Renée Schaefer and her husband Curtis Sigretto first visited an Antica Sartoria store during a trip to Positano, Italy, in May 2016. Right away, Schaefer noticed the store’s fish-shaped logo was in her favorite color—turquoise.
As Schaefer and Sigretto walked through the store, they envisioned it near their hometown of Jupiter. “[Schaefer] loved the clothing and said she couldn’t fit enough in her suitcase to bring back home,” says Ariel Bélanger, the manager of the Palm Beach store. That’s right, before coming home, Schaefer and Sigretto made arrangements with Giacomo Cinque, Antica Sartoria’s designer, and Riccardo Ruggiti, his business partner, to bring the brand to Palm Beach, opening the flagship U.S. location at Downtown at the Gardens in October.
Behind the Designs
Antica Sartoria began during a fashion revolution in the ’60s when the famous “Moda Positano” style was born, Schaefer says. Designer Giacomo Cinque loves embroidery and blending patterns, so he started a line incorporating daring color on light, airy clothing. The collection is displayed and sold in 25 Antica Sartoria stores in Italy, along with retail locations in Germany, France and England.
Antica Sartoria’s clothing includes dazzling designs far from the ordinary. There are denim jackets done up with flowing lace sleeves. Jeans are embellished with pearls, and shirts come in an array of designs and fun patterns. While the styles and silhouettes may differ from typical American fashion, the Palm Beach customers keep coming back for more. “What [customers] like is adding something into their closet that is different and unusual,” says store manager Ariel Bélanger.
Shoppers can find necklaces with colorful pom-poms and tassels to spice up an all-white ensemble. There’s also an array of bathing suits, caftans, shirt dresses, skirts and plenty of accessories in a rainbow of colors, many with a style that reflects the sea. Mix and match, and layer pieces together for a fun ensemble.
Important to many fashionistas is owning one-of-a-kind clothing that not many others have. At Antica Sartoria, once one of Cinque’s designs is sold out in Italy, the piece becomes retired. This keeps inventory fresh, allowing shoppers to truly own rare pieces from Cinque’s collections.
On the Horizon
In addition to women’s clothing and accessories, Antica Sartoria sells men’s linen shirts and children’s dresses. A Key West storefront opened in February, and there are future plans to expand along the South Florida coast.
Antica Sartoria, 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., Ste. 1104, Palm Beach Gardens / 561.799.1777 /anticasartoria.com
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