Posts filed under 'Shops'
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. (more…)
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Mar 28, 2009
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
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Dec 10, 2008
Last year my newborn daughter wore this super-cute cashmere hat for the whole winter and part of spring; I never got tired of it! She really looked adorable with that knot on top of her head. These very soft hats are one of the signature products of Moebimbi, a relatively young brand founded by Monica Spezia, a former photographer.
The whole spirit of her collection is to offer simple styles, yet not too classic, sometimes in unusual colours but always using the finest materials: cashmere, linen, wool and organic cotton.
Luckily for me her shop is right around the corner from where I live and each time I go I spend an incredible amount of time trying to decide what not to get. I honestly would buy the whole collection if I could!
The shop is tiny and stylish, and they have a little wooden table with toys to entertain the little ones (which is not very common for Milan).
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Dec 03, 2008
Fungo Matto means ‘crazy mushroom’ and such a funny name is perfect for one of my favourite clothing shops in Milan. It is a tiny one-window shop in the Navigli area that has been carefully decorated with red mushrooms with white dots, vintage wooden toys, antique but simple furniture and a sweet collection of antique children’s chairs.
Anna Barbavara realised there was a gap in what Milan had to offer in terms of children clothing: shops were either selling very expensive traditional outfits which made children look like miniature versions of very stuffy parents, or offered scruffy-looking clothes full of big loud prints and stitched teddy bears.
She set the style of her shop when she discovered the Imps & Elfs collection. But she didn’t stop there; she continued to look for cool, good quality brands, designed with children in mind. (more…)
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Oct 23, 2008
This chain of toy shops is really a ray of light in a town where (nice) toy shops are difficult to find! The Città del Sole was founded over 30 years ago by Carlo Basso who still today carefully chooses the selections of toys that will be part of the catalogue.
Since my childhood Città del Sole has been a synonym of good quality educational toys. They sell funny, imaginative toys from big and small brands with a particular predilection for traditional toys. For example, you can find Schleich animals, Sigikid stuffed animals, Plan Toys pull-alongs, Galt toys and a big selection of arts and crafts material. (more…)
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Oct 21, 2008
The latest trend in Milan is something called temporary shops. These are stores which are open for a short and fixed period of time. The reasons may vary — sometimes it’s because the flagship store is being refurbished, sometimes an outlet for last season’s collection is needed, sometimes it’s a rehearsal for something new to come.
The last reason is what is behind the new Benetton temporary shop in the very centre of Milan. It’s a baby/children concept store that will stay open for two months, until the end of July. The clothes on sale belong to the Autumn-Winter 2008 collection and you can also find a maternity range. The decor is quite cool and there are also a few services new to any children’s shop in Milan. There is a personal shopper that can help with selecting the next season’s key pieces, and there is a hair stylist from the Aldo Coppola team that will cut your child’s hair for free!
Benetton PR claims a new store with these characteristics will open permanently in Milan by the end of this year.
-Michela
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Jun 17, 2008
Clothes shopping is probably the only place where being a woman has its advantages, even from a very early age. More choice, more styles, more colours. If you are a mother of a boy I’m sure you have experienced some frustration when shopping for your son. Typically in shops, there is much more devoted to little girl’s clothes.
Maria Cristina, owner of ‘Lunamora Boy’ here in Milan, had a boy after 3 girls and when shopping for the little one she realised she was not as happy with the choice available as when she was shopping for the girls. That’s why she decided to open a shop where she would sell only boy’s clothes. This tiny boutique at the end of Via Solferino, in the Brera neighbourhood, is heaven for stylish little men – from newborn up to 12 years. She stocks mostly Italian brands, like Amelia, Kangra, Grifoni, Brooksfield, Gant, Sun68. (more…)
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Apr 30, 2008
Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.
Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.
Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewellery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour. (more…)
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Feb 18, 2008
