Shopping

The best fashion gazing is to be done along four adjoining streets north of the Duomo known collectively as the Quadrilatero d'Oro (Golden Quadrilateral): Via Montenapoleone, Della Spiga, Via Borgospesso, and Via Sant'Andrea, lined with Milan's most expensive high-fashion emporia. From Piazza della Scala, follow Via Manzoni a few blocks north or take the Metro to Via Montenapoleone. The main artery of this shopping heartland is Via Montenapoleone, lined with the most chichi boutiques and most elegant fashion outlets, with parallel Via della Spiga running a close second.

For more Milanese shopping, cruise wide Corso Buenos Aires (northeast of the center and just east of Stazione Centrale -- follow Via Vitruvio from Piazza Duca d'Aosta in front of the station; Metro stops Lima and Loreto are the gateways to this bargain stretch), home to a little bit of everything, from shops that hand-sew men's dress shirts to CD megastores. As it crosses Piazza Oberdan/Piazza Venezia heading south, it becomes Corso Venezia and the stores move up the scale very quickly.

High Fashion: Clothing, Accessories & Shoes

Milan is home to the flagship stores of a litany of designers: Armani, Krizia, Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna, Missoni, Moschino, Mila Schön, and Trussardi.

With high fashion, chillingly expensive boutiques, and designer labels, it all comes down to personal taste, so I'll just let you know where to find the top names in town (but largely only Italian names -- who comes to Milan to shop for Calvin Klein?), and you can steer your shopping cravings whither you will.

One store, though, deserves a visit whether you're into his übertrendy designs or not: The Grand Central of Italian fashion is the flagship Armani Megastore, Via Manzoni 31, near La Scala (tel. 02-7231-8600; Metro: Montenapoleone). This flagship store (and offices) covers 743 sq. m (8,000 sq. ft.) with outlets for Giorgio Armani's high-fashion creations: the Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans lines, plus the new Armani Casa selection of home furnishings, as well as flower, book, and art shops; a high-tech Sony electronics boutique/play center in the basement; and an Emporio Café and branch of New York's Nobu sushi bar. An Armani hotel being built on the top floors is scheduled to open in 2010.

Of course, other major labels also have Milan addresses. Here are some of the most popular: Dolce e Gabbana carries women's wear at Via della Spiga no. 2 (tel. 02-7600-1155; www.dolcegabbana.it; Metro: San Babila); menswear is nearby at Via della Spiga no. 26 (tel. 02-799-950; Metro: Montenapoleone), and its youth-oriented fashions are at Corso Venezia 7 (tel. 02-7600-4091; Metro: Palestro). Etro has its lines of clothing for men and women, along with accessories, at Via Montenapoleone 5 (tel. 02-7600-5450; www.etro.it; Metro: Montenapoleone), with a discount outlet at Via Spartaco 3.

Ermenegildo Zegna began as a textile house in 1910 (they still weave their own fabrics) and, since the late 1960s, has turned to making elegant, ready-to-wear men's suits that look custom tailored, sold in Milan at Via P. Verri 3 (tel. 02-7600-6437; www.zegna.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

Though in the past few years it has finally started to go out of fashion, a fur coat has long, long been de rigueur for all Italian women heading out for an evening. Without a doubt, one of Italy's top purveyors of furs is Fendi, Via Sant'Andrea 16 (tel. 02-7602-1617; www.fendi.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

The firm that shod Hollywood's stars during its later golden era, Ferragamo has an outlet for men's shoes at Via Montenapoleone 20 (tel. 02-7600-3117 or 02-7600-6660; www.ferragamo.it; Metro: Montenapoleone), and for women's shoes at Via Montenapoleone 3 (tel. 02-7600-0054; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

Gianfranco Ferré sells women's wear and accessories at Via Sant'Andrea 15 (tel. 02-794-864; www.gianfrancoferre.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); the men's lines are at Corso Venezia 6. Florentine leather specialist Gucci has a Milan outlet for bags, accessories, and clothing for men and women at Via Montenapoleone 27 (tel. 02-771-271; Metro: San Babila or Montenapoleone).

