Bargain break in fashionable Milan
Feature
Milan is the fashion capital of Europe, if not the world. And it is a city that is famous for shopping. As the January sales arrive, you can find some bargain designer buys and enjoy a weekend in its trendy surroundings to boot.
With air fares and city centre hotels at a seasonal low in January and February, you can save even more to spend in the sales.
Milan is home to the flagship stores of some of the world’s leading designers, including Armani, Versace, Missoni and Moschino. These, along with many other designer fashion emporiums, are crammed into four adjoining streets known collectively as the Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Quadrilateral): Via Montenapoleone, which has the highest concentration of boutiques, followed by Della Spiga, Via Borgospesso and Via Sant’Andrea.
On any of the streets of the Quadrilatero d’Oro you can expect to pay thousands of pounds for an outfit. However, from mid-January to mid-February, these world-class boutiques hold the first of their bi-annual sales with discounts up to 50 per cent. Under Italian law, retailers are only allowed to hold these sales during the months of January/February and July/August to prevent fraud and unfair competition, so you can be sure that you will be shopping there at the right time of the year.
The first stop for most shoppers is the flagship Armani megastore (Via Manzoni 31). This giant repository of all things Armani also includes homewares, a bookshop, art shop, chocolate shop – complete with Armani-branded chocolates – a high-tech Sony electronics boutique and play centre, the Emporio Café and a branch of New York’s Nobu sushi bar.
Prada has several outlets across town. Its main boutique is at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 63, where you will find a bit of everything. There is also Prada menswear, along with shoes and accessories, at Via Montenapoleone 8; women’s wear and accessories at Via Sant’Andrea 21; bags, shoes and accessories at Via della Spiga 1; and lingerie at Via della Spiga 5.
Versace has men’s and women’s wear and accessories in its flagship store at Via Montenapoleone 11. Missoni’s flagship stores for men and women are located at Via Sant’Andrea and Via Bagutta and Moschino’s flagship stores have men’s and children’s wear at Via Durini 14 and women’s wear at Via Sant’Andrea 12.
Other choice designer boutiques in the city include Dolce e Gabbana, whose women’s wear is located at Via della Spiga 2, with menswear at Via della Spiga 26 and children’s wear at Corso Venezia 7. Miu Miu showcases women’s wear and shoes at Corso Venezia 3; Gucci’s Milan outlet for bags, accessories and clothing for men and women is at Via Montenapoleone 27; and Valentino’s menswear is at Via Montenapoleone 20, with women’s wear at Via Santo Spirito 3.
In the cold winter months of January and February, Milanese women are decked out in fur, with not a faux in sight, much against British morals. The leading purveyor of fur coats is Fendi, Via Sant’Andrea 16, though you won’t find many British shoppers there.
Bargain hunters also head to Il Salvagente (Via Fratelli Bronzetti 16) where you can browse through an enormous collection of designer clothing for men, women and children at wholesale prices.
Just don’t forget your credit card.
Picture: Designer district: Milan’s Quadrilatero d’Oro.
MyVillage 10th January
|
