thinking, “there’s always something with that guy”…and off I went to sleep. The next morning I logged back online and there it was: MICHAEL JACKSON, DEAD. I went into the living room where Rosa, Bruno, the girls, Bruno’s mom, and the house keeper were all chatting. I asked them if they knew Michael Jackson (stupid question, of course they knew him) and I shared the news. Rosa was completely devastated! She started going on and on about how her and her girlfriends used to listen to MJ so much in high school, his music reminds her of her youth, etc. etc. The housekeeper just kept saying “mamma mia…e’ morto…mamma mia.”

For the next couple of days it was all over the news and that was all anyone talked about. We even got to watch the funeral, streamed live from LA straight into our living room in Naples. For weeks after that, I would see t-shirts in store windows remembering Michael, every car that drove by was blasting Michael, every bar and restaurant was playing Michael. Additionally, the next three books I read mentioned Michael Jackson (even just briefly) and it made me think, he really is synonymous with America, just like baseball and apple pie. His name is one that can be said in any situation and everyone will know exactly what you are talking about – like in the three books I read. When my cousin came to visit me, 2 times in a row we were in a cab and the driver realized we were American and immediately put in a Michael Jackson CD. We would ask everyone what their favorite Michael song was and the answer was always ‘triller’ (Italians have such a hard time making the ‘th’ sound – so it’s just ‘triller’). There was also so much in the news about how people across the globe actually learned to speak English through listening to MJ’s music.

Read more about MJ and Italia here


Look closely! Underneath 'Bye Michael' it says 'now..you sing in heaven.' Shirt in a store window in Piazza Dante.