Milan Fashion Week

Last week, I went on a trip to Milan with my school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. This was my second time to Milan, my first being when I was a junior in high school. Milan is the Italian version of New York; super metropolitan with great food. During my week in Milan, I got to see a lot of exclusive things with my school, as well as enjoy the city independently.

Monday

Outfit of the day: Mango blazer, Reformation Jeans, glasses and belt form Urban Outfitters

After a two-hour train ride from Florence, we made it to Milan. The first thing we did was drop our bags off at the hotel, and head to the Ferre Foundation. Gianfranco Ferre was an Italian designer who is known as the 'architect of fashion'. The foundation's mission is to preserve and organize his life's work, and to credit his unique ideas of the fashion world. My class and I got to see some of his garments after a lecture about his career. After the lunch break, we headed to Mudec for the Banksy exhibit. Banksy is one of the most controversial street artists, who to this day remains anonymous. His work is satirical and dark, and conveys powerful messages of modern society.

After the exhibit, we were free from appointents. Since we were in the creative district, my friends and I decided to walk along the canal. We found the cutest bubble tea chain called Frankly. We were obsessed with the set up of this tea/coffee shop. The tea was so good that we got it again at the location by the Duomo later in the week.

Tuesday

Outfit of the day: Zara black turtle neck, Zara leather skirt, Brandy Melville jacket

Of course while in Milan, you have to go to Lake Como! Our trip to Como was exceptionally glamorous because we got to see the Ratti Printing Factory, where they print on silk fabrics for brands such as Versace, Armani, and Dolce and Gabbana. The factory even has its own store with their silk scarves from different brands marked down, which a lot of us ended up buying from. After walking around by the lake and getting some gelato, we went back to the city to visit Corso Como. The shopping and dining complex sells works of art, fashion, music, and design. The founder, Carla Sozzani, was the first to put all the different aspects of culture into one aesthetically pleasing store.

Wednesday

Outfit of the day: Free people wrap dress, Zara black turtle neck

On Wednesday, we had an all-day workshop at Pino Grasso. Before attending this workshop, I always thought that embroidery has a powerful effect on a garment, but now I have an even greater appreciation for it. The Pino Grasso team works for all of the most important Italian designers and embroiders their garments with passion and hard work. When the team demoed how to use the same techniques they use, it seemed easy until we went to do it. We kept calling the women who worked there "angels" for being able to embroider all day, while it was a lot for us to last four hours. Eventually, by the end of the day, most of us were able to embroider with beads. It is truly special that we have learned this skill from one of the most important companies in the business.

Before shopping near the Duomo, my friends and I ate at Açaí Sisters, which had one of the best açaí bowls I have had in Italy. We walked down the shopping strip of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II for most of the night and ended the day with the world's fluffiest pizza from Spontini. I have had this pizza chain saved in my notes for so long and I finally had the chance to try it. They have restaurants all over the city, so you can find one easily where ever you are in Milan.

Thursday

Outfit of the day: Urban Outfitters jumpsuit

We started the day off by visiting La Scala Atelier, which is basically the behind-the-scenes workshop of the famous opera house, La Scala. We got to see everything that goes into stage production, between sculpting and painting. We were able to see the original garments from the plays. Our only other appointment was to see Politecnico, which is where the third and fourth year design students can go to study abroad. From the guided tour we got from the program director, the FIT in Milan program seems like another amazing opportunity that FIT offers in Italy. The host school, Politecnico, seems more like a normal college rather than a design school and has a lot of students involved on campus. FIT students have the choice of coming to Milan third year first semester, third year second semester if your specialization is sportswear or knitwear. You can also come your full senior year if you are in sportswear or knitwear, and get an internship in Italy for a whole month.

After Politecnico, we spent the night standing outside of the Prada show, and later Moschino. Both of the shows were crowded with people everywhere, but it was cool to see the site of the show.

Friday

Outfit of the day: Free People shirt, Levis

To wrap up the week, we had a guided tour inside of the breathtaking Duomo and then went up to the terraces to see a view of the city. Luckily, Milan had good weather the entire week, so it was a beautiful day to go on top of the Duomo.

After touring the cathedral, my friends I only had a short amount of time before catching our train to Nice for the weekend. We decided to do some retail research at the nearby department store for our school projects, and then grab food near the Duomo one last time.

I wish I could have stayed in Milan even longer to enjoy more of fashion week, but it was nice to have a relaxing weekend in Nice and get away from all the hustle and bustle. Even though our week with FIT was full of things to do, I had a lovely time and would love to make it back before the end of the semester (but times going by so fast!) Who knows, maybe I will be back for my fifth or sixth semester?

With Love,

Madison