Milan, Italy — On a drizzly February morning, a bride and groom posed for photos in the barrel-vaulted Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world's oldest and grandest retail arcades. They held hands and kissed in front of the Louis Vuitton and Prada stores, the latest "it" bags spotlighted in the windows behind them.
In a city that's serious about shopping, it was a fairy-tale setting.
Traveling two months of the year to runway shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, I find a plethora of retail possibilities. But nowhere is shopping a more welcome diversion than in Milan, the gritty postwar metropolis that's said to be home to as many banks as Rome has churches.
Milan is not known for quaint villas, olive trees or charming fountains. People here don't lounge around living la dolce vita. They work. This is the economic engine of Italy, a melting pot of people who come from all over to make their fortunes.
Although it's a rich city, it's not an especially rich cultural center. Certainly, the Duomo is a Gothic marvel, but it's been under scaffolding for years. La Scala finally reopened in December after renovation, but discord has led to the cancellation of numerous performances. It's difficult to quibble with Da Vinci's "Last Supper" at the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie -- who doesn't want to see what Dan Brown was talking about? -- but reservations are required, which quashes spontaneous visits.
Really, the beauty of Milan is its everyday hustle and drive. It's in the office buildings, fashion studios, design showrooms and pizzerias. And it is in the stores, the jewels that dress up this ugly stepsister to Rome and Florence.
Before World War II, Italy was internationally known for textile and leather goods production, but it didn't become a fashion center until the 1950s and '60s, when designers such as Valentino and Roberto Capucci showed their made-to-order couture collections in Florence and Rome. With the increasing importance of ready-to-wear in the world market, editors and buyers began flocking to Milan in the 1970s to see the offerings of Missoni and Krizia. But it was the contributions of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace in the 1980s that at last made Italian sportswear a rival to the decadent fashions of Paris.
