With the Milan Fashion Week, flagship stores from all major fashion brands and fashion houses by some of the world’s top designers, Milan can call itself the fashion capital of Italy and is able to hold its own with cities like Paris or London. Here are some must-sees.

Quadrilatero d’Oro

Milan’s high-end fashion district Quadrilatero d’Oro is situated north of the Piazza Del Duomo and features the latest collections of Prada, Armani, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and other major Italian fashion houses. The Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Square) is bordered by Via Sant’Andrea, Via della Spiga and Via Monte Napoleone. The latter is the most famous and expensive shopping street in all of Milan.

Galleria Vittorio emanuele II

This galleria is the world’s very first enclosed shopping mall and lies next to the Piazza Del Duomo, the main city square in the city of Milan. It’s a great place to shop for clothes, shoes, bags, sunglasses and other accessories. Not cheap though, with many luxury designer boutiques, from Prada and Gucci to Louis Vuitton.

Brera

Within walking distance of the Quadrilatero d’Oro is the Brera district. It’s a lively and colorful place, mainly populated by artists, bohemians and hipsters. Take your time to stroll through the narrow streets and enjoy the small shops and stylish boutiques. The place to be for antique and vintage curiosities.

Via Torino

This must be shoe heaven! Via Torino is every shoe addict’s dream with shops selling everything from luxury designer boots to trendy, but inexpensive sandals.

Via Paolo Sarpi

One of the longest streets in Milan and sometimes called Milan Chinatown because of the many Chinese-Italian immigrants. It’s a very vibrant area with many silk and leather workshops. Probably the best place to buy high quality leather accessories at relatively low prices.

Coin

If you’re on a budget then Italian department store Coin is shopping heaven. Everything from classic to trendy clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics and homeware at reasonable prices. Also great for having lunch. La Rinascente is another department store worth checking out and has no less than eight floors.

Opening hours

In general the majority of shops will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m, except on Mondays when they usually open at 3 p.m. Although shops in Milan used to close for lunch break, today most big shops are open all day.

For more tips check Hedonist’s Guide To Milan by Fleur Britten.

Norah