Café Marchesi

February 7, 2016July 27, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Let’s praise Miuccia Prada not only for her reality-subverting fashion at Prada and MiuMiu, famous Prada Marfa installation, mind-blowing creation of FondazionePrada, but also for Cafe Marchesi, the newest addition to the visionnaire’s portfolio. Located on Via Montenapoleone, the chicest street of Milan, Miuccia revived the iconic PaticcerieMarchesi into a must-visit spot of every fashion person who is in hurry for the next show. The roots of PasticceriaMarchesi begin in 1824, when a small pastry shop opened inside an elegant 18th century building. The shop quietly evolved in the 1900s when Angelo Marchesi expanded its services to a coffee bar, early evening cocktails and freshly baked pastries, cakes, cookies and candies. The main, sweet aim of this place is still the same – but after the re-opening in 2015, the industry got crowded in here, seeing the Miuccia-selected pastel green silks as wall tapestries and Wes-Anderson-like colour palette delights. If talking of their goods, I confess – I have never, ever eaten a better marzipan cake with strawberries. Additionally, Marchesi is already a sentimental place for me – it’s the place were I had a love affair with coffee. The Marocchino rules.

Via Montenapoleone 9 / Milan

All photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

Men’s – Milanese Guys

February 5, 2016January 4, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Photo I took on Via Manzoni in Milan last week.

When women desperately seek a way to look like a Parisian girl, who masters the messy chic of Caroline de Maigret or does the sexy au naturelle look a la Jeanne Damas, then men do their best to be like a Milanese guy. A man from Milan is not obsessed with Versace and Dolce as you might think – the contemporary one (who is usually in his 30s, 40s…) cares about the statement: a unique, fancy detail, which seems to be nearly invisible. Also, this guy rides his Vespa with grace, showing off his perfectly matched socks which are exposed by the cropped pants. Being a Milanese guy is hard – but possible, if you know his three, quite effortless yet so, so dandy tips.

Photo via The Sartorialist

Simone Marchetti is the most stylish guy in the town, and also the best guide if talking of Milan’s tourist-free restaurants on Instagram. He can pull off a chiffon, pastel pink Gucci blouse from Alessandro Michele’s autumn-winter 2015 collection, and still keep a cool, masculine effect (even if the wool sweater is pink, too). Matching his gentle style with classical Levi’s denim pants and furry mocassins, the fashion editor at La Repubblica always nails it, when wearing a piece from his favourite Italian designer or something much more casual.

Photo via A Love is Blind

Stefano Pilati is the designer who kept Saint Laurent extremely chic before Hedi Slimane’s catastrophy; also, he left Zegna just few days ago, in order to “focus on personal projects”. His collections at Zegna envisioned his Milanese style – over-sized, woollen pants and coats are his signatures – and when writing “over-sized”, I mean Stefano’s elegant play with silhouettes. Moreover, Pilati wears the symbol of every well-dressed Milan-raised man from Milan – the neck scarf, non-chalantly tied aorund the neck. The outfit above is a total favourite of mine.

Photo via The Sartorialist

Alessandro Squarzi is a Milan-based fashion entrepreneur and street-style regular, who has a carefree approach to dressing. Squarzi is a fan of Italian’s finest Neapolitan tailoring – but at the same time, he loves the comfort of Converse trainers and t-shirts. In the look above, he looks more than great in an edgy, checked blazer and vintage boots.

No21 Pre-Fall’16 RE-SEE

February 4, 2016August 5, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Dell’AcQua, the designer behind Milan’s hottest brand N21, knows what will be strongly desired the next season by his diverse clientele. The Italian designer took an interesting twist for pre-fall 2016, refreshing his house codes and bringing new motifs – like the kitty-kat prints and embroideries on knitted, chunky sweaters and mini-bags. Long, grey coats with strips of velvet, silk dresses in military hues, series of light, masculine shirts with lace sleeves and the flawless, parachute maxi dresses in red and green are the total highlights of the season. Also, the shearling jacket, which reinteprets a classical, leather jacket is a favourite of mine after seeing it on the brand’s re-see a week ago. Just like the bow-top cocktail dress , which is an exaggerated symbol of N21, the collection is full of toned, yet cheerful clothes.

All photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

Maison Borella

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

During my recent trip to Milan for the pre-fall 2016 re-sees, I’ve stayed at the Maison Borella. This hotel literally makes you feel like at home. The cozy atmosphere of the Naviglio Grande district is already close to my heart – and when I saw the peaceful, all-green patio, I felt instantly that this is my favourite hotel in Milan from all I’ve been to. In a former balustrade townhouse, Maison Borella is kept in a stylish, Italian manner – eclectic lobby filled with beautiful flea-market finds and charming, minimally furnished rooms with original wooden ceilings have this modern “vintage” aesthetic I love so much. In fact, I would love to live in a place like this, having a wonderful view on the patio every morning…

Alzaia Naviglio Grande 8 / Milano

Photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

Men’s – Power of Recurrence. Gucci AW16

January 19, 2016January 20, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

You might believe it or not – but I am kind of dissapointed with the recent Gucci collection, designed by Alessandro Michele. I know that lately I was getting over excited about the designer’s latest womenswear outings, which have appealled to me so much – but this autumn-winter 2016 collection is just too predictable. Firstly, the vision of Michele at Gucci is so eccentric, signature-filled and bold that his collections will always look… well, nearly the same. It just feels that the house won’t turn into a new direction and it will always keep that slightly eerie, vintage mood. From one side, it might become an opulent Armani-kind of house, where nothing changes. But from the other side, it means that the brand won’t get influenced by one-season trends. And that’s good, though.

Speaking of recurrence – the best-selling “Gucci bloom” print is still here. The L’Aveugle Par Amour embroideries are back on the denim jackets. The furry, horse-bit Gucci loafers are again on the runway – and I still feel a burning desire for them. The Italian craftsmanship is the right privilege for the house. Even the designer’s muses and favourite films play a role – Kate Bush, David Bowie (there was a beautiful homage paid to him during the show with an embroidered BOWIE varsity jacket) and Twin Peaks keep the eclectic mood. The pieces that highlighted the collection? Male chokers, for which I will never forgive Alessandro; pilgrim dresses for the women’s part; velvet tracksuits with floral embroideries; LA-neighborhood-boys-and-cowboys combo which surprisingly made think of Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent guy. Whether or not this collection feels messy and deja vu, Alessandro Michele can be praised for his stubborn belief in the neo-nostalgic vision. Nevertheless, a fresh breath of air would be just perfect for him.