Here is a picture that illustrates what I was talking about above. I've got a Pinarello Montello that originally had chrome stays with the rest of the frame painted but chrome underneath. An owner before me had the paint stripped. This one is fairly smooth, but you can still see that it's unpolished if you look close enough.



Notice how the seat stays are nicely polished but the other tubes have a brushed metal look. That actually looks pretty nice from a few feet away. However, there's no guarantee that you'll get that look if you strip your paint/powder. I've seen another Italian frame with the paint stripped away that just looked dull and scratched.