Maria La Rosa Italian Socks and Bags, Handmade in Milan

Maria La Rosa socks trace back to an old loom Maria noticed in Paris. She grew up in Sicily, moved to Milan to study, and worked in fashion when she encountered the antique loom. This encounter prompted her to weave her own fabrics. Her first bags followed in the 1990s, and socks grew from the same instinct to make things slowly and by hand. The brand still works out of a courtyard atelier in Milan, where her daughters, Alice and Lisa, grew up playing among the looms before joining the business. Every piece is made by hand in limited editions, using first-quality Italian yarns, preferring natural fibers. The studio pairs loom weaving with knitting, crochet, macramé, and embroidery commissioned for runway shows by Moschino, Proenza Schouler, Vera Wang, and Louis Vuitton.

The laminated socks are the brand's signature. They are a fine rib knit from a mostly silk blend finished with a metallic coating. The silk is cool in summer and warm in winter. With wear, the metallic finish softens and more of the silk's natural sheen shows through. Paired with a loafer and cropped trousers, they're suited for the workday as well as an evening out. The ribbed cotton styles are Italian socks for everyday, 100% cotton in saturated colors that subtly peek out of a flat or loafer. They sit at the easy end of our socks and tights, made to be worn often and washed often. Maria La Rosa bags, where the story began, are still handmade in the same Milan workroom. Their small size and handwork suit evenings, and they're a distinctive choice among our handbags and wallets. 

Like clothing designed in Brooklyn and sewn in small runs in New York City, these socks are made by hand in limited numbers. Each pair comes from a workroom where the pace is set by the people doing the work.