Milan shopping


Find the good places to shop in Milan

Far and away the must-visit destination for Milan shopping is the “concept emporium” 10 Corso Como (Corso Como 10; +39 (0)2 29013581; www.10corsocomo.com), famous for its direct collaborations with the likes of Comme des Garçons and Freitag. Tucked away in a labyrinthine complex on the pedestrian-only Corso Como, it is complete with an excellent gallery that houses frequently changing exhibits, a proper lunchtime café with excellent drinks, a boutique hotel, and one of the most complete art, design and fashion bookstores in the country. Its best kept secret: just a few blocks away is their slightly hard-to-find outlet housing last season’s fashions at drastically reduced prices.

The Galleria, adjacent to Piazza Duomo, is the city’s shopping icon. Majestic and well lit, with its gorgeous glass ceilings, it is widely considered to be the world’s oldest shopping mall and houses shops ranging from High Street chains to Milan fashion mainstays, including a large Prada leather store with an excellent shoe and handbag selection. Outside of the Galleria, the several blocks in either direction are well equipped with good clothing shops, several bookstores, design shops, gourmet food markets and restaurants.

Equally mythical are Via Montenapoleone and Via Della Spiga. These two streets are almost holy destinations for fashionistas around the world, and are abuzz with VIPs and well-dressed onlookers during every fashion week. Here you’ll find Armani’s famous sprawling flagship, Jil Sander, Alexander McQueen, Marni, Bottega Veneta and many others. Celebrity sightings are not uncommon and depending on the season, Via Montenapoleone is frequently lined with large scale installation art.

The rest of the city welcomes avid exploration, with several hidden gems as well as other shopping high-streets to find, most notably Via Torino, Corso Buenos Aires, and Corso Magenta with a wide selection of mid-priced shops, and there are a host of local and boutique shops along Via Porta Ticinese.

Additionally, if you happen to find yourself in Milan on the last Saturday of any given month, the Navigli (adjacent to Stazione Porta Genoa) plays host to a very nice vintage clothing and antiques market where you can pick up anything from patina furniture to a vintage Borsalino hat for excellent prices.

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