Dress to Impress (or Kill) in the Italian Language

 

vestirsi

to dress

Americans on vacation in Italy typically dress for a day at Disneyworld in abbigliamento sportivo (sportwear or casual attire). Italians tend to ventirsi for an avventura, a word that can translate into both adventure and romance -- and ideally combines a little of both. In Italy clothes don’t merely cover the body; they send messages to express, impress, attract, amuse, define and seduce. What you choose to wear (indossare) translates into “il linguaggio dello stile” (the idiom of style), which can reveal as much as spoken or written language.

The point isn’t merely vestire gli ignudi (to clothe the naked) but vestire bene (to dress well). This can mean vestire con eleganza discreta (to dress with understated or subtle elegance), vestire alla moda (to wear fashionable clothes), vestire a festa (to wear one’s Sunday’s best), vestire splendidamente (to dress to kill) or vestire per fare colpo (to dress to impress).

In Milan, a capitale della moda (fashion capital), you can see a beautiful indossatrice (model) wearing the latest vestiti firmati (designer clothes) on the passerella (catwalk) at a sfilata di moda (fashion show). On the streets you’ll also see the occasional modaiolo (a trendy fashion victim) dressed in modo appariscente (in loud, flashy clothes). Yet very few Italians seem to have no dress sense (non avere gusto nel vestire). Most look well dressed (ben vestito) in a simple shirt (camicia) or blouse (camicetta) with slacks (pantaloni) or a skirt (gonna).

However, an Italian camicia doesn’t just cover the skin. You might go out In maniche di camicia (shirt sleeves) or a camiciotto (casual shirt), but you wouldn’t want to end up in a camicia di forza (strait-jacket). In English, the child of rich parents is said to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In Italian he’s nato con la camicia (born with the shirt).

If you put a great deal of effort into a project, you can claim to sudar sette camicie (sweat seven shirts). If you absolutely forget an appointment or a chore, you could say that it was a case of dimenticarsi di qualcosa come della prima camicia (forgetting something as totally as you’ve forgotten your first shirt).

Shirts aren’t only for people. Italians are so fashion-conscious that they even think of food as “dressed.” If you want poached eggs, for example, ask for uova in camicia.

Words and Expressions

vestito in bianco or vestito di bianco -– dressed in white

vestire di nero –- to dress in black or in mourning

sfilare sulla passerella –- to walk up and down the catwalk

farsi un vestito nuovo -- make yourself a new dress

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language.

Click below to preview a terrific documentary on Valentino, who created the dresses in the photo above:

Comments

[dianne]

You are right, Byron. I took the photo at the spectacular Valentino retrospective in Rome in 2007. What a stunning setting for his stunning dresses!

[Byron Cooper]

I am virtually certain that the photo with the black dresses was taken at the Ara Pacis in Rome in 2007. I was there just as they finished setting up large numbers of mannequins grouped by color. My Italian was weak then, but I understood they were preparing for a farewell to Valentino and a celebration of his career.

[dianne]

For non-Italian readers, Andrea offers a fascinating insight into the phrase "being born with a shirt," which all my dictionaries, phrase books and consultants translate as being born lucky or with a silver spoon in his mouth. It may initially have been used to refer to the placenta, which "hid" the baby--a rare event considered a good auspice. Grazie!

[Andrea Laforgia]

Credo che il detto "essere nati con la camicia" non abbia molto a che vedere con gli abiti veri e propri, ma quel "camicia" rappresenta la placenta materna entro la quale nascono certi bambini. L'evento è abbastanza raro e, nel folklore popolare, considerato di buon auspicio.

[Marlene]

" You look a little bit too tan", lol. Love his designs though!