The word milliner, or a vendor of fancy goods/refined wares, derives from the word Milan. This etymology alone makes it perfectly clear why the statement “Commerce is culture” t is an integral part of Milan’s history. 

In the middle ages, the city was a hub for the trade of textiles and other luxury goods, and by the end of the 1800s, it was one of Italy’s most advanced industrial centers, notable for its clothing and textile industry in an overall diversified economy where agriculture, industry, and manufacturing all played a vital role. 

“In Milan's traditional clothing industry, the artisans making the garments and accessories sold them to small stores or directly to consumers,” writes Elisabetta Merlo and Francesca Polese in the book Consuming Fashion: Adorning the Transnational Body. After the mid-19th century, Milan's highly-productive clothing and fashion industries saw the addition of department stores, which began to modernize the distribution process. 

Pictured: La RINASCENTE (via RINASCENTE Archives)

The trailblazer in this context was Grandi Magazzini "Alle Citta d'It- alia," a large space in the heart of the city founded by the Bocconi brothers in 1865 and eventually renamed La Rinascente in 1917 under new ownership and management, a name it retains to this day. The name itself means “she who is to be reborn,” and was the idea of Gabriele D’Annunzio, who was, back then, Italy’s most prominent (and edgelord-like) public intellectual.

In 1921, the store relocated in Piazza del Duomo, and artists and creatives involved with La Rinascente in that phase included Bruno Munari, who designed the windows, Marcello Dudovich, who was in charge of the visual advertising, and Giò Ponti, who designed the in-house line of furniture. Design awards such as Il Compasso D’Oro were an initiative of La Rinascente, while a design heavyweight such as Giorgio Armani did have his start as a window designer. Just spend some time on La Rinascente’s own History Section to see a great selection of archival posters, typography, and commercial illustrations. 

While noticeably smaller than its international counterparts, it is now a showcase of mid-market and luxury brands both big and small.

Milan has always stood out compared to the rest of the country. The local upper and upper-middle class had historically displayed a marked interest in industrial activity, and its relative distance from both the Papal and the royal courts in Rome yielded a distinctive fashion. 

“Most notable was the attention to quality fabrics and fine tailoring, combined in moderation with elements of ornament and splendor. Over time, soberness and severity emerged as the distinctive qualities of Milanese fashion,” Merlo and Polese elaborate. Even the French designs, which still had a continent-wide influence, were considerably simplified and toned down in their Milanese iterations. Until the mid-20th century, Florence was the epicenter of fashion, and it was not until the 1970s that Milan established itself as a fashion powerhouse thanks to its proclivity for ready-to-wear, unfussy, yet elegant staples. Lifestyle wise, it became synonymous with hedonism, excess, and its own bargain-bin (sorry, but it needs to be said) version of “yuppies” in the 1980s, earning the tagline “Milano da bere” (Milan to be drunk). 

After a dip in popularity in the 2000s, eclipsed by New York, London, and, needless to say, Paris; Milan remains a solid fashion, shopping, and lifestyle capital that, while less grandiose than its peers (if only for a sheer matter of surface area) will still ensure that you’ll find plenty of ways to spend your hard-earned money.

As a Milan native who spent her first 25 years in the city and whose tastes often outpace her budget, I still enjoy periodic "recon" strolls when visiting family. While it's tempting to focus on the major luxury fashion houses, the reality is that these brands have stores worldwide. So, unless you want to visit the first brick-and-mortar store of a particular label or one that has a particular architectural relevance, it hardly matters if you end up getting, say, your Gucci wallet in Milan, Dubai, or Johannesburg.

What makes Milan special, shopping-wise is the curation and selection of smaller businesses and artisan. Unfortunately for us, “small” is hardly synonymous with “cheap,” but if you’re a conscious shopper, you’ll be happy to directly support a small family-run local designer atelier.

Milan’s Sartorial Legacy

Nothing captures the essence of Milan’s aesthetic like Prada, making its very first store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Italy’s oldest active shopping gallery, a great place to start. This location has been in Prada’s family for more than 100 years, when it started operating as a luggage and travel-accessories store in 1913. Upon taking over her family business in 1978 after a stint as a mime, Miuccia Prada subverted fashion codes: her debut collection (AW 1988) featured uniform-inspired garments that went against 1980s excess; she codified “ugly chic” in SS 1996 with 1970s-wallpaper-inspired patterns; she used lace in a theatrical, solemn manner in 2008, and, to this day, pulls off ladylike without descending into prissy or dowdy territory. 