Several designer boutiques in Milan are devoted to women's wear, and women's wear only. They include Krizia, Via della Spiga 23 (tel. 02-7600-8429; www.krizia.it; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); Laura Biagiotti, Via Borgospesso 19 (tel. 02-799-659; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); and Max Mara, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele where it crosses Galleria de Cristoforis (tel. 02-7600-8849; Metro: San Babila).

Mila Schön's elegant clothing for women and men is displayed in a neoclassical palazzo, along with accessories, perfumes, and linens, at Via Manzoni 45 (tel. 02-781-190; www.milaschon.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila). Miu Miu carries women's wear and shoes at Corso Venezia 3 (tel. 02-7601-4448; www.miumiu.com; Metro: Palestro). Missoni's colorful sweaters for men and women can be found at Via Sant'Andrea at Via Bagutta (tel. 02-7600-3555; www.missoni.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila). Moschino has men's and children's wear at Via Durini 14 (tel. 02-7600-4320; Metro: San Babila) and women's wear at Via Sant'Andrea 12 (tel. 02-7600-0832; www.moschino.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

Prada maintains several outlets across town for its minimalist red-stripe fashions, none of them cheap! There's a bit of everything (men's and women's wear, accessories, and jewelry) in their high-profile boutique at the crossing of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 63 (tel. 02-876-979; www.prada.com; Metro: San Babila); menswear, shoes, and accessories at Via Montenapoleone 8 (tel. 02-7602-0273; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); women's wear and accessories at Via Sant'Andrea 21 (tel. 02-7600-1426; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); bags, shoes, and accessories at Via della Spiga 1 (tel. 02-7600-8636; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); and, nearby, even an underwear branch at Via della Spiga 5 (tel. 02-7601-4448; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

Trussardi sells men's and women's wear as well as accessories at Via Sant'Andrea 5 (tel. 02-781-878; www.trussardi.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila). Ungaro's full line of men's and women's wear, accessories, bags, and shoes is at Via Montenapoleone 27 (tel. 02-784-256; www.ungaro.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila). Valentino menswear is kept at Via Montenapoleone 20 (tel. 02-7602-0285; www.valentino.it; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila); the women's wear is sold at Via Santo Spirito 3 (tel. 02-7600-6478; Metro: Montenapoleone). Versace carries its men's and women's wear and accessories in its shop at Via Montenapoleone 11 (tel. 02-7600-1982; www.versace.com; Metro: Montenapoleone or San Babila).

Last Shoe Shine in Milan

Charging about 2€ per customer and spending a lifetime bent over wingtips, the average shoe shiner has few illusions about a career of fame and fortune. But while fortune never did find Carlo Santacroce, fame finally landed on his footrests. For his last decade of his career, Santacroce was known far and wide as the last surviving shoe shiner in Milan. He retired in 2009.

Throughout his 30-year career in the city, he had seen southerners like himself carrying stools from one street corner to the next, only to be told by police that shoe shining is not allowed on the sidewalks. The peddlers were told to work out of a storefront, an expense that few could afford. When the market dried up -- even Santacroce's celebrity customers no longer stopped by -- competition disappeared, and he served the city's well-heeled on his own.

His chair and footrests sat by the restrooms in the Palestro subway station, in a space he rented from the city's transportation agency. A handwritten sign announced his price for shoes and boots.

"In Naples, when I was growing up, there'd be a long line for a shine," he said in an interview in his final years as a shoe shiner. "Now people do it on their own. Those hotel machines," he sniffed, "they only brush off the dust."

As a child, Carlo made a living in postwar Naples by polishing U.S. soldiers' boots. He knew his leather. From the condition of the material, Santacroce said he could tell what the wearer did for a living. Still, the dapper-dressed 76-year-old professed, with the proper maintenance, even the lowest underling can look like the boss. "My father once told me, and I'll never forget this, if someone has a clean-shaven face, wears a tie, and his shoes are well polished, he's a signore, even if he doesn't have a lira in his pocket."

Sadly, since he has retired, tourists now have to settle for the hotel shoe-shine machines.

Designer Discounts

If your fashion sense is greater than your credit line, don't despair: Even the most expensive clothing of the Armani ilk is usually less expensive in Italy than it is abroad, and citywide saldi (sales) run from early January into early February and again in late June and July.

