L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 San Francisco's Italian Block – Like Being Home for the Holidays! H ead to toe, you can meet your wardrobe needs on San Francisco's Italian Block, a vibrant collection of s h o p s o n t h e s t r e e t s o f t h e City's Union Square shopping district. Nine gorgeous shops offer the best in quality, luxury Italian made goods including j e w e l r y , s h o e s , h a n d b a g s , designer fashion, and made to measure clothing of the highest quality. Located adjacent to t h e S a n F r a n c i s c o ' s i c o n i c Union Square and Maiden lane, the city block is bordered by Grant Avenue and Stockton, Post and Geary Streets. Treat y o u r s e l f , f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s with something special this holi- day season from the shops listed below. Bottega Veneta - 124 Geary Street Bottega Veneta is a manufac- turer of luxury leather goods, famous for its Intrecciato line of woven leather. The company is based in Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. A fam- i l y f i r m f o u n d e d i n 1 9 6 6 , Bottega Veneta was purchased by Gucci in 2001. Bottega is best known for its hand-woven leather goods - bags, belts, and shoes. They are generally only labelled on the inside. Bottega V e n e t a ' s a p p r o a c h i s b e s t summed up by a company slo- gan that loosely translates as "When your own initials are enough". B u l g a r i – 2 0 0 S t o c k t o n Street Bulgari is known worldwide f o r f i n e I t a l i a n j e w e l r y a n d watches. 2015 marks the com- p a n y ' s 1 3 1 s t y e a r . B u l g a r i d e s i g n s a r e e m b o l d e n e d b y 2,700 years of Roman history, honoring the past with modern d e s i g n s h a r m o n i z e d w i t h R o m e ' s a n c i e n t h i s t o r y . Originating in Rome, Bulgari was founded as a jewelry shop in 1884 by Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari. Salvatore Ferragamo – 236 Post Street The Ferragamo brand is now in its third generation, spanning ten decades, and offers leather goods including shoes, bags and belts. Salvatore Ferragamo ded- icated his life to the search for a secret: the shoe that fits well. When he began studying human anatomy in the United States, he studied the distribution of the body's weight over the joints of the foot. Salvatore incorporated h i s f i r s t c o m p a n y , b a s e d i n Florence, in 1927, focusing on the study, creation, manufacture, and sale of ladies' footwear. Gucci - 240 Stockton Street I n 1 9 2 1 , G u c c i o G u c c i opened a leather goods company and small luggage store in his native Florence. His vision for t h e b r a n d w a s i n s p i r e d b y London and the refined aesthetic of English nobility he had wit- nessed while working in the Savoy Hotel. His goal on return- ing to Italy was to blend English sensibility with the unique skills of his native Italy, specifically, with the master craftsmanship of local Tuscan artisans. Kiton – 207 Grant Avenue In the 18th century, British and German gentlemen came to Naples as part of the 'Grand Tour'. While they studied the art and culture of Naples, they had c l o t h e s m a d e t o m e a s u r e b y Kiton craftsmen. You can still get quality made to measure clothing at Casa Kiton. The phi- losophy behind Kiton garments is they are made to last a life time. The company's motto in Italian is "ll meglio del meglio più uno", which translates to "the best of the best plus one". La Perla – 170 Geary La Perla specializes in lin- gerie made in Italy. In 1954 Ada Masotti, began creating corsetry in the name of the best Italian tradition. Beginning in a small laboratory in Bologna, the Italian town renowned for its solid tradition of silk factories and textile manufacturers, Ada u s e d h e r t a l e n t a s a s k i l l e d corset maker to create works of art enhancing feminine beauty. P r e s e n t i n g h e r c r e a t i o n s i n boxes lined with velvet as if they were precious jewels, led to the name La Perla represent- ing the pearl, one of the most feminine of gems. Loro Piana – 233 Geary L o r o P i a n a i s a n I t a l i a n clothing company specializing in high-end, luxury cashmere and wool products. Absolutely e x q u i s i t e g a r m e n t s a r e d i s - played in this shop's windows along Geary Street. Loro Piana is the largest cashmere and baby cashmere manufacturer in the western world. Originally from Trivero, a district in northern Italy famous for textile produc- t i o n , t h e L o r o P i a n a f a m i l y started as merchants of wool fabrics at the beginning of the 19th century. Prada – 201 Post Prada is an Italian luxury fashion house, specializing in ready-to-wear leather and fash- ion accessories, shoes, luggage, perfumes, and watches. The company was started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leather goods shop called Fratelli Prada. Valentino – 105 Grant In 1960, Valentino Garavani opened his fashion house and after two years, he presented his first collection in Florence, spe- cializing in couture designs. V a l e n t i n o s t u d i e d f a s h i o n design from a young age, com- pleting his formal training in Paris and starting his own line in Rome in 1959. By the mid- 1960s, Valentino was a favorite designer of the world's best- d r e s s e d w o m e n , i n c l u d i n g Jacqueline Kennedy. Among his signatures is a particular fabric shade, known as "Valentino red. What better way to enjoy the holidays and welcome the new year than by proudly wearing a label that says "Made in Italy." SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY CATHERINE ACCARDI The Prada store anchors the Italian block at the corner of Post and Grant. Photo: C. Accardi A gentleman looking at the Kiton window display. Photo: C. Accardi

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