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Sightseeing
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Hotels
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Shopping with Marion Marion Harber-Radice will take you on a personalised tour of Milan. Here, she shares some of her secrets with Milanostyle.com The Corso Vercelli Area (metro: Pagano)
Just off Corso Vercelli is Via Belfiore, a great little shopping street well worth a visit. Starting from Via Pagano,
on the right is Lo Sfizio female fashion, Mortarotti has some lovely dresses and suits as well as shoes (take a look downstairs),
Samsonite for luggage, sneakers, sandals, Janus Mercerie - the best haberdashery shop in Milan (where you queue with a number) to buy
lace, cross stitch pattens and threads, beads and crystals, ribbons and tapes,
they have it all. Then there is Jasmin for classy fashion, Calzature Belfiore
for special shoes, sandals, bags and belts (male and female), Petit Batteau great for the little ones, and Casalinghi for terracotta pots, kitchenwear, wicker chests and baskets. Having arrived almost in Piazza Wagner (the covered market in the middle is wonderful
for food shopping), cross over and go back up the other side. On the corner is
Rescalli for super fashionable clothes (also genuine sales), then there are two men's
shoe shops: Cardinale and Belfiore with hand sewn shoes, Intimeri for male and female underwear, beautiful nighties and swimwear, Eliane for young fashion such as Pinko, Spelta for ladies ballerina shoes, and finally Covo for excellent menswear, underwear, stretch belts in all colours, linen shorts
etc.
Other Shops in Milan Shabby Chic is vintage. My favourite items are the classical Burberry and Acquascutum raincoats (short or long, with and without linings). The duffle/Montgomery coats and corduroy jackets (now very fashionable) are also excellent value. Other items for the ladies are skirts and jackets, evening dresses, cashmere
sweaters and cardigans, plus handbags, shoes and costume jewellery.
For the men, lots of Lacoste T-shirts as well as overcoats which are classical,
good quality and very reasonable. Less interesting perhaps are the suits and jackets.
Worth having a look every now and then for new arrivals, but if it’s a quality
raincoat you are looking for without a hefty price tag, this is the place to come.
TERZO MILLENNIO
Via Sant’Andrea, 12 20121 Milano tel. 0276023660 Hidden away in a beautiful courtyard is a little place of exquisite taste (bearing in mind the location perhaps not surprisingly!). Apart from the bijoux jewellery which is special in itself, you will find some incredibly beautiful big dangling earrings (wow!), rings and bangles in gold with semi-precious stones, all single pieces. There is a small range of clothing, and a very nice but small range of bags, as well as some fun and inexpensive objects. A feast for the eyes! ZAP! Galleria Passarella 2 San Babila tel. 076067501 Just off San Babila, Zap is easy to find, with two floors of clothes, underwear, shoes and handbags, books, jewellery, the unusual and special. Gorgeous fun things for the skinny fashionable girls for work, for the disco, for the bedroom! For those of us not so young and not so skinny, choose a piece of jewellery or a book from a great selection of travel and interior decoration, photography, fashionable hotels, cities and islands and more…… D-MAIL Via San Paolo 15 20121 Milano tel. 0286984110 www.dmail.it An incredibly useful little shop, which, strangely enough, is to be found right in the heart of downtown, below the British Consulate, a shop full of useful things you can no longer find, for the garden (all sorts of tools and flower markers, a mat for your knees etc.), the kitchen (glass hangers for the cupboard, silicone gloves, ironing board covers, apple containers for the microwave, glass kettle, laundry bags etc. etc.) the office and home (computer covers, a support for your laptop, and organisers for the cupboard, storage, gadgets). Masses of useful items. Have a look at their excellent website, order on-line. The shop will also give you a brochure for mail orders and you can also have a membership card. Next time you can’t find something, try D-Mail! Cioccolatopuro La casa del cioccolato a Milan Piazza del Carmine 1 20121 Milano A new shop, in this magnificent piazza, with an incredible selection of articles in chocolate, fondant or milk chocolate The choice is so wide I suggest that you go there and see for yourself. However, just to mention a few items, there are chocolates filled with coffee, lime, orange and Grand Marnier, truffles, thyme, lavender, plus lots more. Covered in chocolate are figs, raisins, ginger, orange and lemon peel, hazelnuts and almonds, as well as chestnuts (maron glacè – an Italian speciality) and cherries. I love what they call Voltaire, two small flat round chocolates with an incredible rich filling of coffee, cinnamon, raspberry… just one in its little bag would make a thoughtful gift – after all, everyone loves chocolate! There is also a choice of chocolate biscuits and bars of chocolate for cooking, as well as the selection of chocolates and ice cream in the refrigerator, a super idea for after dinner. All this and lots more… the only thing missing is a hot chocolate, but you never know… In the centre of Milan you can find this lovely stationers shop full of beautiful
items. There is a very good choice of notebooks (with and without simple but beautiful
detachable linen covers). In leather – mostly black or red – are albums, photo
frames, briefcases, bags, wallets, purses, diaries, business card holders, key
rings and lots of other smaller and inexpensive items. There are some very interesting
Clipboards which show a map of a city such as Naples or Venice, posters, calendars,
artist materials and inks (also in tin cases), as well as an excellent choice
of pens and pencils, Lastly, the boxes of handmade paper and envelopes are gorgeous
and there is a super choice of cards in all shapes, colours and sizes. Something
for everyone and well worth a visit.