Inspired by the window displays in the Quadrilatero, you can scour the racks of shops elsewhere for designer seconds, last year's fashions, imitations, and other bargains. The best place to begin is Il Salvagente, several blocks east of the Quadrilatero off Corso XXII Marzo at Via Fratelli Bronzetti 16 (tel. 02-7611-0328; Metro: San Babila), where you can browse through an enormous collection of designer clothing for men, women, and children (mostly smaller sizes) at wholesale prices. DMagazine, Via Montenapoleone 26 (tel. 02-7600-6027; Metro: Montenapoleone), may sit on the boutique-lined main shopping drag, but its merchandise is pure discount overstock from big labels such as Armani, Prada, and Fendi.

Another haven for fashionistas looking for slightly eccentric designer clothes on a budget is the Ticinese/Navigli. Women can shop at Anna Fabiano on Corso di Porta Ticinese 40 (tel. 02-5811-2348 or 5830-6111; Metro: Sant'Ambrogio). Fabiano, who learned her tricks while designing for Fiorucci, favors linear cuts and mixing different types of fabrics to create an original style with a 1960s feel. Another Navigli stop is Mauro Leone, on Corso di Porta Ticinese 60 and 103 (tel. 02-8942-9167; www.mauroleone.com), where you will find all types of well-priced, Italian-made women's shoes. Biffi, on Corso Genova 5/6 (tel. 02-831-1601; www.biffi.com; Metro: San Agostino), attracts fashion-conscious hordes of both sexes in search of designer labels and the store's own designs.

Some of the best Milanese fashion deals can be found in stores that are tucked into some of the less trodden and more atmospheric medieval alleys of the city center. On one of those streets, you will find Donatella Pellini (tel. 02-7201-0199), at Via Morigi 9, selling her own line of beautiful costume jewelry that looks like the real deal. In the Morigi shop, she sells her romantic and minimalist creations made with glass and synthetic resin; for more flamboyant costume jewelry, visit Pellini's shops on Via Manzoni 20 (tel. 02-7600-8084) and on Corso Magenta 11 (tel. 02-7201-0569).

If you are fond of colors and not afraid to wear them, visit the two tiny Gallo shops on Via Manzoni 16/b (tel. 02-783-602) and Via Durini 26 (tel. 02-7600-2023), where you'll find their signature multicolored striped socks, along with multicolored scarves, gloves, and T-shirts. The socks won't seem cheap compared with what you buy at Target, but a pair will give you an affordable piece of Milan fashion to bring home -- even if you couldn't afford that Armani suit or Prada bag you had your eye on. If you missed out while in town, don't despair, because Gallo also has a brightly colored distributor at Milan's Linate airport.

For designer shoes at a discount to go with the new socks, look no further than Rufus, Via Vitruvio 35 (tel. 02-204-9648; Metro: Centrale or Lima), which carries men's and women's styles from lots of labels for under 80€.

Milan in Style

Everyone knows Milan to be a fashion hub, with visitors flocking to Armani superstores and Dolce & Gabbana boutiques while ticking off the fashion shows (www.cameramoda.it) on their calendars: late September and late February for women's apparel, January and June for men's apparel.

What many foreigners forget, though, is that Milan does not just draw the line for clothing. It also dreams up some of the sexiest cars, couches, and kitchenware that Italy has to offer.

You know that Alfa Romeo, while built in Turin, is designed in Milan by just taking a look at the logo: It sports the city's red cross on the left, taken from its Crusaders' tunics, and the serpent favored by the ruling Visconti family on the right. The names of Alfa's models should also give some indication of which city rules the roost: the Milano, the Visconti, the Monza, and so forth. (Chevrolet and GM would later borrow some of these model names, though unfortunately not the designs themselves.)

For just about any other type of household mechanical device, if it looks good, chances are it was also designed in Lombardy or Piedmont. For example, Pininfarina, Alessi, and the Memphis Group are all from Turin or Milan or somewhere in between.

Alessi, founded on the shores of Lake Orta, counted within its stable of architects such leading lights as Philippe Starck and Ettore Sottsass. But in 1980, the latter went on to form the Memphis Group, poaching some of the other top talent from his former employer as well. The event that launched the start-up group to fame was the 1981 edition of the Salone del Mobile, an annual furniture design show that draws industry leaders and tourists from around the globe.