The Prada Galleria boutique is worth visiting for the interiors alone: black-and-white floor tiles, mahogany shelves, and the sleek chrome profiles of the display cases. The store is an expression of Art Deco and interwar Italian modernism. 

Pictured: Miu Miu Milan, Via Sant’Andrea 21 (via Miu Miu)

Given its meteoric rise in popularity among the commerce x culture crowds, Miu Miu deserves a visit, too. The flagship store, located in Via Sant’Andrea 21, is covered in brocade tapestry and makes the shopping experience feel like being inside a cheeky boudoir. 

Marni, which occupies a similar place as Prada in the collective imagination as a brand that creates an off-kilter elegance with unexpected color harmonies and architectural shapes , had its flagship store recently renovated, and is worth visiting for its immersive quality alone. Carpeted floors in medium-hued saturated shades of blue are juxtaposed with reflective walls clad in beveled silver mirror ceramic tiles. Niches and alcoves have warm shades of yellow as their main color.

With the exception of its signature items and prints, the Gucci flagship store in Via Monte Napoleone completely morphs each time a new creative director is appointed. While it did look similar to a cabinet of wonders in the Alessandro Michele high-camp era, it is now more austere given Sabato de Sarno’s direction. You’ll catch a glimpse of his signature deep red and his catchphrase “Ancora” meaning anchor; or “yet to be,” or “still.”

Designer Alberto Aspesi occupies the rare balance between luxury and basic, without the absurd price tags associated with Loro Piana or The Row, and a color palette that is more technicolor-focused than “quiet luxury” somber. The brand started as a shirting business in 1969 and, in the 90s, became known for its down jackets (think, a sturdier version of Uniqlo’s signature styles) and outerwear. Aspesi’s linen, silk, and cotton essentials are just as captivating: I have pieces I thrifted or inherited that are at least 25 years old that I still wear daily nine months out of the year–a silk, empire-waist dress with buttons on the back, an orange jumpsuit with a square neckline I converted into a dress with pinafore details, and countless linen shirt. Its 6,500 sqft flagship store occupies the first two floors of a former bank office and combines an industrial aesthetic, 20th-century classicism, and pops of color such as green, blush pink, and ochre —the architectural translation of the brand’s vision. Aspesi is fairly well known in continental Europe, Japan, and Korea, but not as prominent stateside—this means you can still score good deals on resale platforms, if you catch my drift. 

Among multi-brand stores, consider the likes of well-established stores such as Biffi (timeless, with a mix of established and niche designers), Banner (maximalist, artsy), Antonia (designer luxury, with an eye for luxury streetwear), Imarika (eclectic, sartorial, with a dash of haute boho) and 10 Corso Como (avant garde, experimental, and has an art gallery on the upper floor). 

Small Businesses for Staples

If you really want to shop like a local, you might privilege smaller, artisanal stores over sleek multi-brand and high-end boutiques: after all, nobody expects all New Yorkers to solely shop at Bergdorf’s, which applies to Milanese people as well. Whether they curate a selection of smaller brands or produce everything in-house, these stores offer a glimpse of what the locals covet. 

The city center extends beyond its main thoroughfares (corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Monte Napoleone, Via Torino, Corso Venezia) into alleys and side streets replete with artisan boutiques and stores.

For example, located right behind La Scala, Milan’s premier opera house and concert hall, is Porselli, which has been supplying the corps de ballet with dancing shoes and leotards since 1919. They have also been producing street-friendly ballet flats and heels that are notable for their rich color palette and supple leather. Despite their collaborations with the likes of APC and J Crew, they remain less mainstream than their French counterpart Repetto. In store, the stock varies daily, so you should swing by in person to see what styles and colors are available in your size. The bulk of their business is made-to-order shoes, which is something to be mindful of depending on your location. Still, a selection of these shoes are sold in online boutiques, multi-brand stores, and resellers, so don’t let their limited in-store inventory be a deterrent.

Located off of Via Torino, Carla Saibene is a local designer that is known for its tailored essentials including everyday pants, blazers, shirts, skirts and dresses, which she crafts in a variety of materials depending on seasonality and demand: expect silk and cotton year-round, a lot of linen in the summer, and wool and denim in the winter, in a variety of richly colored hues that she treats as neutrals. I recommend checking out the pants with their signature diagonal seams, which feel both elevated and unfussy. Be mindful, though, that sizing is not the most inclusive, going only as far as an US 8 or 10, one of the downsides of working with limited inventory. 

