Il soprabito

How's the spring cleaning of your closet coming along?

I completed mine this evening, on a pre-departure rush. (We are supposed to join my husband in London on Saturday, come back to Milan next Wednesday, and then head out to the countryside on Thursday evening for Easter weekend). Indeed this afternoon I have had the what-to-wear-for-Easter-family-lunch discussion with my mother. With temperatures approaching 25 degrees now, I proposed to wear for the occasion an Armani short-sleeves cotton suit that she got me for my son's baptism. Her answer to my proposal ("too summery") reminded me a bit what my grandmother could have said, especially when she added: "in spring, one should wear a long-sleeves light wool suit, or light dress with a soprabito". I think the best english translation of the latter word is "duster", although it does not fully capture the larger concept that this clothing item represents in an Italian woman's closet. You see, when my mom and my grandmother were my age, a lady would own three main pieces of outerwear: for winter, a cappotto (heavy wool coat); for spring, a soprabito (light wool or heavy cotton duster) and a impermeabile (cotton trench) for rainy days.

Nowadays I have become convinced that the soprabito is not often, if at all, used. When needed, a trench replaces it on rainy as much as on sunny days. Yet I kept toying with the idea in my mind after my mom raised it. Hence I hit the Internet! I have a few items in my Yoox wishlist but I keep wondering: how much would I really wear it?

Anyhow, through the closet cleanup, I confirmed to myself that there are too many neutrals and pants in my closet, and that I really do not need another handbag. Somehow, after a bit of internet browsing for a soprabito, this lead to one more hour of searching for a new pair of orange pants and a magic messenger bag that can hold my wallet, iphone, iPad and new camera (unfortunately none of the mini styles so much in fashion for SS12 fits the bill -- I am looking at you YSL mini-Muse). Go figure. :-)


Photo: Soprabito takes centre stage in 1966, via Burda Fashion.