Milan Fashion Week was held this year from September 17th – 22nd. I went on the 3rd day the 19th.
When we first got there, we headed
straight for the Milan Duomo, which was a beautiful site. It is apparently the
fourth largest cathedral in the world.  |
| Milan Duomo |
Next we went to Loggia dei Mercanti (the fashion center) where they have the
fashion shows. Unfortunately, the shows aren’t open to the public but they have a
carpeted area right outside that has projection screens that feature the live
fashion show inside that the public can watch. (See Video above) There are also people passing
out newspapers, information about the shows and a model casting call.
We went to the Galleria before heading off to lunch. The
Galleria is thought to be the world’s oldest shopping mall and it is a popular
meeting spot for Milanese. Inside, there is a famous bull tile that is said to
bring good luck if you rub your foot or spin around on it (Different people say
different things). |
| Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II |
Lunch was at the Mozzarella Bar on the top floor of La
Rinascente, (a famous department store; think like Macy’s or Nordstrom’s) where
I had some very delicious pizza.
After lunch, we went to the fashion district and the design
district. The fashion district was filled with stores such as Prada, Gucci,
Cavalli, Ferragamo and Pucci. We saw the fashion houses and head offices of
various different companies like: Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Dolce &
Gabbana and Prada. The design district was where design students would go to
school.
Milan Fashion Week was not like what I expected. It is very
spread out around the city. (I thought that it would be more in one
concentrated area.) It makes it hard to see all of the things going on in just one day. My experience would have been even more awesome if we were able to get into
some of the shows but as I learned in my Fashion Marketing class, Milan is all about connections and knowing someone to be
able to be invited to go. Paris is the
most difficult fashion week to get into but there is hope you can pay and go to New York
Fashion Week.
Unfortunately, it rained on the day we went. Newer designers
and design students sometimes hold catwalks outside in different parts of the
city. Despite the rain, we were able to grab a couple of look books for a brand
and see some beautiful sites. All in all I had a good time in Milan!
Fun Fact about Milan: The bean bag is a Milanese invention!
Here are some pictures of street style in Milan:
