True "Capital of Fashion" - no snobby store assistants but all the glamour (Shopping in Milan)

Member Name: grey0220

Product:	Shopping in Milan
Date:	04/11/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great service, attitude to shopping tourists, amazing selection

Disadvantages: Very expensive - not for pennypinchers or high street shoppers

Like I've written in a previous review on Milan as a city, I was delighted with the shopping in Milan. If you are into high fashion, especially the Italian designers, then this is the city for you.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE?: The Galleria Vittorio Emanule sports the original Fratelli Prada store, which originally opened its doors as a leather goods store in 1913. All the other grands couturiers, including Gucci, Versace, Dolce & Gabana, and the French houses of Chanel, Dior, and Hermes, have both flagships in the Galleria and the Via Montenapoleone as well as smaller concessions in the city's shopping malls throughout the city.

WHAT'S THE SERVICE LIKE?: We visited pretty much every one of the haute couture stores and La Rinascente, the department store across from the Duomo. All the shop staff we encountered were nothing but friendly and helpful - for instance, in Versace I was looking for a shoulder bag - we were immediately approached by a shop assistant, and when he heard what we were in the market for, he promptly brought out 3 models of bags for us to look at, in at least 2 colours each. When we decided to continue looking at other stores, he provided us with his business card and asked us to call if we had changed our mind. Also, we had to go to Dior as my Dior gloves had lost a screw for one of the decorative charms; the girl assisting us offered to have it sent to Paris and then back to London, but recommended we try a cobbler first as it would be less expensive (this ended up being the case, so she saved us at least 50 pounds, I imagine!). In La Rinascente's Louis Vuitton concession, the assistants were very helpful about converting Continental sizes to English sizes, so I was able to pick out the right size belt. Furthermore, we had lunch at the restaurant on top of La Rinascente on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and despite the 20 minute wait to be seated, the experience was wholly pleasant, as all the wait staff were very friendly.

IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE: I would now enter a caveat here to say that, especially with the Euro as strong as it is now, this is not a city to be scrimping and saving in. We didn't bother going into any of the 'high-street' shops as we knew it would be much the same as going into similar stores in London - we went for high fashion and stuck to it. I would say that unless you're willing to splurge on couture normally, you won't enjoy the shopping in Milan. But I would highly recommend it if you are interested in seeking out the continent's best fashion - especially when compared with Paris, which is Milan's direct competitor in claiming to be the 'Capital of Fashion', the quality of service and attitude to tourists and visitors you experience in Milan makes it the clear winner in my mind.

Summary: Move over Paris! Milan is definitely worth the extra hour in flight.