A Trip To Paris

I adore Italy, of course. But when the opportunity arose to celebrate my aunt’s special 80th birthday in Paris with her and with her 3 daughters, I jumped at the chance. My husband and I had spent a week in Paris a few years ago, and it is such an interesting city to experience.

It was easy for me to quickly get my bearings, and there’s no better way than having a trusty map- I had a Michelin Paris Poche and a more local area map that the hotel gave me. Just walking and following along with a map is the best-and it’s great exercise for the brain. In this age of heavily relying on our GPS devices, we all sometimes forget to follow our own senses of direction.

When I travel, I must experience the city, not just be there. My eyes are everywhere- what do people look like, how are they dressed, what are they doing, how do they interact? Life abounds in the cafés, at every hour, weekday and weekend. Friends are meeting, chatting, eating, embracing, strolling.
A few latest fashion trends, some of which we also see in the States, but some uniquely European, are: painted toenails everywhere, so fun, in all shades of red and orange, strappy gladiator sandals, some with zippers in the back, cross body bags, scarves with every kind of summer outfit, scarves on men, thick-rimmed eyeglasses, especially in black.

Fortunately, my favorite Italian jewelry designer, Angela Caputi, has a small boutique in Paris, so I visited her shop and chose a rich and warm fall collection of her jewelry due to arrive in September. Look for deep, rich reds, warm greens, greys, beiges and more.

Next time I’ll tell you my ten favorite places and sights in Paris.

That Special Find? Buy It When You See It !

How many times have you been somewhere, your one and only time being there, and not bought what you really wanted? I used to have so many regrets upon return from a trip- years ago. So now my mantra is: buy it.

I would obsess and obsess about the wallet, the Italian jewelry, the outfit, the leather pocketbook, the boots---oooh the boots-and I’d end up calling overseas, reminding the salesperson who I was, and describing the item- and then would pay to have the item shipped to me. And I couldn’t rest until it was done- anyways- no more of that craziness- I just buy it when I see it.

It was impossible to let go of desiring that special something, whatever it was. But that feeling has mellowed somehow now. First of all, aging is kind of good to us in that way. It seems to either enhance or diminish certain idiosyncrasies. The ones it enhances we just have to live with; and the ones that aging diminishes, well, be thankful.

Nowadays, even though it is certainly true that we enjoy a global marketplace, and that stunning Italian necklace or soft leather pocketbook you passed up could possibly be found online, better to be safe – and then enjoy the excitement of unpacking when you get home.

Angela Caputi Collection

Annalisa Miniutti Collection

Angela Caputi Chain Link Bracelets Connect the World Link By Link

One of the aspects of my career which I like the most is that it affords me the possibility to interact with people worldwide. We get requests for our Italian jewelry, Italian handbags, and Italian accessories not only from the US, but also from several countries in Europe, Australia, Canada, and other parts of the world.
Recently, a woman from British Columbia found our website and was looking for a specific Angela Caputi bracelet. She had seen it, worn by Viviana Volpicella, in a stunning photo taken in Milan, seen here. And by the way, if you don’t already follow The Sartorialist Blog, do yourself a favor and start looking at it. The daily photos of people give us a glimpse at individual styles worldwide. Who knows, you may even start incorporating new flair into your own style, and get some fashion tips.
The following day, we received a message from a woman in Virginia, once again sending us a link to that same photo. And today, Minnesota and Australia! A picture says a thousand words!
Fortunately we carry this Angela Caputi bracelet, and offer it in several colors.
There are some classic designs by Signora Angela Caputi that endure year after year, that are simple and well-priced. They also are easy to wear, and go with just about anything. Three easy pieces that come to mind are her Circle Bangle, Click Bracelet and Chain Link Bracelet.
Serena Italian Imports carries all of these. They make great holiday gifts and are loved by everyone.

Make sure to rub this nose to ensure a quick return to Florence!

The Pleasure of Giving to Dress for Success

This past weekend, Serena Italian Imports was welcomed into the home of a generous Greater Boston family, to have a fundraiser for Dress for Success Boston.We entertained approximately 50 women, and turned them into Italian fashionistas for the afternoon. A wide variety of merchandise was available for sale, including italian handbags, Angela Caputi jewelry, Annalisa Miniutti handbags and scarves, Gianni Chiarini handbags, Sambonet stainlesss steel bowls, and more.

Thankfully, we had lots of volunteers helping us. The hours were a whirlwind of activity, with women trying on jewelry and belts, planning gift-giving, dispensing fashion advice and making new acquaintances. One of the hot items of the day was an Angela Caputi chain link bracelet, as seen on the Sartorialist blog, worn by the beautiful Viviana Volpicella. The most popular colors of the day were amber, black, lucite and jade.

While shopping, everyone was able to snack on veggies, fruit, luscious mini-pastries and cookies. It was an invigorating afternoon- and the best part came at the end.

As we tallied up the sales of the day, 20% of which was going to be donated to Dress for Success Boston, I couldn’t help but start to cry. We had far surpassed my expectations and my goal for the day, and were able to make a substantial donation to the organization.

Having volunteered at DFSB for many years, I am acutely aware of what this money could go towards- a few weeks’ salary for an employee, computer equipment for the office, blouses, suits, shoes,- a myriad of items come to mind.

Every little bit counts, especially during these trying times. I am honored and proud to have done my part and I cannot tell you how wonderful I feel today.

