A Shopping Mecca for the Hopelessly Hip
MILAN, ITALY--It’s no Paris, no Florence; heck, this city isn’t even as attractive as Detroit. But it is a fashion capital, so the fall 2002 collections kicked off here earlier this week under dishwater-dreary skies. After the first few days of shows (lesser names, mostly), the mood here, as in New York during last month’s fall presentations, is a bit subdued. No big blowouts are planned; even Iceberg isn’t hosting its traditional after-show bash.
But shopping is one thing Milan can be counted on for, and, after 11 years in business, 10 Corso Como is still the “it” place. Even in a city crowded with designer boutiques, the store continues to stand out with an eclectic collection of men’s and women’s clothing, books and housewares. Housed in an airy temple to Italian design with colorful modern light fixtures set against white walls tiled with mitochondrial designs, 10 Corso Como is to Milan what the Colette boutique is to Paris.
There are plenty of deconstructed separates from Comme des Garcons, Costume National and Viktor & Rolf, along with less serious looks from Emilio Pucci, John Galliano and Prada. What’s nice is that the clothes are organized into enclaves by designer, often with corresponding designer books for sale. For example, “Radical Fashion,” a book from a recent exhibit at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, is thoughtfully placed in the section stocked with pieces from the English line Preen and from Chloe, the label formerly designed by Brit Stella McCartney.
Only one complaint: Marc Jacobs is the sole American designer in sight, and he is only represented by a few lone pairs of shoes.
Jewelry and decorative items are also available, along with select beauty products such as scents from Courreges, Yohji Yamamoto and 10 Corso Como’s own.
There’s an art gallery and bookstore upstairs, overlooking the store’s courtyard cafe, with loads of fashion, design and photography titles, as well as Italian translations of such rebel classics as “Catcher in the Rye” and a selection of CDs.
This empire of hip is run by Carla Sozzani, a former editor at Italian Vogue, who recently contributed to Time magazine’s first fashion supplement, along with Barneys New York creative director Simon Doonan, stylist and POP magazine editor Katie Grand and others.
“I said yes to the project because I thought it was so interesting that Time wanted to do fashion,” Sozzani said at a gallery opening she hosted Wednesday for fashion-turned-art photographer Sarah Moon. Time magazine’s fashion supplement, available in Europe, features a Tom Ford for YSL gown on the cover as the dress of 2002.
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Fiorucci Still Doing a Booming Business
Fiorucci may be long gone from L.A., but it is still hopping here. Just a few blocks from the Duomo, the store continues to sell its signature cherub T-shirts like hot cakes, along with fun accessories like Astro Turf covered flip-flops, rhinestone tiaras, studded leather hippie belts and necklaces with charms emblazoned with images of sexy pinups.
And for those who are wondering, no, the recently opened SoHo store in New York doesn’t hold a candle to this one.
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Home Away From Home for Angelenos
On Via Sant’Andrea, near the famous Via Montenapoleone shopping district, Banner is an Angeleno’s home away from home. The blond wood boutique is sparsely decorated with bamboo and other Zen accouterments, and features a well-edited collection of looks from Burberry, Dries Van Noten, Junya Watanabe and some great pieces from Italian designer Daniela Gerini, including a coat hand-painted with images of Picasso’s Cubist masks and a swingy skirt with figures that are pure Paul Gauguin.
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Another Driving Moccasin Hits Streets
There’s a new driving moccasin in town: Car Shoe, a company owned by Prada, opened its first shoebox-sized shop this week on Via Spiga.
The mocs, which look a lot like Tod’s pebble-soled versions except wider and with laces, come in every color of the rainbow for men, women and bambino. And at $180 here, they cost about the same as Tod’s, too.
