A Fashion Buyer’s Guide to Shopping in Milan

Synonymous with fashion and style, Milan is where Italian fashion labels such as Gucci, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani have their headquarters. Eva Galambos, the owner and head buyer of celebrated Parlour X boutique in Sydney’s Paddington, visits the Italian city every year to snap up the hottest looks from the runways to share with her eager Eastern Suburbs clientele. Here, Galambos shares the city’s best shopping destinations.

Best for a designer splurge

“Without question, it’s Via Montenapoleone, Milan’s luxury shopping street. It’s a mecca for fashion’s finest boutiques and one of the most elegant streets in Europe. All the major brands – including Céline, Loewe, Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana – are there, as well as some delightful multi-brand boutiques. It’s an irresistible way to spend the day.”

Best department store

“Situated near the Duomo di Milano cathedral, Excelsior Milano is an innovative luxury department store. The building has been transformed from a Milanese cinema into a fashion hub that sprawls over seven floors – it’s a one-stop shop for contemporary fashion, jewellery and accessories. There can be crowds in this part of Milan and trekking through them isn’t always glamorous – or easy! – so I always try to visit just as it opens or closes.”

Galleria del Corso 4, Milan

Best for accessories and shoes

“Antonia Accessories is dedicated to luxury shoes, bags and leather goods. The boutique itself is exquisite, with sophisticated marble finishes, perspex shelving, brass fittings and sky-high ceilings. Come here for pieces by brands including Gucci, Céline, Gianvito Rossi and Givenchy.”

Via Cusani 5, Milan

Best for vintage

“Cavalli e Nastri is a celebrated vintage store, renowned for its unique selection of ready-to-wear clothes and accessories from the 1920s to now. If you look, you’ll spot vintage Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel, among other treasures. As with any vintage boutique, the art is in scouring the racks to find a hidden gem.”

Via Brera 2, Milan

Via Gian Giacomo Mora 3, Milan

Via Gian Giacomo Mora 12, Milan

Best for books

“Taschen Store Milan is an extravagant sanctuary for book collectors that cannot be missed. It’s a treasure-trove of classic, comic, fashion, film, music, art, photography, pop culture, architecture and design books. You can find limited editions in the opulent two-level store and a terrazzo staircase leads to an inhouse gallery with more patterned terrazzo flooring and minimalist designer furniture.”

Via Meravigli 17, Milan

Don’t miss

“10 Corso Como, established by former Italian Vogue special editions editor-in-chief Carla Sozzani in 1990. She conceived a kind of living magazine with a gallery and bookshop at its core – then she made it a reality. The multi-level boutique remains an institution, combining exhibitions that display and sell works of art, luxury fashion, music and design pieces.”

Corso Como 10, Milan