Summer Style Inspired by Italian Design: 5 Key Design Principles

Credit: Loretta Caponi

With a focus on quality craftsmanship, timeless elegance and modern sophistication, Italian design can be a great source of inspiration when it comes to your summer style. Creating a capsule wardrobe and your own signature style doesn’t need to be a complicated task, you just need to find style principles that align with your taste, personality and lifestyle.

With this in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Italian design, and how you can draw inspiration from world-famous Italian aesthetics…

Italian Design Explained…

All around the world, there is no other country that does fashion and style quite like Italy. With a focus on meticulous attention to detail, quality craftsmanship, a love affair with art, classic silhouettes and a touch of modern luxury, Italian style is in a league of its own.

5 Key Italian Design Principles…

• Focus on Quality Craftsmanship

There’s a key element of luxury in Italian design, both when it comes to fashion and interiors. Italian design is purposeful, it’s not about excess and over indulgence. There’s a clear sense of understated luxury, and that typically comes from the use of high quality materials and quality craftsmanship.

Italian style doesn’t align well with items that are mass produced. Instead, Italian pieces are often hand made, or made in small batches, with great attention to detail. The handmade finish is high end, yet pieces feel like one of a kind.

When it comes to your summer style, look for a handful of key pieces that are beautifully made. Choose timeless designs that you will wear and love for years. A luxury handmade linen scarf is a great example, as it can be added to any outfit and can completely change the look and feel of your look.

• Use timeless Shapes and Cuts

There’s a strong sense of timelessness in Italian design. It’s that classic style that evolves over time to suit everyday living, but maintains original design principles. This means that a piece you bought twenty years ago would still work today, with the right styling and accessories.

Credit: Marta Ferri

Timeless shapes and cuts are a great place to start and will help you build the basics of your everyday style. Think a pair of tailored high waisted trousers in black, a fine knit cashmere jumper, a loose silk blouse and tailored jacket. When we get the basics right and we focus on fit and quality, the rest will come easily.

• Introduce Modern Elements

Italian style is less about keeping up with current trends, and more about incorporating timeless elements into a more classic look, to keep things up to date. Don’t lose sight of quality here though – modern doesn’t mean introducing pieces that have been mass produced and inspired by fast fashion.

Credit: Begiuls – Florence Luxury Clothing

Modern elements can be added in the form of accessories, such as a beautiful leather bag, or pair of Italian leather sandals. Gold or silver jewellery can be used to dress up an everyday look, and a well-fitting and expertly made leather belt can completely transform your silhouette and the way an outfit fits.

Clever styling can change your timeless pieces to keep your look current, while also maintaining that classic style that Italy is so well known for.

• Focus on Tactile and Natural Fabrics

The fabrics that we choose make a huge difference to how our clothing looks and feels. Mass produced fabrics such as polyester might look ok from a distance, but they typically hang and crease differently to natural and high quality fabrics, which is noticeable up close. In addition, when you are investing in timeless pieces, it just makes sense to focus on natural and quality fabrics, as they will last much longer and won’t look well-worn over time.

Credit: Pini Parma

When it comes to garments for the summer months, linen is a fantastic fabric. Breathable, 100% natural and timeless, linen looks and feels high quality and hangs beautifully. Italian linen is made from flax plants and is one of the strongest fabrics available. This means any linen clothing that you choose will last for a long time, as well as having a natural and tactile quality.

• Use an Earthy Colour Palette

Earthy tones are synonymous with Italy. Inspired by the landscapes of Tuscany, terracotta, ochre and warm neutrals are all ideal for your summer style. When paired with classic shades of whites and a small amount of black and brown, you can create a timeless look that’s ideal for the warmer months.

Credit: Loretta Caponi

Try a pair of tailored trousers in terracotta with a crisp white linen shirt, styled with leather sandals and a leather bag brown. If you want to add a contrasting element to create more of a statement, try building your look with earthy tones, and introducing a pop of deep blue, rich red or emerald green.

When it comes to design inspiration, it can be all too easy to simply open the pages of a glossy magazine, to discover what the current trends are. But in a world where fashion moves fast, instead of trying to keep up, choose a timeless style instead, and find your style principles in Italian design.