The Beautiful Catalan Language

You all know how much I adore learning and speaking foreign languages. Barcelona turned out to be the perfect place to combine my knowledge of Italian, French and Spanish, in order to understand the Catalan language, and to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It’s a really beautiful language to listen to.


One of the reasons I started Serena Italian Imports was so I’d be able to speak and write Italian every day, as most of my vendors in Italy don’t speak English too well. When I’m buying designer costume jewelry  from Angela Caputi, or Italian handbags from Gianni Chiarini, it’s all done in Italian.

Catalan, the other official language- besides Spanish- of the region of Catalunya, is called an Iberian Romance language by some, and a Gallo-Romance language by others. It is also spoken in the country of Andorra, and in a few other places in Europe, including the city of Alghero, on Sardegna. Fascinating!

It turned out to be remarkably easy for me to understand the written word in Barcelona, but- sometimes a word in Catalan seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it- very common words, the derivation of which was impossible for me to discern. Take the word for “closed”- as in the sign on a door indicating whether a store is open or not.

So- in Italian we have “chiuso”, in Spanish we have “cerrado”, in French we have “ferme’” and in Catalan? “TANCAT”. What is the derivation of this? Are any of my readers familiar with Catalan?

Here are a few photos of Barcelona: 

 A little lunch after much sightseeing:

                                                       

            

Pastries at Farga

Casa Batllo' by Gaudi'

Our hotel Casa Fuster

Loving Angela Caputi, In Grande Stile

I happen to adore Angela Caputi and her jewelry. The company makes designer costume jewelry and has been around for decades- and there’s a reason for their success and continuity. As an importer, it’s important to me that a company be easy to work with, that they ship items on time, that they be responsive to my needs, and more importantly, to the needs of my clients. Angela Caputi and her staff live up to all of that.


From a creative standpoint, Signora Caputi never fails to outdo herself, over and over again. Just when you see a piece, and ooh and aah over it, and think it’s the ultimate, she pulls out another piece or another season’s line, and the creativity and colors are new and exciting. And the quality of her work is consistent and reliable.

I always ooh and aah when I’m in her showroom choosing items for my clients. Decision-making is tough!

Sometimes people say her pieces are big- and that you have to be a big, tall woman to wear them. Not so-there are plenty of necklaces and bracelets that even on a smaller woman are just perfect. I’m a petite woman, and confidently I wear her jewelry with simple clothing.

We ladies know that we love to buy costume jewelry. So add Italian imported resin jewelry by Angela Caputi to your list of must-haves. If you’re a fan of hers, join the group- and if you haven’t tried her yet, knock yourself out and give it a whirl. We’ve got a great selection.

Here’s a video of her workshop:

Passing on the Love of Travel

We were young ourselves, with two 4 year-old sons. And after several years of local travel, to the beach, to Disneyworld, and to all the fun places young parents go with their kids, we longed to go back to Europe, children in tow.

There were no plans of doing the grand tour of Europe like all the American painters did, or anything remotely like that. All we wanted to do was be there, and live. So we rented an apartment for two spring weeks in Piazza Sta.Croce in Florence.

We brought a dear aunt of our sons along, to help us when the two of them decided to run in three different directions and to have another adult around for the usual craziness.

It couldn’t have turned out better. The apartment was gorgeous, with plenty of bedrooms to go around, and kitchen and washing facilities to make dishwashing and laundry very convenient.

We spent our days doing simple things in Florence, made it child-friendly, with lots of time built in for just running around the piazza chasing pigeons- which turned out to be a favorite past-time of theirs. And I will never forget the blue skies- every single day of the trip. We saw not one cloud in 15 days! Cielo sereno, as they say.

And I got to run off by myself a few times to buy an italian leather handbag, some Italian gold, Angela Caputi jewelry, and gifts for all my friends while my husband and sister-in-law took the boys to the nearest park with a playground.

Over the years we have returned with our sons to Florence several times. One eventually studied there (or I guess what kind of passed for studying) for many months, and the other travelled there with a girlfriend, so proud to show her his intimate knowledge of the city. In both instances my husband and I couldn’t have been happier.

We have seen in our sons the love of travel extend to all corners of the globe, and are thrilled to see that they have embraced and assimilated it to be a part of each of them.

The Light in the Piazza

“It’s something about the light.” That’s what I said to myself one afternoon as I stopped in my tracks in Piazza della Signoria. One day last May, as I was walking through the piazza, which of course I’ve done thousands of times, something very special caught my attention. The late afternoon spring light, so pure, clean, and soft, as it shone on the ground, in the air, over the people sitting at Cafe' Rivoire, and on the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio across the way, was transporting me to another level of awareness. I know it sounds crazy, but my senses, from head to toe, were heightened to a new place. Tears came over me, and I just stood, bursting with joy, marveling at the light in the piazza.

I had just come from a dizzying but exciting visit at Angela Caputi on Via Santo Spirito. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the name, Signora Caputi is an elegant Florentine woman, who has been designing high-end creative costume jewelry in Florence since the 1970’s. We love to import merchandise from her because each season, she manages to wow her beloved and loyal followers with colorful creations- necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pins- in a variety of styles and colors. And with Angela Caputi jewelry, there’s always something for everyone- whether your style is conservative or more edgy.

The art of choosing what to import from Italy for our website takes quite a bit of practice and a fair amount of confidence. I guess we just follow the light inside of us, helped along by the light in the city. Can’t go wrong with that.   

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