If You Don't Pop Into Jackie O’s Favorite Italian Shoe Store, Did You Really Visit Capri?

Da Costanzo is the most famous shoe store in Capri where sandals have been made for the rich and famous for 60 years

Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer!

It’s been a busy one for me, so please forgive me for not checking in as often as I’d like!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently returned from a glorious trip to Italy.

Every year, around the Fourth of July, I travel to Capri with some of my closest friends.

It’s my favorite place on earth. 

Capri has everything — phenomenal food, amazing beach clubs, great swimming and hiking, and, yes, next-level shopping.

One of my must-stops every year is Da Costanzo, known the world over for its handmade Capri sandals.

Costanzo Ruocco started the family business 60 years ago.

Now, the small shop just off the Piazzetta is literally in the hands of his son, Antonio.

Antonio Ruocco can make up to 80 sandals in a single day.

In the 1960s, Jacqueline Kennedy was a fan. Today, Michael Kors wears Da Costanzo.

I caught up with Antonio Ruocco a few weeks back during a rare afternoon lull to talk about the history of Da Costanzo, its jet-set clients and why Capri is the best place in the world to buy sandals.

IT STARTED WITH A TRAGEDY

ALINA CHO:  Tell me how your father started the business.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  His family was not so rich. My grandmother [used to clean] private [homes] to bring money, [there were] seven children. My grandfather, he [did] special work that doesn't exist anymore. He [would blow up mountain rock using] dynamite.

ALINA CHO:  Wow.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Now, there are electric drills. [But at the time] my grandfather was the master.

ALINA CHO:  That’s incredible.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  One day, the dynamite didn’t explode. My grandfather went to see what happened and, at that moment, the dynamite exploded. He lost his legs, and he couldn't work. So, my father, when he was five years old, started to work for a shoemaker [to make money for the family].

ALINA CHO:  Wow, at five years old?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Yes, his first job was to fix broken nails. Now, we are rich and throw away the bad nails. But back then, we reused them.

ALINA CHO:  Ah, that makes sense.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  So, my father, with his small hands and a small hammer, fixed the nails. That’s how he learned the craft. When my father opened his own store, I grew up here. For me, his tools were toys.

THE INTERNATIONAL JET-SET 

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  When my father married in 1963, he started to have lots of jet-set American [clients].

ALINA CHO:  Glamorous.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  One of them was Jackie Kennedy.

ALINA CHO:  She loved Capri. 

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  My father said that she was a really nice and elegant lady, a gentle lady. He said she was rich inside.

ALINA CHO:  Rich inside, that’s lovely. How long does it take you to make one pair of sandals, and how many can you make in a day?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Usually, I make [one pair] in 10 to 12 minutes.

ALINA CHO:  Yes, I’ve seen you do it.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  And sometimes we arrive at 70 to 80 pairs a day. And there are also days when the Arabian people come by private boat. The bodyguard sits outside, nobody can come inside, and they [order] 30 to 40 pairs just for one customer.

ALINA CHO:  One person?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Yes, they have a lot of money.  

WHAT SETS DA COSTANZO APART

ALINA CHO:  What makes Da Costanzo sandals different from other Capri sandals?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  We have the quality. I still buy the leather where my father bought leather. In Tuscany.

ALINA CHO:  You have very special colors this year.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Yes. This year, I found a new company where they make the leather. And I said, I want to use the colors that Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana use.

ALINA CHO:  Pure luxury.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Yes. And my father told me, “Don’t sell a lie.”

ALINA CHO:  What do you mean by that?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  If the customer [tries] sandals and I don’t like them, I will say, “Don’t buy them.” Or if the cheaper sandal fits better, I will say, “Take that one.”

ALINA CHO:  The cheaper pair.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Yes. Because when you go back home and wear my sandals, I want you to have a good memory of me. We also have incredible customer care.

ALINA CHO:  Yes, I know that!

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  Many years ago, a German client lost a stone from her sandals. I replaced the stone and shipped the sandals to her house.

ALINA CHO:  Right. And no charge.

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  No charge.

ALINA CHO:  What makes Capri sandals so special?

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  It's difficult to say because if you don't know, you don't know. For people who have never tried my sandals, I say, “Try one.”

ALINA CHO:  Once you start…

ANTONIO RUOCCO:  … you will always come back.