Massimo Alba, founded in 2006 by the former creative director of cashmere and knitwear behemoths Malo and Agnona, is perhaps the mirror image of Saibene. Alba specializes in relaxed shapes in natural materials and a markedly neutral palette, for an aesthetic that’s both understated and subdued. Consider it an Italian version of Alex Mills if Mills displayed sartorial acumen. It carries both menswear and womenswear.

Both Saibene and Alba are comparable to Aspesi, mentioned in the “Legacy” section.

Pictured: The Ottica Marchesi, opened in 1959, is still outfitting frames for patrons today. (via Instagram)

If you’re looking for eyewear (whether sunglasses or prescription lenses), I recommend bypassing the usual luxury frames —unless there’s a style you’re eager to collect—and venture to Ottica Marchesi, who has been making frames since 1959. With a very keen eye for detail, advise you on the best style that suits your face shape, not without a touch of bluntness. During my last visit, the thick, square spectacles synonymous with hipster eyewear 15 years ago got compared to the style sported by “a government employer,” and they were sure to let me know thatmy cheekbones can’t pull off certain styles. They offer both new styles and vintage ones that they keep in production. 

On the boutique front, exceptional curatorial ventures include Uberta Zambeletti’s Wait and See, which sources maximalist pieces from brands from all around the world but also has an in-house line comprised of knitwear, t-shirts, tailored trousers, blazers and shoes. “[In this store] you learn that you won’t pair your jeans with a navy blazer, but with a lobster-colored one,” writes journalist Michela Proietti in her style manual La Milanese. The store, overall, teaches you to embrace clashing prints: a leopard-print top can go with a bright-colored striped cardigan, and both are to be paired with wide-leg brocade pants, and a seemingly gaudy statement necklace. 

Due di Due has a similar ethos, with a focus on emerging designers from the EU and an in-house line by the same name. For a more ethereal and minimalist selection, Due Milano will do the trick: it tragically lacks both a website and an ecommerce platform, but its Instagram page showcases garments and stylings on women of all ages. Of all these stores, Due is the one with the most Coastal American/Atlantic aesthetic, which is enough of a novelty in Milan. 

For Menswear, Eral 55 offers a selection of vintage shoes, military watches, Japanese denim and upscale Italian suiting, made of both premium and vintage fabrics that combine Italian heritage, British dandyism and Americana. You can also find limited-edition sneakers. And while it’s conceived as a menswear store, women can easily find pieces to incorporate in their rotation.

The DTC Breed is Alive in Milan

DTC bred its own aesthetic and style signifiers that, due to my own internal bias, are inextricable from the NYC—California axis. By the mid-2010s, Glossier became the figurehead of a whole new type of makeup, Reformation became a uniform that worked for the beach, countryside and boardroom, and Catbird became synonymous with delicate yet dainty jewelry. 

It’s important to note that several Italian DTC brands have graduated to brick-and-mortar stores in the city. These brands, in terms of branding and visuals, closely resemble their US counterparts that have come to represent entire categories.

Pictured: the Espressoh Flagship Store (via Google)

Espressoh, a makeup brand rooted in the beneficial properties of coffee beans, hassignature products that bear that characteristic smell—a clear departure from your usual rose/iris/violet scents usually associated with makeup. Their packaging is a warmer shade of Millennial pink, and their no-fuss, no-nonsense, all-results products are reminiscent of the Glossier heyday. They opened their brick-and-mortar store in the spring of 2024, and it fully looks like a hybrid between an art studio and a beauty bar, with a color palette of gray, chrome, and warm blush pink. True to its name, it also has a full-service coffee bar.

On this front, L’ Estetista Cinica (the online moniker of Cristina Fogazzi) and her brand Veralab is perhaps one of the most notable DTC-to-brick-and-mortar case studies in Italy. Founder Cristina Fogazzi used to be a no-nonsense esthetician at the helm of her own center, and in the early 2010’s she went viral on social media thanks to her bleak, deadpan vignettes (proto-memes, actually) debunking many myths about skin and body care. Mind you, they were very country-specific: in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, for instance, cellulite is one of the most common plights, and Fogazzi’s no-nonsense advice led her to formulate a line of in-house products and a store that do, at least temporarily, help clients get rid of it.

