Book review | The Fashion Lover's Guide to Milan
By Rachael Martin
This eye-catching little book is a fashion accessory in its own right.
Beautifully glossy and slim enough to slip into a handbag, The Fashion Lover’s Guide to Milan is a guide to shopping, eating, and taking in some of the culture of Milan. Rachael Martin, originally from the UK, fell for Italy and an Italian in the late 1990s, made the country her home, and so combines an insider’s knowledge of her local city with a visitor’s delight in all that is special about it.
The book divides Milan into walkable chunks of geographical shopping districts, each with its own atmosphere and fashion specialism, whether that’s luxury end, designer, boutique, vintage, or streetwear. Globally influential brands like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Armani feature but so do individual boutique names like Chris Cerf and concept stores like 10 Corso Como. It is also interesting to note the rise of vintage clothes stores in the city — a sign of a sustainably fashionable future to come?
Italy and food go together so the guide naturally includes the best local places for the fashion shopper to revive, from the city’s legendary coffee and pastry shops to the restaurants serving up Italian and Milanese traditional fare. And if you have enough of commerce, the book is punctuated by ‘Culture Stops’ showing the city’s historical reverence for beauty through its museums, art, and the cathedral built using pink marble, from the top of which you can glimpse the Alps.
I loved the fact children’s clothes aren’t forgotten and the only tiny wish I would have is for a price guide for the various shops, but the book helpfully provides all the sellers' websites so if a particular shop catches your eye, it’s an easy matter to check their wares and prices online yourself.
In short this is not only a handy little travel companion for a future holiday or city break, it’s also a delightful book to pore over during these pandemic-restricted times, perhaps sipping Sicilian lemonade and dreaming of travel opportunities to come.
Illustrations: 80 colour illustrations & maps
ISBN: 9781526733733
