28 Best Places to Shop in Rome, Italy

Founded in 1945, Brioni is hailed for its impeccably crafted menswear. Italy's best tailors create bespoke suits to exacting standards, measured to the millimeter and completely personalized from a selection of more than 5,000 spectacular fabrics. A single made-to-measure wool suit will take a minimum of 32 hours to make. The brand's prêt-à-porter line is also praised for peerless cutting and stitching. Past and present clients include Clark Gable, Barack Obama, and, of course, James Bond.

Tailored jackets with exotic trims, dresses in eclectic prints and bold colors, and smart linen suits are some of the offerings at this airy, spacious boutique curated by Soledad Twombly (daughter-in-law of painter Cy Twombly). In addition to her original designs, look for a sophisticated mix of antique Turkish and Indian textiles, jewelry, shoes, and small housewares picked up on her travels.

This tiny Monti art gallery/boutique/bar has some of the most sophisticated retro-inspired garments in Rome. Its owner, Carlotta Cerulli, sells clothes by her mother, Wilma Silvestri, who cleverly combines vintage and contemporary fabrics for her label Le Gallinelle, creating stylish fashions with a modern edge made for everyday wear.

A Piazza di Spagna fixture since 1870, this was once the go-to shop for corsets, petticoats, stockings, and bonnets. Today, it's the place to stop for essential basics that are increasingly difficult to find, like fine-quality pajamas, underwear, and handkerchiefs made of wool and pure cashmere.

Thanks to immaculate tailoring and custom-designed clothing, Davide Cenci is an Italian fashion powerhouse. Although the store features high-quality men's and women's clothing for every occasion, the label is most famous for its opulent cashmere, sailing sportswear, and trench coats. Attention to detail and customer service are hallmarks here: its clothiers will tailor most anything to fit your body like a glove and then have it delivered to your hotel (or to their store in Milan, if you are switching cities) within three days.

With a modern aesthetic that screams sex appeal, the Dolce & Gabbana brand has always thrived on excess and is known for its bold, creative designs. The Rome store is fittingly over the top, with marble floors, reproductions of Renaissance frescoes, and gold racks displaying the latest lines for men, women, and children.

Eddy Monetti, which began as a hat shop in Naples more than 130 years ago, is known for classic, upscale men's jackets, sweaters, slacks, and ties made out of wool, cotton, and cashmere. Sophisticated and pricey, the store carries a range of stylish British- and Italian-made pieces.

Elena Mirò is a high-end brand that offers curvy women sophisticated, beautifully feminine clothes in sizes 42 (U.S. size 6, U.K. size 10) and up. There are several locations in Rome, including one on Via Nazionale.

For gentlemen looking to bring home some Italian style, this family-run boutique under the arcades on Piazza della Repubblica is a must. You won't find designer names like Armani but rather small Italian producers like Gran Sasso, which makes high-quality knits, and Camplin, which makes the original Royal Navy peacoat. The in-house tailor is available to make quick adjustments, and the family also has a shoe store around the corner.

Fendi has been a fixture of the Roman fashion landscape since "Mamma" Fendi first opened shop with her husband in 1925. With an eye for genius, she hired Karl Lagerfeld, whose furs and runway antics made him one of the most influential designers of the 20th century and brought international acclaim to Fendi. More recently, the atelier has gotten new life in the Italian press for its "Fendi for Fountains" campaign, which included funding the restoration of Rome's Trevi Fountain, and for moving its global headquarters to a striking Mussolini-era building known as the "square Colosseum" in the city's EUR neighborhood. The flagship store in Rome is on the ground floor of Palazzo Fendi. Upper floors contain the brand's seven private suites (the first ever Fendi hotel), and the rooftop is home to Zuma, a modern Japanese restaurant with an oh-so-cool bar that has sweeping views across the city.

If you're the type who dares to be different and prefers funky statement clothes and accessories, you'll love the edgy selection here. Look for classy, avant-garde men's and women's styles by A-list designers that include Rick Owens and Yamamoto.

One of the most influential designers of Italian haute couture, Giorgio Armani is world-famous for dazzling evening gowns and iconic, clean-cut suits. The flagship store is the best place to find pieces that range from unique runway-worthy masterpieces to more wearable collections emphasizing casual Italian elegance with just the right touch of eccentricity and sensuality.

Guccio Gucci opened his first leather shop selling luggage in Florence in 1921, and, more than 100 years later, the success of the double-G trademark is unquestionable. Tom Ford joined as creative director in 1994, helping the fashion house move into a new era that refreshed the label's aesthetic with reinterpretations of old-school favorites like horsebit loafers and Jackie Kennedy scarves. Now, Gucci remains a fashion must for virtually every A-list celebrity.

This pared-down little boutique on one of Monti's most charming streets sells women's clothes designed by owners Benedetta Piccirilli and David Anav. Their pieces tend to be familiar silhouettes made with colorful Italian fabrics and often feature botanical or Asian-inspired prints. Although each of their off-the-rack pieces is one-of-a-kind, they also make garments made to measure.

