Milan "fashion capital" (advice for 15 yr old girl)
 

All, (I nearly wrote "Team" - too many group projects these days!)

A dear college friend is taking his family to Italy. They are spending two weeks and then his wife and younger daughter are flying home. His 15 yr old daughter is staying with him and they have an extra 5 days including a "conference/exhibit" he is attending in Germany. He figures it will be some extra bonding time and she can sightsee during the day - his conference days are pretty short at any rate.

They will have one day in Milan. One of her goals is to visit the "top ten" fashion capitals in the world.

I know that the Galleria is a great place to visit (even just for the architecture!) and I know where one main shopping street is... any other tips for a day in the city?

Thanks!

The Gallerie are frankly disappointing. Splendid 19th-century bombastic architecture – but with really, reall,y dismal shops, and IMHO some pretty grubby cafes.

The fashion shops are all along Via Sant' Andrea, Via della Spiga and a bit of an overspill into Via MonteNapoleone (all adjoining each other about half a mile north of Piazza Duomo and the Gallerie). To walk both sides of all three streets comes to at most a kilometre. With proper shop windows,so you don't even have to go inside.

One of the best guides I ever read to Milan shopping and fashion happened to be in the Fodor's guide to Italy several years ago. I don't know if they changed the section since then (I hope not!) but if you can peruse a bookstore, or if your friend can, it really would be worth buying the book just to xerox those pages.

Otherwise, the Galleria is not a great shopping/fashion destination even if it is over-the-top fun to walk through and gawk at. The above-mentioned streets are ground zero for designer labels and glamorous window displays (and are absolutely unaffordable in terms of price unless your dear college friend does something illegal involving human rights abuse for a living).

In addition to fashion checklists, the 15 year old would probably find lots to admire on the roof of the Duomo, which can be accessed via an elevator on the left'hand side of the Duomo, to the rear. (The entrance is outside.) You can actually walk around a great deal of the roof, and the stonework is thrilling.

Even though a 15 year old can't have a cocktail, she could still enjoy joining the lively apertivi scene on the sophisticated via Brera between 6-8pm, where many bars have very comfortable outdoor seating, often patronized by young people in the fashion industry. She can sip a non-alcoholic long drink and nibble the stuzzachini while watching the passing parade and all the air-kissing.

flygirl,

Zeppole is correct. The 2011 Fodors Italy book has a section dedicated to "fashion shopping" in Milan. ALso if you "search" Milan shopping on this web site you will get a good overview of the shops you may find fit the "profile" of a 15 year old "fashonista"

Thank you, I will let them know! It's just one day - two weeks from now.