On a recent trip to Italy I returned to the The Mall, a group
of high end designer fashion outlet stores. It’s a wonderful concrete oasis jutting out of the countryside outside of Florence, with great coach connections to the
city.
I first discovered The Mall about 10 years ago when it was a lot smaller and a lot more shabby. Shoe boxes were stacked up and the rails packed haphazardly. Unfortunately, the days of buying Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci shoes for £30 are long gone. The stores are now very similar to the ones you’d find on Bond St and the price tags definitely higher. There are still bargains to be found though, if you go with an open mind and lots of energy you’ll find yourself a treat or two.
I first discovered The Mall about 10 years ago when it was a lot smaller and a lot more shabby. Shoe boxes were stacked up and the rails packed haphazardly. Unfortunately, the days of buying Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci shoes for £30 are long gone. The stores are now very similar to the ones you’d find on Bond St and the price tags definitely higher. There are still bargains to be found though, if you go with an open mind and lots of energy you’ll find yourself a treat or two.
I loved this soft leather pleated snakeskin
print skirt but it was 2500 euros!!
Due to the current high demand for Gucci I started there, waiting for it to open, hoping
not to miss out on any bargains. I ignored the bags and headed for the accessories. The sunglasses were fabulous and plentiful
and, as they were mostly ignored by the handbag focused tourists, the
prices were great too! I snagged a couple of pairs for me and one for my
husband...
As jewellery is my obsession, I focused on the cases containing the sparkly things! I found some beautiful pieces that I could wear every day. I didn't buy them all!
Prada was next, I found myself a beautiful coat for £140 and a wool kilt for £100. Not to everyone’s taste and a few seasons old but I loved them and I think that’s the key to successful outlet shopping. It’s easy to get excited by the prices or latest trends but if an item makes you happy and you feel you’ll get good wear out of it, go for it.
I had my eye out for a new handbag and had a good idea of the shape and colour I wanted. I trawled around all the shops and as I was about to leave Mui Mui and Prada, I spotted this black beauty and snapped it up. The pink was just not quite me, as much as I loved it and it is my favourite colour (I sound 8 years old saying that...)
All in all it was a successful shopping trip, there were lots of tempting things I left behind. The logo scarves and shoes in Gucci, sunglasses in Fendi and a cute little handbag in YSL, but you can't have everything as that's just greedy! And expensive!!
The Mall is a slick operation that can easily contend with the thousands of tourists who barge through their doors almost every day of the year. If you love designer items and fancy a trip to Italy make sure you squeeze in a day trip!
If you have any questions about my trip, please feel free to message me here or on my instagram @annapurser
Click here to visit their site The Mall
