How to Add Designer Brands to Your Wardrobe Without Looking Like a Label Lover
My closet and the carry on I packed for Italy this summer are a high low mix of brands from Amazon to Dolce & Gabbana. After twenty years as a personal shopper at Nordstrom, I’ve learned that adding designer brands to your wardrobe isn’t about collecting labels. It’s about finding pieces that work with what you already own, look like you, and keep showing up in your outfits year after year. The goal isn’t to buy everything on your designer bucket list. It’s to build a closet full of options you can’t wait to wear that still look like you.
Personal Shopper’s Designer Brands Italy Shopping Checklist
Fendi Rome was my favorite flagship store in Italy and a better museum experience than the actual Gucci Museum. I could have spent hours watching a craftsman at work and trying on the new collections.
There was something I wanted in every department. Every collection was perfectly curated with the right mix of fantasy furs and stylish staples I could see myself wearing on a random Wednesday.
These Fendi heels are the most comfortable pair I own. I’ve worn them with everything from a skirt to track pants.
I’ve had my eye on a pair of casual Fendi sandals for a long time. The best designer purchases don’t need a special occasion. They make the clothes you already own look better. Even an Amazon short set or an $8 Target tube top.
Stylist Takeaway: A designer purchase should improve the affordable pieces in your closet, not require an entirely designer wardrobe around it.
Gucci is a baby compared to some of Italy’s heritage houses, but it’s still one of the most iconic Italian brands. If your goal is to curate your closet, I’d skip the museum and head to the store instead. You’ll find a better mix of iconic Gucci heritage pieces alongside the newer Demna designs.
I love a good graphic, and nobody does a monogram better than Gucci. It’s surprisingly neutral and plays well with other prints. The equestrian heritage gets me every time. Horsebit loafers. Saddle stripes.
Gucci Short Size Cheat Sheet
Women’s US size 0-2, size 42
Women’s US size 4-6, size 44
Women’s US size 8-10, size 46
Women’s US size 12-14, size 48
Women’s US size 16+, size 50
I’m 5’4″ and usually wear a size 25 in jeans. I purchased these shorts in a men’s size small and had them hemmed. I wore them last winter with tights, and I’m excited to wear them with sandals now. It’s nearly impossible to find the women’s version in stock. I prefer the men’s styles anyway since many of them have an elastic or drawstring waist and a gelato gut-friendly waistband.
Style Takeaway: Monogram prints are neutral and will live in your closet forever.
Missoni was my first designer apparel purchase. I still have the skirt and, naturally, I’ve also worn it as a top.
Their knits are iconic. My favorites are the wide leg pants, dresses, and scarves.
I didn’t make it to the Missoni flagship in Milan, but this Positano boutique was worth the extra 100 steps to the top of the hill.
Stylist takeaway: One statement piece is usually all it takes.
The outside of Valentino doesn’t prepare you for the two stunning stories inside. Light filled rooms and Roman arches carry you from one visual vignette to the next.
You’ll never regret a studded Valentino shoe or bag purchase. I haven’t. They’re classic accessories with a little extra horsepower.
If you can get your hands on an archival Valentino print featuring Valentino’s signature, you’ll be wearing a small piece of fashion history.
Stylist takeaway: Timeless accessories with a little extra horsepower.
I missed the Pucci flagship, but this Florence storefront stopped me mid gelato.
One iconic Pucci print piece can provide the entire personality for a capsule wardrobe.
I couldn’t resist this bucket list button up. An instant outfit multiplier. This is exactly why I left room in my carryon.
The Prada flagship in Milan is a reminder that Prada began as a luxury luggage and travel goods house in 1913. The ship mural, black and white marble floors, and stunning selection had me mentally rearranging my closet.
Prada’s Galleria Saffiano leather bag was named after this location. Saffiano leather is incredibly durable and practically indestructible. The perfect choice if, like me, you don’t save your nice things for special occasions. Look what I got.
Stylist takeaway: Buy quality you aren’t afraid to actually use.
The Designer Shopping Strategy Instagram LIVE
1. Build a Wardrobe, Not an Archive
The best designer purchases don’t need a special occasion. They work with the clothes you already own and show up again and again in your outfits.
Think outfit multipliers like a button up or scarf, and quality leather bags and shoes you’d wear to Trader Joe’s.
A great designer purchase doesn’t require an entirely new wardrobe around it. It makes the wardrobe you already have look better.
That’s the difference between buying a label and becoming your own stylist.
2. Treat Monograms Like Neutrals
Some prints play surprisingly well with others.
Gucci and Fendi monograms have become classics because they behave more like neutrals than statement prints. They add interest without taking over the outfit.
3. Let Iconic Prints Provide the Personality
One Pucci print can provide the entire personality for a capsule wardrobe. The same goes for Missoni’s signature knits.
You don’t need a closet full of bold prints. One dress or even a small scarf is all it takes.
4. Borrow the Motif
Love the look but not the price tag? Look for pieces inspired by iconic motifs: Pucci-inspired geometric prints, Missoni-inspired zigzags. Swimsuits, coverups, scarves, and seasonal pieces are an easy way to capture the spirit of a designer brand at a more palatable price point.
The best designer purchases don’t require an entirely new wardrobe around them. Start with my European Carry On Capsule, then add the designer pieces that make it even better.