Discover Milan’s shopping streets during the sales

First, a correction. In the December issue we reported that sales would begin on 5 January 2009, already a break with tradition because usually the winter sales never began earlier than the last holiday of the festive season, Epiphany (La Befana, 6 January). In actual fact, sales will begin on Saturday 3 January, and shops can continue their sales season right through to 4 March. In Italy, shopkeepers are subject to a series of regulations regarding sales. For example, for each product, the price label has to show the original price, and the percentage reduction. Showing the final, reduced, price is optional. During the sales, consumers have the right to the replacement of defective products, but they do not have the right to change the product if they have changed their mind about colour, size, style etc.

And so we can set off for our discovery of Milan’s shops and shopping streets. A visit to the Fashion District is de rigueur. It is the heart of luxury shopping in Milan, and it is famous for its poise and elegance.  This trendy region consists of many exquisite streets, but the three most popular and important are Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga and Via Sant’Andrea. Beautiful shops are accompanied by serene 19^th century architecture, and the streets themselves are graced by Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and other posh cars. You just can’t help turning your head this way and that, because there’s no doubt about it, the draw of luxury is magnetic, and here everything is tuned to the finest harmonies of wealth. Milan’s street signs are all rather smart, engraved on slabs of marble, but on Via Montenapoleone, even these humble street furnishings are in a league of their own. They are made to look gold and expensive to match the feel of the whole area. Even the simplest shops have interesting features such as immaculately trimmed, perfectly spherical trees just outside their entrances. Lavish curtains in the windows are made of the finest silk or chiffon, held with silver or gold ties complementing the rest of the store to perfection. Inside, floors are either as shiny as a new apple or as soft as grass, with plush carpet that cossets your feet as soon as you step over the threshold. The mannequins in the windows are mostly made of smooth, black, shiny plastic, and they look just as classy and graceful as the clothing they are wearing. And of course, in this area, people-watching is an irresistible temptation… It is pleasant to report that the fashion district still has its own community of residents, with a elementary state-school in via della Spiga.

If you turn left out of Via della Spiga onto Corso Venezia, and walk briskly for ten minutes, you reach Piazza Oberdan, with its two marble buildings that were once one of the city gates, and then, you are into the two kilometres of shops that is Corso Buenos Aires. This street has a wide range of restaurants, hotels, affordable stores, three metro stations (Porta Venezia, Lima, Loreto) and much more. Here it’s busy every morning, and even busier in the afternoon. There are many take-aways ideal for a quick bite. For something sweet, you do not have to look very far for a gelateria (ice cream parlour) where you can sit, and watch the passers by as you feast on a diverse range of flavours. What’s nice about this stretch of street is that it is not repetitive, in the sense that, in some other areas shops and restaurants tend to be the same; the same styles, the same choice of food, the same people. You will not get bored here, as the more you walk, the more you find.

On Corso Buenos Aires, it is easy to forget that you are in Milan, because although it has the beautifully built buildings with the big doors and the high pavements, it holds a feeling of somewhere else. It could be because of the many kebab shops, or maybe just because you are spoilt for choice with the shops and therefore get distracted. Perhaps another reason is that you will find very few Milanese people on Buenos Aires. Because it is close to the red, yellow and blue line of the metro and quite close to the Central Station, this is the classic shopping street for people from outside Milan. And, of course, in this season, many people from Milan go ski-ing at weekends and during the holidays. However, the drivers on the street itself will reassure you as to your location: you may find yourself hooted at even when the green light says you can walk. This area of Milan is a lot more relaxed fashion-wise, as you do not feel like you have to dress a special way or any differently to walk this road. It has a range of fashions and styles, the shops are at affordable prices, and so there are bargains all year, even more so during the sales. At the Porta Venezia end of the street there is a very large park if you feel like a stroll. And the Cinema Arcobaleno, on nearby Viale Tunisia, screens English-language movies on Tuesdays.

Another mid-range shopping street is Corso Vercelli, whose first shops are just a short walk from the Last Supper. It can be reached using the number 16 tram that runs right along it, and the metro stations Conciliazione, Pagano and Wagner. Like all Milan’s shopping streets, it has its own individual atmosphere, a blend of famous names, smart boutiques, pretty cafés, market stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables, and an undefinable touch of class. Other such streets are Via Torino, Corso XXII Marzo, Via Solferino, and many others. If you are in transit through Milan’s Central Station – along with the other 320,000 people passing through this train station every day – you could try Via Vitruvio, which intersects with Corso Buenos Aires, and is packed with take-aways.

Milan’s Chinatown – the wedge of streets between Via Paolo Sarpi and Via Canonica – deserves a special note. It is not the typical tourist attraction that you might expect to see. There are none of the colourful lanterns and decorations characteristic of similar districts in other cities, but this is due to Milanese municipal regulations on what and what cannot be hung outside a house without having to pay taxes on it. In addition, there is currently a long-running dispute between the municipal authorities and the Chinese traders, and this seems to have generated a slightly tense atmosphere.

Wherever you go, happy shopping, and we wish you the best of success in the difficult task of buying things that will still be in fashion next autumn. This autumn-winter has been dominated by violet; presumably the fashion gurus know what next year's colour will be, but how the distillation from ten or fifteen Pantone colours to a single dominant shade occurs is one of the great mysteries of the business. Keep your eyes peeled for the next and the now of the fashion industry as they are being created in Milan before your very eyes.

Henry and Nicole