The Ladybug’s Vintage and Handmade guide of Cagliari

I must confess that when I went to Cagliari to spend a couple of days with a friend who moved from Milan a few months before, I was surprised by the quality of vintage and handmade that I found in town. The city is very different from when I visited last time years ago: vibrant, joyful, modern and traditional at the same time, colored, full of life and warm as usual! I really enjoyed my stay and I spent two half days hanging around looking for the best vintage/handmade shops in town.

But let’s start from the vintage shops:

• First stop was Recyclerie Vintage: I virtually met Alice and Fabrizio on Instagram a year before and unfortunately they were on holiday when I was in town but Caterina was there to guide me in the first vintage shop of Cagliari where I immediately fell in love for the attention of the research that covered different styles. Classic vintage and amazing accessories (including jewelry vintage and new) on the basement, vintage streetwear with a high quality selection of vintage denim and clothes for women and men on the first floor, a tattoo studio on the second floor. This shop is a must-visit for any vintage lover and if you are around you cannot miss it! I also got a few pieces there: the vintage military green floral dress that you see in one picture, a pair of vintage soft brown leather shorts and a ring from El Rana. Prices are fair and they are really adorable (you can find them in the main street of Cagliari, in the city center).

• Second stop was Urban Pep, founded by the lovely Vanessa who I also met online last year. Vanessa really impressed me for the loveliness and kindness but also for bringing me around to discover some pieces of her city. But she also guided me through her shop, a perfect match of vintage handmade where she mixes her two passions: vintage and Thailand. Vanessa has Thai origins and she travels her other country looking for handcrafters who create beautiful pieces with a retro twist. Urban Pep is also full of interesting collaborations with local artists and associations such as La Fille Bertha (incredible Sardinian artist – I bought one of her pieces for my new house!) and La Matrioska a creative and social textile lab (I also bought one of their handmade tees!). Vanessa is a volcano of ideas and her shop really expresses her eclecticism. Not far from Recyclerie Vintage in the main street, make sure that you visit her shop and you meet her in person!

• Third stop was La Bottega delle Meraviglie, but I was so pissed because it was closed and I couldn’t manage to contact the owner. From her Instagram page I realized that it was the kind of shop that I would have loved but maybe I will be able to visit it next time! It is in the tiny streets of the city center, definitely worth a visit.
• Not a shop but a vintage and antiques market that I found “by mistake” on a Sunday Morning, is the Antiques Market of Piazza del Carmine, a small but super interesting market where I found a lot of interesting pieces (especially jewelry…I left with three fantastic brooches!): mandatory stop, you will love it I promise!

Just want to share some more interesting shops that are definitely worth a visit if you love ethical, handmade and traditional shops:

• Recyclerie has another shop in the city center (actually it was the first shop before the vintage one was born), totally dedicated to handmade pieces (homeware, accessories, jewelry etc.) coming mostly from Sardinian artists and handcrafters
• Eticando is a lovely boutique in the center of Cagliari that only sells ethically made clothes for women and children; not the usual ethical shop, that’s why I liked it
• The AB Gallery is a place where I could have bought almost everything for my house: pillows, blankets, carpets, decorations etc. Everything is handmade from Sardinian artisans keeping alive the rich textile tradition of the region. A true beauty.

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The Ladybug handmade choice of the day

If you follow me on my social media and on this blog you may know already about my mission on getting more and more sustainable especially when it comes to fashion.

If wearing vintage is a conscious and sustainable choice itself, I’m progressively trying to add more handmade and slow fashion pieces to my wardrobe and abandoning fast unethical fashion to a more conscious way of dressing. It is like what I am doing with food. But it is almost impossible to change this in a day, you need a path and follow it day by day making little steps to get there.

This outfit is an example of this path: I realized only later that everything that I am wearing here is made ethically, without human exploitation. I am very proud that I am getting there, I visit Mango and Zara every now and then but I am not obsessive like I was some years ago. I am gradually selling all my fast fashion pieces to give them new life and when I look at my wardrobe I mostly see vintage and handmade which makes me super proud.

We can all do something for the planet and for the people living on it, starting from very little choices that we make every day.

I am wearing here handmade Madame Ilary military green Marlene trousers that I love so much for the African twist of this pattern and the softness of the fabric. Marlene pants are definitely among my favorite shapes from Madame Ilary as they have a 40s vibe that I adore and I have them in so many colors and patterns right now!! Also my turban comes from her talented hands, it’s a wonderful piece made with vintage lace and golden embroidery.

European made are also two other pieces that I am wearing: Ilove2love fringed leather jacket (British design) and L’Arianna yellow velvet flat shoes, Italian brand that I love for the great quality of their shoes and incredible customer service.

Also my beautiful dragonfly brass necklace is handmade by the lovely Italian designer Meraviglioz (it is a piece that she created for me!)  and my earrings come from Genny Pi in Milan (I love this shop because she works with Italian handcrafters and when you like a piece she tells you the story of the label and of the people who work on your handmade jewelry). By the way, all my rings are vintage or handmade by local crafters around the world!