To really get to know a city, especially a fashion capital like Milan, you have to get rid of the tourist’s perspective and adopt that of the local. You have to get lost in its streets far from the historic center, look for local restaurants where they serve authentic Milanese food and let yourself be enchanted by its shop windows.

Globalization has diminished the art of getting to know a city through its shops and artisans, the true trip that today is a disappearing pleasure. However, for the regular traveler, one who has visited a place more than once, spending a weekend in the shoes of a Milanese, in the capital of Lombardy, through its textile designs, is an opportunity to discover the another side of the city.

Milan is the birthplace of famous brands such as Missoni, Armani and Prada, among many others. Through its main arteries, but also in the workshops located on the outskirts of the city, runs the legacy of the unique craftsmanship of Italian luxury, its designs and its rich textile culture.

The pilgrim’s route in search of Italian fashion begins early, with a cappuccino at the Bamboo bar, located on the top floor of the Armani hotel, to admire the panoramic view of the city or, if the weather is good, in the spacious garden. from the terrace of the Bulgari hotel, near the 18th-century Brera gardens.

Located at the foot of the Sforzesco Castle and a ten-minute walk from the Duomo, the Brera neighborhood stands as the most bohemian and chic shopping district in the city. With its famous art gallery as the main cultural attraction, where you can enjoy Gentile da Fabriano, Bellini or Caravaggio, among other artists, Brera is home to the most exquisite boutiques, those in which you can breathe a distinctive essence, so personal that not even globalization has been able to suffocate them.

Walking along Via Giuseppe Verdi you will find gems such as the F. Pettinaroli stationery store, with (exquisite) cartographic pens, leather diaries and stationery materials that are very difficult to find today. A few steps from this historic store, the bright pink window of Pink Memory is surprising, a small business selling silk and cashmere pieces in full color, which sweeten the style of the sophisticated and fun Milanese woman.

In a more sober but equally elegant tone, the proposals of stores such as Blue Deep, Massimo Alba, Martino Midaldi or the curious vintage store Urzí appear on the facades. And Italians know how to value circular fashion through second-hand luxury pieces.

For vintage treasure hunters, iconic stores such as Vintage Delirium, Cavalli e Nastri or L’Arabesque Cult Store are obligatory stops. They are located near the historic center except the last one, which is in the Borgogna neighborhood. And what can we say about the neighborhood markets. Like a postcard from yesteryear, large wooden tables display a mix of designer shoes, bags and suits – from other seasons – in locations such as Via Fauchè, where fashion pieces are interspersed with vegetables and fruit of the day.

With a more sophisticated point, the Brera market, also known as Via San Marco, has made a name for itself in the industry for its leather gloves and bags with, of course, an Italian seal.

Take a parade at a reference restaurant such as Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone, with its cultural claustro, or — to continue tasting it — in Dolce

Prada, Gucci and also Loro Piana are exalted as distinguished and unattainable, as are Moschino, Dolce

It is worth standing in the center of this 19th century jewel, where two of the four most important shop windows are still Italian, Prada. It is evidence that the Italians’ love for craftsmanship and their textile industry have ensured that Milan maintains its title as the capital of European fashion, as its streets continue to be a must-see for fashion lovers.