Italian style is unmistakably empowered, bold, fresh and feminine. There’s a reason why Italian fashion houses have become world-loved and renown. Gucci, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Mui Mui and more are all Italian-made, Italian-centered brands that fashionistas follow religiously. Today, I wanted to dig into the legacies Italian style icons have left behind and what takeaways we can learn from them.

Copy of White Polaroid Photo-centric Father's Day Facebook Post.png

Before we get into it, it’s important to note a cultural belief that is known and practiced in Italian lifestyle.

“La Bella Figura” - (“the beautiful figure”) comes from the Italian cultural importance of setting a good first impression. These impressions come from so much more than what items of clothing is put on our bodies, but in every beautiful feature, from manners, friendships, accommodation and appearances. This cultural belief can be found in every element of Italian life, especially in terms of the way women choose to dress.

Italian Style Icons

Wallis Simpson in Vogue, 1937 | Photo: Cecil Beaton / Getty Images

Elsa Schiaparelli

Known as Coco Chanel’s biggest rival, Elsa Schiaparelli was a complete independent when it came to her iconic style post-World War II. Her best known style choice? The use of “shocking pink” - which appeared in all of her notable fashion pieces and couture clothing. Who could forget her iconic lobster dress? Elsa masterfully incorporated trompe l'oeil designs, cutting along the bias and “divided skirts” (essentially the earliest women’s shorts). As a frequent collaborator with Surrealist artists, such as Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau, Elsa’s work meshes art with fashion and the every day with the abstract.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM ELSA SCHIAPARELLI

To channel your own Elsa Schiaparelli, play with color, pile on accessories and go big! Volume, bold color choices, fun patterns… and most importantly, have fun.

Sophia Loren

Ms. Loren is and was "The Most Beautiful Woman Alive.” Sophia’s starring role in Two Women in 1962 made her the first actress to win an Academy Award for a foreign-language film. Since then, she’s starred in over 100 films in her lifetime thus far. The Italian actress became a muse for the fashion world in the 50’s and 60’s because her sultry, bombshell figure and unapologetic confidence. No matter what she donned on the red carpet or in her iconic films, Sophia’s timeless style embodies the classic Italian woman.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SOPHIA LOREN

To embrace Sophia’s style, one must also embrace her mindset. Sophia famously never deprived herself of indulgences. “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” Ummm…. yes! Preach. She was proud of her figure and and embodied body confidence with her alluring, hourglass cuts. From corsets to cinched waistlines, Sophia loved to display her feminine, bombshell figure.

Henry ClarkeCondé Nast — Henry Clarke | Condé Nast

Marella Agnelli

Photographer, socialite and noblewoman - Marella Agnelli was a women who embodied it all. Dubbed as “the last swan” by Truman Capote (who famously called his gaggle of glamorous female friends as “swans”) - Marella’s beauty and glamour was celebrated far and wide. She founded museums, was photographed by Andy Warhol and became the earliest patron of the fashion house of Valentino. Her taste and signature style made her the talk of the town, and a fashion icon in the glamorous 1960’s and 1970’s.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MARELLA AGNELLI

Agnelli’s taste became her signature. Short, bobbed hair, colorful pieces of clothing, fun prints and easy, laidback elegance… Marella never held back in terms of her fashion choices.

GQ Magazine | Photograph by Fanny Latour-Lambert

Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada is an Italian fashion icon for both her own personal style choices and the fashion houses she brings to life. Miuccia took over her grandfather’s family-owned luxury brand and launched handbags and fashion collections that enamored Italians and the world at large. Now, she’s the brains behind Miu Miu, a fashion house that embodies modern pattern-play… a truly fun and fresh collection!

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MIUCCIA PRADA

Miuccia loves her skirts and has lots of fun with whimsical details and pattern play. Prada teaches us that personal style comes from expression, whimsy and lots of experimentation.

Claudia Cardinale

After winning a trip to Italy while in a beauty pageant, Claudia’s acting career exploded in the 1960’s - making her an iconic actress in modern film. Most notably, Claudia starred in The Leopard, Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 (in which In Fellini shows images of her as the “ideal woman”), and The Pink Panther. Her classic, starlet, bombshell style of big, teased hair, cat eyes and celebrated her hourglass figure, femininity and effortless sex appeal. But most impressively, Claudia used her fame to speak out for women's rights and was named the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM CLAUDIA CARDINALE

Claudia is another Italian style icon who embraced her bombshell figure. To embrace Claudia’s look, play up your feminine figure with body conscious cuts, bold jewelry, topped with a dramatic updo.

Photo by Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

Monica Vitti

Vitti burst into the Italian cinema scene for her role in L'Avventura, a murder-mystery directed by her lover Michelangelo Antonioni. She then became the ultimate 1960’s muse for her husband and starred in many films following. Monica’s personal style and elegant, fashionable taste has been celebrated ever since. Think big, bold, glittery and oozing glamour.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MONICA VITTI

Grab your black liquid eyeliner, falsies and don your most sparkly ballgown because Vitti is all about embodying allure. Think slip dresses, lingerie and big sunglasses. Vitti wore her sexuality on her sleeve, celebrating the mysterious glamour of being an empowered woman.

Donatella Versace

I could wax poetic about Donatella and her pop culture icon status. After her brother’s murder in 1997, Donatella took over the family’s fashion label, becoming chief designer and personally well-known for her sexy, rock and roll style. Because of Donatella, Versace became an unapologetically “bombastic” brand, celebrating the feminine figure, rock and roll aesthetics and seduction. I mean, don’t even get me started about Donatella’s celebration of the Versace Medusa logo. The mythical figure embodies female empowerment and intimidation, unable to be manipulated by the male gaze. Talk about empowerment.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM DONATELLA VERSACE

Between her high slit dresses and bleach blond hair, Donatella is a maximalist and a risk taker. Provocative cuts, bold patterns, decadent and figure flattering always.

Monica Bellucci

Monica started her career as a model for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, enamoring viewers to her undeniable beauty. Fast forward a few years alter and Bellucci was cast in The Passion of the Christ, a Bond girl in 2015’s Spectre, and became a media darling. Her fashionista status came from her long, voluptuous locks, curve enhancing long dresses.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MONICA BELLUCCI

Bellucci embodies the classic, Italian female protagonist. Empowered, bold, dark, sultry and unafraid to embrace feminine details like diamonds and lace.

What We Can Learn From Italian Style Icons

As one might notice, female style icons throughout modern history have a few similar threads in common. Embracing their feminine figures and empowering their sexuality, celebrating glamorous, body-conscious cuts and having fun expressing themselves with bold patterns and playing with color.

In a lot of ways, Italian style is in sharp juxtaposition to demure, understated French style. Bold and big, figure-skimming and feminine with disregard for reserved, conservative fashion... that’s Italian style in a few descriptors. “La moda” to the Italian woman is something exuded not only with what is worn on the body, but from within their soul. I find it refreshing to see these women share similar empowered mindsets in terms of personal style.