Around 2015, Italian influencers started sporting fine chain rings, dainty hoops, and understatedear cuffs. Enter LIL Milan, everyday jewelry that fully encapsulated a millennial and more cosmopolitan aesthetic. As discussed above, the goldsmiths you find all over the city excel in basics that have remained virtually the same for the last 70 years. LIL House, opened in 2020, looks like a hybrid between a fine-jewelry room at a museum, complete with glass cases and a quaint haberdashery: the drawers are in a warm-toned blush pink, while the glass cases display some iridescence, signaling how the store was designed with contemporary audiences in mind. The year 2022 saw the launch of AGÉE, LIL’s sister brand specializing in sourcing vintage jewelry.

Other notable former online-only brands include Alessandra Camilla Milano, founded by a GIA-graduate gemologist, whose jewels were already seen on Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Katie Holmes. Alessandra Camilla’s line is notable for its design and gem-forward quality. Her online feature “Diamond Bar” allows you to design your own engagement ring, but should you want more customization options, you can always book an appointment in person at her showroom.

Pictured: The website experience for Isambrosiana, a Milanese DTC gemstone dealer and jeweler 

Another former DTC-only jewelry brand worth mentioning is Isambrosiana, founded by Isabella Cantù Rajnoldi, whose core values revolve around highly customizable designs and gems that are not white diamonds—she wants customers to know that there’s a wealth of color, brilliance, and textures available that are usually overlooked in favor of a diamond’s signature white cast (I got my wedding band from her).

My personal list of clothing and accessory stores could go on forever, considering that many DTC brands favor pop-ups that might or might not be open depending on when you decide to visit Milan. Euterpe makes architectural everyday bags at a non-hostile price point, while ViBi Venezia, which turned the Venetian Furlane shoes into a fashion staple for non-insider audiences, finally opened its brick-and-mortar store in the heart of Brera.

Pictured: Residenza Raptus&Rose (via Google Maps)

I’ve followed the brand Raptus and Rose since it first started making guest appearances in vintage stores around Milan. Its value proposition consisted of a finite set of styles that were made out of vintage scrap fabrics, and, if you perused the website, you could decide what bodice to pair with what skirt to make a dress. Since then, Raptus and Rose evolved into a haute-boho brand with a permanent capsule collection of elevated basics (called Raptus Essentials) in a few select colorways and periodic drops of limited-edition garments or essentials in limited-edition colors and fabric.

After only offering their atelier on the river in the town of Belluno as a year-round shopping experience for a long time, the brand finally opened its Milanese store in late 2023. It looks like the wunderkammer of an Auntie Mame-like character: it’s refined and a tad twee, and it contains an edited selection of the collection. Raptus and Rose received mainstream attention in the past few years for hosting fashion shows featuring cancer patients as models, both as a form of activism as the founder Silvia Bisconti had battled cancer for a long time, and as a way to emphasize how treatment and beauty can go hand in hand.

Unfortunately, Bisconti passed away earlier this year, but her legacy will live on.

A Word on Homewares

I am well aware that Milan has immense prestige in terms of furniture and interior design, but I don’t know if I can recommend you buy a sofa onsite due to endless wait times and staggering customs duties. Accents and design-adjacent gadgets will, however, fit in your suitcase. High Tech is a maze-like store that sells decor accents for every room and even dabbles in apparel. Its sister store, Cargo, is a medium-to-high-end furniture design with selections that do not break the bank. If haute-bohemian in a bright color palette is right for you, then get yourself tablecloths, placemats, and throws from Lisa Corti. I will never forsake Alessi and its sleek, yet slightly David Lynchian kitchenware. Seletti and its hyperrealistic and pop-surrealist lamps are kitschy enough to be high camp. Fornasetti’s home accessories and their intricate linework-heavy art have a lot of mileage. Even a candle makes a huge statement.

The basement level of Rinascente is basically a 101 on design accessories we associate with Italian and Milanese homes, even though the inventory they stock is from all over the world: vision over provenance, or so they say. 

As with all major shopping cities, my addresses will vastly differ from the preferences others might have, but I believe that what laid out here can give you a satisfactory glimpse into how commerce shapes Milan’s culture and vice versa: some might scoff at the DTC-grads section, but if you study the way a city’s commercial scene evolves, you will, inevitably, need to pay attention to how those businesses finally took the leap in the world of brick and mortar.

In addition, a deep dive in menswear fashion and second-hand shopping deserve their own, curated guides.

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References

For easy reference, here's a comprehensive list of the brands mentioned in this article, along with their website locations where available.

These represent a mix of legacy luxury houses, emerging designers, and innovative retail concepts that collectively shape Milan's dynamic brand culture. Maps addresses were linked above in the article.

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