Shopping in Milan: Via Pietro Verri
- ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
- # 3, has classic men’s clothes, as well as a younger line called Soft. Known for hand made suits to order (two weeks), cashmere jackets and coats, and a sportswear line called Yacht.
- VERRI UOMO
- # 2, this very well-run haberdasher is popular with gentlemen from Milan who trust the taste of the owner to find everything from suits to raincoats to accessories.
- ROMEO GIGLI
- Corso Venezia 11, is the designer who brought a new look to Milanese fashion after years of broad-shouldered power suits for women. His baroque-ish designs, often in brocades and soft velvets trimmed with original buttons and passemenerie, add a touch a warmth and famininity to any wardrobe, and never go out of fashion.
- ALLEGRI
- Corso Venezia 15, makes fabulous raincoats for men and women. They have the latest high-tech fabrics and are as stylish as raincoats can be. Just outside the shop is the “Allegri Weather Point,” a tall column that displays current weather conditions and predictions.
- UPIM
- Just next to Allegri on Corso Venezia you’ll find a branch of UPIM, the low-price variety store chain. The cosmetics section is very well-stocked as well as the kitchen and housewares department. Worth a quick look.
- RAFFAELA CURIEL
- Corso Matteotti 14, is where the Milanese “ladies who lunch” (actually they don’t) buy the “Curielini”, the famous little black dress for cocktails, their trim day-time dressmaker suits, and where their daughters get the debutante and wedding dresses. Daughter Gigliola has her own line with a more youthful look.
- LAURA BIAGIOTTI
- Via Borgospesso 19, known as the Queen of Cashmere, caters to women who want elegance as well as comfort. Her pants often have elastic waistbands, and her newest “chiffon” cashmere sweaters, cardigans, and dresses are spun so light they almost float in colors like cream, light pistachio, and powder pink. For gift-giving you’ll find a variety of small objects like pens, keyrings, and jewelry cases at reasonable prices.