Milan: The city that lives and breathes fashion

MILAN, Italy – Been around the world and where did I actually find the most fashionable people? Not in Paris, London, New York, or Tokyo, where all the major fashion shows are staged, but in Milan. Being in Monte Napoleone, a part of Milan’s Golden Triangle‚ is like being a spectator at a live fashion show in the streets where the most elegantly dressed people strut around town, wearing designer labels found in the surrounding luxurious shops.

In Milan, life imitates art. Life breathes fashion for both the young and the young at heart. No wonder, one can find the flagship stores of the most prestigious fashion brands in the world in Milan. There definitely has been a luxury lifestyle experience boom in Milan with its fashion attractions. Armani, a Milanese himself, has unveiled Privé, a nightclub in his Emporio Armani flagship store which also has a Japanese restaurant, a shop selling Oriental floral arrangements, and a music center in cooperation with Sony, and home furnishings. Who knows? Maybe it will also have a Mercedes Benz showroom since he designed a car for the German automaker.

Dolce & Gabbana has opened a new exclusive store for men, which includes its retail store, a barber shop and grooming room as well as a ‘50s style martini bar housed in a beautiful historic end of the 18th century palace. Gianfranco Ferre now has a spa as part of his Milan flagship store. Then you have the 10-year-old 10 Corso Como with its much talked about lifestyle concept store. Being in Milan makes one realize that the Italians are themselves the no. 1 consumers of their own fashion.

The streets of Milan were full of elegantly dressed women, some of which could be mistaken for famous stars such as Kylie Minogue and Sarah Jessica Parker. One also learns how to combine clothes through examples in the flesh. Black remains to be the most popular color with the Milanese women dressed in black, in a monochromatic mode, black and white, black and silver or black and brown combinations. The young ones, however, colored the streets literally with their loud tops and graphic tees. Asymmetrically cut blouses revealing the right shoulder in black or in white were combined with denim, which also proved to be an understated elegant getup for a Saturday stroll in town. Oversized pastel colored retro glasses completed the look. Oversized leather bags for all those new beauty purchases and gadgets were preferred over small handbags. Pointed toe shoes whether in stilettos or high-cut boots for a sexy look to two-toned sneakers for a chic sporty look were very in.

The Milanese men stood out with their simple elegance. They were wearing the shirts in plain or stripes with or without front pockets to extreme geometric prints one would only associate with women. These were either paired with denim pants or black trousers. The Italian lover boy stereotype was spotted wearing a gold necklace, big dark glasses and beard. The men either sported long hair or sporty spiky hair.

So wonder no more about who wears the clothes you see in fashion shows. Now you know that it will most probably be the Milanese.