T&J VESTOR+MISSONI
Viale Elvezia 22 Milano
tel. 02 33107484
Get away from the city centre and the atmosphere in the shops improves… this
is on a quiet street with parking (apart from market day) near the Arena. On the
ground floor there are towels, cotton bathrobes, bed linen and bed covers, wonderful
deluxe and very colourful Missoni bathrobes at €45, plus matching slippers. On
the lower floor are a large selection of male and female underwear, pyjamas, night-dresses,
night-shirts, dressing-gowns, as well as material for home furnishings, rugs,
etc., excellent quality at reasonable prices. Near the entrance you will also
find a selection of colourful umbrellas. Well worth a visit - be sure not to miss
the “specials”!
IL CENTROTAVOLA
Via Spadari, 11 20123 Milano tel.02866641 This is Italian Style at its best, a beautiful little shop full of design items for the home, in particular the dining room: colorful glasses, simple and unusual candleholders, vases, fruit dishes, tiny salt and peppers, and fun napkin rings. My favorites are the linen items, tablecloths, strips, and place-mats, in plain white or striking bold colors, of course with matching napkins. Gorgeous! A super place to buy a very Italian gift. ARFORM
Via della Moscova 22
20121 Milano
tel. 026554691
 ARFORM, faces onto one of the most beautiful piazza’s in Milan, Piazza Sant’Angelo with
its Saint in bronze standing at the little fountain, the bronze birds, and fresh
flowers from the local stall. A wonderful place to go shopping, mainly for the
home, but also for a wide range of personal items. For the home you will find
cool, sleek linen tablemats in natural colors, glorious bright cotton items, stylish
tableware from Finland, and the latest kitchen implements from Denmark. You also
won’t want to miss the strikingly beautiful glassware - Alvaar Alto vases and
colored glass from Murano On a more personal level there are clothes, shawls,
bags, jewellery, wallets, purses, and leather items for the desk. ARFORM need
not be only for you and your home, it is also a great place to find that imaginative
gift for someone special.
Lo Spazio Rossana Orlandi Via Matteo Bandello, 14 20121 Milano tel. 0248011774 It really is worth getting out of the centre of Milan, venturing into an area where the Milanese go shopping. It is only a 15-20 minute walk from the Cathedral, during which you can window shop along Corso Magenta. An old building made up of several rooms, a magnificent courtyard and garden. Here it is all eccentricity and fun with beautiful clothes and jewellery, art gallery, unusual pieces of furniture, lamps, china and glassware. Everything spells ‘style’. Enjoy just looking or treat yourself to a stylish memento from Milan. Lisa Corti Home Textile Emporium Via Conchetta 6 20136 Milano tel. 0258100031 If you are shopping for something special, something different, something colourful, or you just want to take pleasure from being in a wonderful environment, leave the city center and go to the Navigli. Behind a tiny little turquoise door is Lisa Corti opening up into a mass of colour, which remindis me of the graceful and colourful saris of Rajasthan in Northern India. Lisa Corti spent a lot of time in India and this is where her inspiration comes from. Everything is her unique design, very often with roses, making any choice extremely difficult! Her hand printed cotton tablecloths are perhaps her most gorgeous item and make perfect presents for a house by the sea, or a home in the country. There are magnificent quilts and bedcovers, curtains, as well as wonderful cushions covers in cotton, silk, and organza. For yourself, there is a range of velvet and silk jackets, dresses, trouser suits, bags, belts and shawls, as well as a few items for the children. Be sure to also take a look at the blue and white Indian pottery. PUPI SOLARI-HOST
Piazza Tommaseo 20123 Milano tel. 02463325 Ladies, men’s and children’s wear: Something stylish for everyone!
In this lovely piazza, away from the center of Milan, are two very elegant shops:
Pupi Solari for ladies and children, Host for men. They also have an outlet at n.2 in the piazza.
