Strolling the Vittorio Emmanuelle III, where all the best, most exclusive boutiques are - is the evening sport here! The shops tend to be intimate, chic shops where a selection of the world’s labels are especially curated for a luxe clientele.
There is shop after shop of incredible jewelry - I’m talking hundreds of thousands, - millions of dollars of diamond and earrings that you see on the red carpet. Wealthy alpha males often fly in with their companions to go on little shopping jaunts. It’s quite funny to see even the high flyers shopping on holiday in Bermuda shorts, even in Bulgari or Louis Vuitton. It could be quite intimidating in 5th Avenue but Capri has its own off-duty privileges.
Nothing is hard to find here, and a lot of the stores tend to cluster together by genre, from jewelry and sunglasses to hats and sportswear. The men’s preppy sportswear look is huge, from the streets in real life, to the display windows of Polo, Nautica and Ralph Lauren.
VIA CAMARELLE is such an elegant street, where there is one worldclass Italian brand after another as you stroll by: Fendi, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, the list goes on. This is also a great place to shop for labels that are known, but without the same global reach, such as Gianfranco Ferre or Philosophy.
I am always keeping an eye out for something nice to remember the trip by. On a previous trip, when we had the children along, I bought a fabulous Miu-Miu pink suede blazer. They have since closed down in Capri (Prada still has a store on the Piazzetta at 58, Vittorio Emanuele lll) but every time I wear that blazer I relive that feeling and that holiday. It’s not about the price: I get the same feeling about something that I bought for $20 in Mykonos as a $3000 investment handbag in New York. It’s whatever you can afford and takes your fancy at the time that will remind you of that experience.
This time walking along and fell in love with a maxi dress. No, I’m not on-trend and keeping up with Nicole Ritchie! I actually love them and wore vintage dresses to the ground in Sydney when nobody else was thinking about it. It was in the PUCCI shop - the 1960s label so famous for its candy-coloured graphics and silky, sexy viscose fabric. It’s a brand that is so synonymous with the jet-set at play that it doesn’t really ever date season to season. A grandmother’s dress would still work in this context today. Jonathan, as usual, urged me on because he thought it worked (he loves playing prince to my princess, even though I am sometimes too sensible and get in the way!) and Pucci served us lovely expressos while I gave in pretty quicky!
I love this beautiful long, Grecian dress with an asymmetrical shoulder, and a swirl of purple, pink and navy blue. I instantly knew that this would be a special summer dress that I can wear for 15 years then give to my daughter. Every time I put it on, I’m back on the cobblestone streets of Capri.
This was the one Caprese jeweler that stood out for me. It’s fun to sink back into the comfortable armchairs while trays of really fine, detailed gold work, precious stones, chandelier earrings and all the bling a girl could ever use are passed under your nose. But it’s the watches that excite Jonathan, who has carefully cherry-picked an interesting collection over the years. The store carries the big guns like Cartier as well as all the to-die-for niche brands like A.Lange & Sohne, Brequet and Jonathan’s favourite obsession, Panerei & Rolex.
Jonathan, started his campaign to get me an early birthday present with, “If you could have any watch in the shop which one would it be?” “I don’t need or want a watch” I began. He is as stubborn as a bull and finally winkled out of me that I liked the Chanel, black ceramic J12 series with the big face. After literally days of to and froing (this guy is persistent) and a developing relationship with the delightful owner, Fabrizio, I started to weaken. A volcanic eruption of Monte Solaro wouldn’t have stopped him, so we bought it at the 11th hour, on the way to catch a boat to Positano. It was a really strange experience buying a beautiful item like that before mid-day, but we were literally heading to the port to leave Capri!
This is a wonderful store if you are interested in a special investment piece and need to have your hand held by a gracious, gentlemanly jeweler with the patience of a saint! He was highly amused that I was pushing back gifts from a man (I’m a go-away-and-think shopper) - with all the sugar daddies and mommies of Capri that must be a first!
The poolside terrace at Perivolas is just about the most ..
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