Babyccino Milan » Fashion

Orangorilla

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:36:51 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I discovered the cutest little shop here in Milan. Orangorilla is owned by Marta who will welcome you with a gentle smile and guide you through all the nice things she has in her shop.
Orangorilla sells a variety of products ranging from children’s clothes and shoes, to handmade jewellery, plates and frames. Everything is chosen by Marta either because it’s useful or because it looks good.
My favourite pieces were part of the collection from the the shop’s original brands Orangorilla and Tototti (the nickname of Marta’s 3-year-old daughter). They are mainly simple and classic designs made with Liberty prints (and not the most obvious ones) together with cotton and linen. The quality and the care in the making are great, and on top of it all the pieces are nearly unique as she makes just one per size in all her styles. The Orangorilla brand also offers stylish polo-shirts for little boys, in nice colours or stripes.
She also sells a few other brands like Eddie Pen and the Portuguese Laranijnha, and she stocks very cute and inexpensive canvas sneakers which will be perfect for summer.
The shop is located in the very trendy area of Corso Sempione, near the Sempione Park and close to some cool aperitivo spots (and is facing my very favourite sushi place in Milan). Definitely worth a visit!

-Michela

Panpepato

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:39:37 +0000

Panpepato is a lovely little shop that faces Parco Solari, a small but very child-friendly park in Milan. This tiny space overflows with trendy clothes, cool jewelery, scarves, hats, bags — anything but shoes! It is the creation of Martina and Giulia who, after a degree and a few years behind a desk, decided to make their lifetime dream come true and open a shop. This shop is not ordinary in that it sells the products of over 50 artisans, making everything you buy original and often unique. They also stock clothes from small young producers like skunkfunk and Lo Spaventapasseri.
Next to the women’s collection of clothes and accessories they also sell baby and children’s clothes. They are all handmade by Monica and Roberta (both WAHMs) in a simple timeless style with nice colourful fabrics and often decorated with big matching fabric-covered buttons. They do not normally have a huge selection in stock, but if you see a style you like you can pick the size and the fabric and they will have it done for you at no extra cost.
The shop is not easy to spot, so look out for a pink wooden bench — it’s their sitting room and on sunny days many friends and locals alike stop by for chat. There is a good chance you’ll find me there with one or two of my children. Why? Because Martina is my sister!

-Michela

Marinella

admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:36:06 +0000

Ties made by E.Marinella must be the most famous Italian ties. This family boutique opened in Naples in 1914 by Eugenio Marinella and it has been in the same family ever since. This family, now for nearly a century, has been the synonym of elegance and style first in Naples and now all over the world. The first historical shop in Naples is on one of the best sea promenades you can find, the second one is in Milan. You can now find a selection of Marinella ties in some of the boutiques of luxury hotels, but nothing beats the atmosphere of their flagship stores.
The shop in Milan is in a very old and elegant building, the décor of the place is antique and classic yet airy and not stuffy at all! You will find many tables covered in big wooden boxes full of ties, all of them quite classic, but never boring and you can always find ties in the season’s fashion colours. Very smart looking shop assistants will help you pick the right one, so do not be put off by the reputation.
My husband thinks they are superior in the quality of the silk, the cut, the make and also the prints — although I must say that the prints he picks look all very similar to me.
Even if you do not trust my husband you should definitely trust the endless list of famous people who have chosen Marinella over the decades — including all American presidents since Kennedy!
They must be really excellent if even my very sober father bought two of them in the last 4 years, one to wear at my wedding and one at my sister’s.
Just one suggestion, try to avoid the week before Christmas if you can — it’s just mad!

-Michela

Handbags’ paradise

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:54:27 +0000

I recently took a stroll in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the only covered gallery in Milan that connects the Duomo Square to the La Scala Square. It was built in the second half of the nineteenth century and traditionally it was considered Milan’s ‘good sitting room’. It used to be lined with luxury boutiques and nice cafés, and they all had black signs with gold writing. Then in the 1980s the quality of the shops fell and the Galleria wasn’t a shopping destination anymore. The central octagon still hosts a MacDonalds (with a very sober black sign!), but now the wind has changed and in the space of 50 meters, under the same glass volts, you can find Tod’s, Prada, Gucci and Luis Vuitton. So if you need a handbag you know where to go!
Prada has been there for ages, Tod’s and Gucci for a few years and Luis Vuitton has opened quite recently. The Gucci store sells only accessories but they also have a small café with a terrace in the gallery where pastries and pralines come engraved with the double G!
Another pleasant addition is the reopened Savini restaurant. It is probably the most famous of the traditional restaurants in Milan and it was closed for over a year for refurbishment. The ground floor is now a regular café with a bistro, and if you have your cappuccino at the counter it will not even cost you much!

-Michela