Five Stylish Reasons Why I'm Visiting Rome

Tomorrow I will be browsing the streets of Rome, preparing for a vintage Vespa trip (woop!) and tracking down the very best gelato that money can buy. However, the city is often overlooked in favour of Milan when it comes to fashion, but Romans certainly know how to dress and how to shop. This is why I couldn't wait to drop in on them...

[Image via Tumblr]. Delfina Delettrez is one of Rome's hottest designers.

1.  I want to check out up-and-coming Italian brands, such as jewellery designer Delfina Delettrez, whose skeleton hand belt is one of the coolest anatomical pieces I've ever seen. She's also part of the Fendi family, so clearly talent runs in the blood. 

2. Up-and-coming districts like San Lorenzo, home to uni students and street art, are worth visiting for style inspiration. I'll be looking out for sharply dressed young Italians and hot vintage shops - apparently Via Dei Volschi is the place to hit.

3. There's a brilliant flea market culture here that means you're never far away from second hand goods. Most of them take place on a Sunday, which I'll unfortunately miss, but one low-key event runs all week behind a church. I'll be popping by to see if I can pick up some bargains.

4. You can't ignore the impact of the great Valentino Garavani on Rome. The man who made the city his catwalk (and held a party at the Colosseum and a retrospective at the Ara Pacis) still leaves his mark here, with his studio continuing to produce eye-catching couture under the watchful eye of two successors, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. They've brought us the rockstud shoes, which I love. 

5. The Trevi Fountain, one of the most famous sights, is being rescued and restored by Fendi, with Karl Lagerfeld at the helm. I'm expecting the statues to be clutching Fendi Baguette bags in no time at all. 

Besides all of this, I'll be visiting the shopping malls, boutiques and street sellers scattered around the streets and will be keeping my eyes peeled for Roman street style. It's also more than likely I'll be doing a Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love and needing to track down bigger jeans that can accommodate my love of Italian food...

Anyway, I'll be back at the weekend, with a fresh copy of Vogue Italia and loads of photos. Stay tuned.