In 1969, Pupi Solari, a woman of exquisite taste, opened the Pupi Solari children’s shop just around
the corner from this piazza, where she has been since 1978. Be sure to take a
look at the fabulous window dressings. You will be amazed at the beautiful children’s
wear, the minutely detailed decoration on many of the baby clothes (often appearing
more French than Italian). There are some toys for the children to play with,
and a tearoom.
For the ladies, there are two rooms dedicated to superb dresses, suits and jackets,
evening wear, cashmere jumpers, trousers, as well as some wonderful accessories
(shoes, hats, bags, belts).
The men’s wear shop Host is next door. Its decor is American East coast – with beautiful casual jackets
in superb fabrics, shirts, sweaters, trousers, ties (gorgeous in cashmere). Host
also has some accessories such as shoes etc.
Whilst in the area, why not take a look at another Pupi Solari shop:
Animal House
Via Vincenzo Monti Corner Via Aurelio Saffi 20123 Milan tel. 024694900 Like Pupi Solari and Host, Animal House also only offers the best, but this time in casual and sporty items. It has
a wide range of jackets and shirts (Baggies), sweaters, boots, mostly for men
with just a few items for the ladies.
Next door to Animal House is Leonardo’s, a tastefully modern cafè with an outside seating area. Leonardo’s serves excellent
snacks and ice-cream. What more could you want after a hard day’s shopping!
 MONICA CASTIGLIONI
Artisan Jewelry Designer Via G Fara 33 20124 Milano tel.026700203 Having lived and worked in New York for many years, and having as her best client the MoMa Design Shop, Monica has now settled back in Milan and created her workshop studio not far from Central Station. If you love modern jewellery in silver or bronze, this is the place to come to,
this is where Monica with her partner Nasuko Toyofuku design and make wonderful
creations, towards the back of the studio but in full view of the shop. As you
walk in you will be confronted with display cases full of rings, earrings, necklaces,
simple and extravagant, large and small. Monica will also create something especially
for you, deciding together on the material and shape. For something beautiful
and unique this is the place to come and to be guided by this very talented lady.
Paoletti di Follina 1795 Piazza Sant’Eustorgio, 8 20122 Milano tel. 0258101218 Shopping in this area, and in particular this little piazza (city square) , can be fun because there are quite a few nice shops selling jewellery, silk cushions and clothes, dried foodstuffs, beans, rice and pasta, plus Paoletti di Follina which sells very beautiful jackets in wool or velvet in gorgeous colours such as burnt orange, black, pink, green and brown, some of which have matching dresses or skirts. They also have some very nice white shirts in various styles, displayed with colourful jumpers. Apart from their own brand, they also have a few Aspesi and Scapa items. In another room is the children’s wear, I particularly liked the velvet pants
for little girls in a choice of colours with matching shirt, also matching sets
for the boys, gorgeous babies wear, not a huge range but all beautifully made
and, considering the quality, quite affordable.
For those of you lucky enough to visit Cortina, where the original textile factory
opened in 1795 – hence the name, and where they continue to create these lovely
garments, you may want to visit the original Paoletti shop (Via Roma 25).
ANGELA CAPUTI
Via Madonnina, 11 20121 Milano tel.0286461080 Angela Caputi makes wonderful, colourful bijoux jewellery at, I think, very reasonable prices. She mixes materials and colours creating plastic and synthetic, all of a very personal style. The necklaces are especially lovely and would make a statement when worn with any plain and simple dress or suit. There are also lots of lovely dangling earrings, as well as some gorgeous rings. Next time you are in Brera be sure to take a look at the shops in Via Madonnina, not forgetting this lovely bijoux jewellery shop which also sells a few special items such as handbags. Angela Caputi also has shops in Florence and Forte dei Marmi. I CENTO FIORI
Via Vincenzo Monti 28 20123 Milano tel. 024989763 This is a tiny shop on Via Vincenzo Monti run by a mother and daughter team which is a great place to treat yourself or find an inexpensive present. The silver jewellery is especially lovely with some very special items too such as gorgeous long earrings. They also sell some colourful dresses, sweaters, and pashmina scarves. Be sure to look at the window display, always very tasteful, using a special colour theme, turquoise, or yellow and orange, or green, mixing the scarves with the silver and semi-precious stones. Contact Marion : Tel +39 333 3236244
Tell her you read her article in Milanostyle.com! Marion Harber-Radice will take you on a personalised tour of Milan.
Article: Marion Harber-Radice Any reprints of this article or use of any other material or photographs
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Marion Harber-Radice
