Flea Market/Outlet/Gay Pride Parade

Saturday morning we were determined to find an open air/flea market in the city. Our professors recommended that we attend but that it may be hard to find. But we did our research the night before and were able to find the market fairly easily. It was quite an experience to say the least. The majority of the products that were being sold there were items that you could find at a fair in the U.S.  I have never been to a flea market in a major city but it reminded be a lot of the products that vendors sell at my town fair every year. A lot of vintage items were there along with cheap jewelry and clothing. Most of the merchandise was repetitive and you could find the same items at different vendors. One thing that I found interesting was that compared to the Florence open air markets, the booth owners weren’t trying very hard to sell you anything. In Florence, before you knew it they had you trying on a purse that you weren’t even looking at. Today the owners said hello, but didn’t try very hard to make conversation or more importantly force you to purchase anything. Another thing I noticed was the knock off items. I saw various knock off handbags and wallets throughout the fair. Unfortunately this is a huge issue for the fashion industry. I will never buy a knockoff anything but in reality a lot of people do which takes money away from the designers who designs are being stolen.

            After visiting the markets, we went to D Magazine Outlet that was recommended to us by Elise Lefort. But even though it was considered an outlet I still was unable to afford anything in the store. The brands were all very high end and the prices were good for the brands but I still didn’t buy anything. However, as a girl who loves fashion I was happy enough strolling through the store touching the amazing fabrics, examining the quality of the garments, and trying to talk myself out of buying gorgeous Christian Dior suede pumps.

            Later in the day we attended a gay pride parade in Milan. It was my first gay pride parade EVER and I couldn’t have been more excited to experience one. Once we arrived at the metro stop, we walked out of the metro and were met with the sight of rainbows everywhere. The street was full of energy, life, and happiness. I saw some unique outfits, many signs in Italian, and balloons in every color of the rainbow. We stayed until the beginning of the parade left but it was such a fun experience and I was glad I was able to attend it.       

Balloons that formed a rainbow

So many people!!