The Weekender The Weekender
La Géode theater as seen from the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in the Parc de la Villette Cin cin: Toasting a job well done at enoteca N’Ombra de Vin
prague From 30,000 points Round-trip. Book your ticket at Flysas.com/eurobonus shop like a milanese Words by i va n c a rva lho Photographs by gaia cambiaggi milan Italy’s fashion capital has everything la signora could possibly desire, but where to begin? Jewelry designer Nathalie Jean opens her little black book * Price from airports in Scandinavia and Finland. Taxes and fees apply, from xx.
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ome and Venice may have a wealth of attractions Rbuilt long ago but to see the treasures Italy is making today requires a trip to Milan. One of the world’s leading fashion and design capitals, the city’s calendar is packed with runway A shows that parade the latest trends in clothes, bags and shoes for both sexes, and every April more than 300,000 visi- tors turn out for the weeklong Salone del Mobile, the world’s biggest furniture fair and a showcase for Italian craft and creativity. Yet beyond the catwalk and big-name boutiques the city can seem a little standoffish, Shopping around (clockwise from its scores of fashionistas taking top): Trying on looks at Antonia; Jean cover behind sunglasses. But a and daugther Agata at Fioraio Biachi little perseverance goes a long Caffè; the food hall at Coin Excelsior u
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way. Just ask jewelry designer Jean says. Male companions, Nathalie Jean. meanwhile, peruse Antonia The Montreal native moved Uomo around the corner for to Milan 25 years ago to work cult Italian brands (Aspesi and for the industrial designer Incotex to name two). Ettore Sottsass and wound If Jean finds herself in the up staying for life. Like many quadrilatero della moda, Milan’s she, too, found the city drab at ground zero for glitzy fashion, first. “The public facade is very she pops into Gianvito Rossi On a mission: Jean, Agata and gray but there are lots of great at Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, their friend Louise check out places hidden from view,” she a shoe boutique housed in a fashion and home accessories says. Neo-Renaissance residence at Antonia (left) and Spazio An architect, Jean switched turned museum. “I love his Rossana Orlandi from skyscrapers to store boots: knee-high, ankle boots; interiors, dressing up shops you can’t go wrong.” for Alberta Ferretti and others. For a big store experience, In 2000, she scaled down to Jean bypasses Rinascente next necklaces and rings in gold and to the Duomo (“too touristy”) sterling silver, selling pieces and opts for Coin Excelsior, a to Carla Sozzani’s über-hip Jean Nouvel-designed depart- concept store 10 Corso Como ment store inside a former cin- and working with brands from ema that boasts street fashion, Versace to Christofle. When wearable pieces from Marni to not busy with clients in her Valentino, Borsalino hats, a bis- atelier, she indulges in the tro, and an immaculate base- popular Milanese pastime of ment food hall where locals shopping, sometimes partner- stock up on South Tirolean fruit ing with her daughter and juices, artisanal chocolate from friends. Turin, and biscotti. A www.nathaliejean.com Another hideaway off the main thoroughfare is retailer Shop till you drop Wait and See. “It’s for wealthy For retail therapy, Jean’s first Milanese women who want to stop is Antonia, a boutique in keep a low profile,” Jean says. the Brera district run by Anto- Inside an 18th-century convent nia Giacinti with a well-curated on a quiet cobblestoned street, mix of luxury brands and owner Uberta Zambeletti emerging labels. Next door are sells everything from Italian accessories: Manolo Blahnik knitwear to Spanish ballet flats. and Christian Louboutin heels, To keep tabs on interior both emblazoned with “Made design trends, Jean heads to in Italy” tags, and handbags. Spazio Rossana Orlandi. “She has great taste and there Presided over by Rossana Studio line: Jean’s necklaces are always new discoveries,” Orlandi, the local doyenne of u
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Between shops: (clockwise from left): Jean with design maven Rossana Orlandi; lunch at Pisacco, plus dolce
design, the store occupies an Spazio Rossana Orlandi old necktie factory and features 14 Via Matteo Bandello. ceramics, glassware and furni- www.rossanaorlandi.com ture. “It’s a wonderful shabby chic space. Again, hidden from Affordable luxe the street in a courtyard. So For a stylish stroll, Jean very Milanese.” wanders through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a grand A Antonia shopping arcade with an iron- 1 Via Ponte Vetero. and-glass roof that houses www.antonia.it Gucci, Tod’s and Prada, the lat- ter about to add a second bou- Gianvito Rossi tique at this coveted address. 7 Via Santo Spirito. Heading toward La Scala, she www.gianvitorossi.com window-shops at Valextra, the local luxury goods maker Coin Excelsior known for pricey, no-logo 4 Galleria del Corso. purses and calfskin briefcases. www.excelsiormilano.com For bargain hunters, Jean recommends the company’s Wait and See outlet, out of sight in a little 14 Via Santa Marta. downtown alleyway, to pick up www.waitandsee.it a beauty case or wallet.
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refectory once used by Augustinian friars – and you’ll find 3,000 vintages from Barolo to Bordeaux lining the walls. In the evenings, sophis- ticates sip robust Italians reds, prosecco and champagne – the house bubbly is sourced from the family of former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin.
Fioraio Bianchi Caffè 7 Via Montebello. www.fioraiobianchicaffe.it
Pisacco 48 Via Solferino. www.pisacco.it
N’Ombra de Vin 2 Via San Marco. www.nombradevin.it
Q GO TO Paris Book your trip at Flysas.com. Round-trips to Paris start at 40,000 EuroBonus points from airports in Scandinavia and Finland. Taxes and fees apply, from €51.
Bags down: Aperitivo at N’Ombra de Vin
D Magazine Outlet, mean- Jean never says no to lunch while, carries a wide range of at Pisacco, a restaurant opened labels and habitués have been last fall by a team backed by known to come away with Michelin-starred chef Andrea brand-new Dolce & Gabbana Berton. In place of tasting boots for next to nothing. menus, the kitchen turns out delectable, and affordable, Valextra dishes of grilled calamari with 3 Via Manzoni (store); 11 Via avocado purée, oven-roasted Cerva (outlet). ribs, and a dessert waffle with www.valextra.it vanilla gelato and apricot sauce. “They have super-fresh D Magazine Outlet ingredients and an exceptional 44 Via Manzoni. wine list,” Jean says, sipping a www.dmagazine.it glass of Vitovska, a dry Slove- nian white. Chic eats and drinks To round out the day, any Before any shopping excursion, self-respecting Milanese goes Jean and her daughter begin for an aperitivo, the locals’ their day at Fioraio Bianchi version of happy hour. One Caffè with a cappuccino and of Jean’s preferred water- brioche. Originally a florist, this ing holes is N’Ombra de Vin. small boho eatery is part bistro From the outside, the enoteca part café and still sells flowers is unassuming but venture on the side. downstairs to the cellar – a
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