Photo diary: A vintage buying trip in Italy with PDA Shop

“It’s not the most relaxing way to see Italy but we look forward to it every year.”

Every year, Belle Saunders and Sarah Lamont make a pilgrimage to Italy for their annual vintage buying trip. Together, the best friends and business partners hire a car and traverse the country’s small towns, sourcing for PDA Shop.

Based in Fitzroy, their store is a treasure trove for pre-loved womenswear, menswear, accessories and homewares, which they curate and release in seasonal collections.

Each trip back to Italy has honed the pair’s eye for finding unique pieces they can bring back to Australia. By day, they’re exploring huge warehouses brimming with secondhand Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, and Gucci, and by night, they’re recording every piece they’ve purchased (after dinner and wine at their local trattoria).

While it’s always an exhausting trip, Belle and Sarah count themselves lucky that they get to call it work. Starting in Modena in Italy’s north, they share a photo diary from their latest buying trip below.

Day one

We landed in Italy early in the morning. We have every intention of checking into our accommodation early, but as soon as we get on the road, we give each other the look and know we want to get sourcing straight away. Belle’s behind the wheel and Sarah navigates both the roads and the confusing Italian driving restrictions.

Our first stop is a huge warehouse brimming with Dolce, Armani, Blumarine, Gucci – the pieces we dream about. A few hours in, the adrenaline starts to wear off and it becomes essential that we stop for a Crema di Caffè nearby.

Dinner is nothing too fancy. We wandered into a trattoria nearby and shared an artichoke salad, prosciutto and pasta, all served by the sweetest older man. Our lack of sleep makes us a little giggly and a little teary.

Day two

We’re up early to enjoy a coffee in the apartment. The floor-to-ceiling wardrobes are a standout feature – we’ve always wanted these in the shop.

After getting ready, we walk to the supermarket for a few breakfast bits and snacks for the road. It’s already 34 degrees.

Shops open at 9am, close at 12:30pm for siesta, then reopen again at 4pm. This makes planning our route pretty important. If we don’t make it to a location on the allocated day, it’s unlikely we’ll make it back.

Lunch is at Restaurant da Enzo in Modena. It’s very unassuming from the outside but we’ve heard good things. We share a selection of entrees and the ravioli.

After more hours of sourcing, we make our way home. Belle makes dinner and Sarah starts logging everything into our system. Our brand knowledge and sourcing experience make this a little easier each time.

We wrap up in the early hours of the morning, just as our lovely staff are starting to open the shop back in Melbourne.

Day three

We’re on the road early again to get to a market and explore a new town. The sun is up, but locals are still setting up their stalls when we arrive. It can take a little while to get used to the market atmosphere after so much time away. We pass on a lot, but always have to document the pieces and people we see.

We’re asked if we find it hard not to keep everything. While we come across so many incredible pieces, what we love most is the experience of finding them and being able to share them with our community.

Getting into the accommodation is an ordeal and the jet lag is starting to catch up with us, so we decide to slice some fruit, open a bottle of wine and do some admin for the rest of the day. It’s not the most relaxing way to see Italy, but we look forward to it every year.

Find more from PDA Shop here.