Colorful Chie Mihara shoes, chunky handbags, luxurious perfumes, boutique jewelry, and funky dresses make this one of the best local shops in boho San Lorenzo. The focus is on innovative clothes from local and international designers like Alice Marrone, Apuntob, Hannoh, and Rundholz.

Originally from Rome but now based in Milan, Laura Urbinati is a fashion designer whose swimwear has appeared on the pages of Vogue, Elle, W, and other magazines. At her namesake shop on a street just off Piazza del Popolo, you'll find colorful silk tops, pants, dresses, and skirts with bold prints and patterns in addition to the swimwear she's famous for.

A familiar face at the city's fashion shows, designer Susanna Liso, a Rome native, mixes raw silks or cashmere and fine merino wool to create captivating, enveloping garments that sometimes feature seductive or playful elements. Both her haute-couture and ready-to-wear lines are much loved by Rome's elite.

Part of the Max Mara group, Marella is sometimes described as Max Mara's little sister, as it sells slightly more youthful and affordable clothes than the original. Expect elegant, high-quality coats, jackets, and pants; dresses, skirts, and blouses that are often done in colorful prints; and accessories such as shoes, bags, scarves, and sunglasses. During semiannual sales (in January and July), you can find especially good deals. There's also a location near the Spanish Steps on Via Frattina.

When strolling down Via del Governo Vecchio, a street popular for funky and edgy clothing boutiques, you can't help but stop and stare at this shop's windows, where the family-run business displays some of its best hippie-chick and bridal-chic gowns, as well as Japanese Noh theater–inspired coats. The highly original and highly coveted clothes are carefully crafted and hand-painted with one-of-a-kind designs.

Patrizia Pepe first emerged on the scene in Florence in 1993 with an aesthetic that's both minimalist and bold. Jackets with oversize lapels, playful pleats, mesmerizing mesh, and the occasional feathered poof set the designs apart. Spending time in the shop of this relative newcomer to the Italian fashion scene gives you the opportunity to pick up an item or two before the brand becomes the next fast-tracked craze.

Mario Prada founded the Italian luggage brand in 1913, but it has been his granddaughter, Miuccia, who updated the designs into the timeless investment pieces of today. You'll find the Rome store more service-oriented than the New York City branches—a roomy elevator delivers you to a series of thickly carpeted salons where a flock of discreet assistants will help you pick out dresses, shoes, lingerie, and fashion accessories. The men's store is located at Via Condotti 88/90, while the women's is down the street at 92/95.

Sitting in the shadow of the Pantheon, Replay has jeans and T-shirts with that little extra Italian kiss that makes everything fashionable and casual-chic rather than sloppy. Denim styles range from punk to hip-hop, though there are also some jeans with more traditional cuts.

SBU stands for Strategic Business Unit, a hip menswear label created by the Perfetti brothers in 1993. Just as their last name suggests, the jeans, casual clothing, shoes, and other sportswear sold here are just plain perfetti. Set in a 19th-century former draper's workshop, this is the store where Rome's VIPs buy their soft and supple vintage Japanese denim. The label also does well among A-listers in Paris, London, and Los Angeles.

At her eponymous shop, Danish designer Tina Sondergaard creates beautiful dresses, skirts, and other clothes with 1950s-inspired silhouettes and bold, colorful prints in premium fabrics. She will personally tailor her designs to fit you like a glove.

Valentino fills most of Piazza di Spagna, where the designer lived for decades in a lovely palazzo next to one of the multiple boutiques showcasing his eponymous designs with a romantic edginess—think studded heels or prêt-à-porter evening gowns worthy of the Oscars. Rock stars and other music lovers can also have their Valentino guitar straps personalized when they buy one at this enormous boutique.

Versace's Rome flagship is a gem of architecture and design, with Byzantine-inspired mosaic floors, futuristic interiors with transparent walls, and merchandise that has a sexy rocker-Gothic-underground vibe. Here you'll find apparel, accessories, and home furnishings in designs every bit as flamboyant as Donatella and Allegra (Gianni's niece).

Vintage-clothes hunters, costume designers, and stylists alike love browsing through the racks at this fun, inviting shop, which is stocked wall to wall with funky 1960s and '70s apparel. There's definitely no shortage of goofy sunglasses, flower-power bell-bottoms, embroidered hippie tops, psychedelic boots, and other trippy merchandise from the days of peace and love.

For more than 110 years, the brand founded by Ermenegildo Zegna has been a powerhouse of men's clothing in terms of both construction and fabric. Indeed, to ensure a high standard of quality, Zegna produces all the wool fabric it uses at its mill in the Italian Alps. Although there are also lines of sportswear, shoes, and accessories, this really is the place to splurge on a formal, tailored suit.