The Salone del Mobile (www.cosmit.it) is nothing like what a casual customer would expect out of a furniture show. Held in mid-April, it brings a lot more than just the latest designs in kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and lighting fixtures. It is essentially a contemporary art museum, complete with installation art and spectacles that fascinate even the least design-conscious observer. Most of all, it is the top excuse for Milan to throw parties that regular people actually have a chance of attending.

If you're not here in April, not to worry -- the latest models tend to make their way into galleries and design stores around the city right away, making for a nice, city-wide tour of the latest living-room curves. Start off at Galleria Post Design, Via della Moscova 27 (tel. 02-655-4731; www.memphis-milano.it), which is the flagship store of the Memphis movement. Admire a multicolored bookshelf that could double as contemporary sculpture, and an assortment of rugs, lamps, and more. Even more avant-garde is Dilmos, Piazza San Marco 1 (tel. 02-2900-2437; www.dilmos.com), which almost crosses the line as a museum space rather than a retail store.

If, on the other hand, you're just looking to pick up a sleek, spider-shaped juicer by Starck or a stainless-steel toothpick holder, check out Alessi, Corso Matteotti 9 (tel. 02-796-726; www.alessi.com). If you just happen to be driving in the lakes region (or have a few hours to kill between flights at Malpensa), it might be worth stopping in for a few bargains at Alessi's factory outlet in Crusinallo, Via Privata Alessi (tel. 0323-868-611). Your kitchen counter will thank you.

Housewares

The top name in Italian houseware design since 1921 has been Alessi, which has hired the likes of Michael Graves, Philippe Starck, Frank Ghery, and Ettore Sottsass to design the latest in teakettles, bottle openers, and other housewares since the late 1980s. They maintain a main showroom at Corso Matteotti 9 (tel. 02-795-726; Metro: San Babila) and a sales outlet at Via Montenapoleone 19 (tel. 02-7602-1199; www.alessi.com; Metro: Montenapoleone).

The 1980s were really part of a renaissance of Italian industrial design. This is the era when design team Memphis, led by Ettore Sottsass, virtually reinvented the art form, recruiting the best and brightest architects and designers to turn their talents to lighting fixtures, kitchen appliances, office supplies, even furnishings. Italian style has stayed at the very top of the designer housewares market (sharing popularity space with Scandinavian furniture) ever since. Part of the Memphis credo was to create the new modern and then bow out before they became establishment (they self-destructed in 1988). You can still find their influential designs in many houseware shops and in the showroom Post Design at Via della Moscova 27 (tel. 02-655-4731; Metro: Turati or Moscova).

Linens

For Milanese design to dress the bed, visit Frette, Via Visconti di Modrone (tel. 02-498-9756; www.frette.it; Metro: San Babila). This outlet of the high-fashion linen house offers discounts on the tablecloths, towels, robes, and bedding that it supplies to the world's top hotels. They have other stores at Via Montenapoleone 21 (tel. 02-7600-8094; Metro: Montenapoleone), Via Manzoni 11 (tel. 02-801-327; Metro: Montenapoleone), Corso Buenos Aires 82 (tel. 02-2940-5016; Metro: Lima), Corso Vercelli 23/25 (tel. 02-498-9756; Metro: Conciliazione), and Via Torino 42 (tel. 02-8645-2281; Metro: Duomo).

The elegant swirling paisleys of Etro, Via Montenapoleone 5 (tel. 02-7600-5049; www.etro.it; Metro: Montenapoleone), have been decorating the walls, furniture covers, and accessories in some of Italy's richest and aristocratic homes since 1969. They've since expanded into full lines of clothing and leather goods, as well as perfumes and accessories (the latter are available at the branch on the corner of Via P. Verri and Via Bigli; tel. 02-7600-5450; Metro: Montenapoleone).

Spacci Bassetti, Via Procaccini 32 (tel. 02-3450-125; Metro: Garibaldi F.S., but closer on tram no. 33 or 94), is a discount outlet of the august Bassetti line of high-quality linen, and the huge space offers the luxurious towels and sheets at excellent prices. They have regular (nondiscount) stores at Corso Buenos Aires 52 (tel. 02-2940-0048; Metro: Lima) and Via Botta 7A (tel. 02-5518-3191; Metro: Porta Romana).