Io e Meg - Delightful Boutique near Milan's Solari Park

Silk tunic by Hoss  

 Liberty cotton tunics by Io e Meg

Bijoux by N2 Collection - Les Néréides

This marvelous little boutique is just around the corner from my home.  It's been open for nearly a year, but I only just discovered it today, to my delight.  The style is romantic and they carry a beautiful selection of European brands: delicately colorful clothing by the Spanish brands Hoss and Nice Things, as well as French Des Pétit Hauts, and their own Io e Meg private label made of Liberty cotton.  Bags by Sud and English Orla Kiely, as well as charming French bijoux by Les Néréides and Hope Hope Hope, and fanciful scarves by Yago.  It's the perfect shop for an afternoon treat or a special gift.


Questa meravigliosa boutique é dietro l'angolo da casa mia.  E' aperta da un annetto, ma l'ho scoperto solo oggi, felicemente.  Dallo stile romantico, hanno una bellissima selezione di marchi europei: vestiti dai colori tenui delle griffe spagnoli Hoss e Nice Things, dalla Francia Des Pétit Hauts e una linea loro fatta di cotone Liberty.  Le borse sono di Sud e dell'inglese Orla Kiely e i deliziosi bijoux francesi di Les Néréides e Hope Hope Hope e le fantasiose sciarpe di Yago.  Qui ci si può concedere uno sfizietto pomeridiano o trovare un regalo unico.

Find them in one of their two Milan locations:  

Via California 22  Tel. 02 4984920 (pictured here) 

On the corner of Via Sacco and Via Marghera  Tel. 02 4986310

www.ioemeg.com

ES Intimo - Beautiful Lingerie and Beachwear - Near Milan Duomo

In Via Mazzini, just off Piazza Duomo in Milan, hidden between many well-known chain stores, you will find this fabulous little boutique.  It's practically bursting with beautiful pieces from brands such as Aubade, La Perla, Cotton Club, Cosabella, Blumarine, Miss Bikini, Grazia'Lliani, Princesse Tam.Tam, Poisson D'amour, and many others.  The selection is great, from luxurious embroidered and beaded beachwear, to colorful tunics, romantic baby-dolls, and french lace adorned lingerie.  It's the perfect shop for treating yourself to something pretty, sexy, playful or practical.  Here you can find beautiful beachwear even in the winter, and it is also one of the few shops in Milan that allow you to buy bikini tops and bottoms separately, to fit your individual needs.  Stop by and check it out!

In Via Mazzini, a pochissimi passi dal Duomo di Milano, nascosta tra tanti negozi monomarca conosciutissimi, si trova questa favolosa boutique di intimo e costumi da bagno.  Il negozio è colmo di pezzi meravigliosi di brand di alta qualità come Aubade, La Perla, Cotton Club, Cosabella, Blumarine, Miss Bikini, Grazia'Lliani, Princesse Tam.Tam, Poisson D'amour.  La selezione è fantastica e passa da tuniche in cotone ricamato, costumi impreziositi con perline, copricostumi colorati, a baby-doll romantici e lingerie di pizzo francese.  E' il negozio ideale per concedersi uno sfizio bellissimo, sexy, giocoso o basico.   Qui si trovano i costume da bagno anche d'inverno ed è uno dei pochi negozi a Milano che ti permettono di acquistare i pezzi del costume separatamente, in base alla propria misura.  Passate a farci un giro!

Via Mazzini 2, Milan  www.esintimo.it 

That's Vapore - Light, Fresh Lunch Near Milan Duomo

This new restaurant is a short walk from the Duomo and Via Montenapoleone, and offers a refreshingly healthy lunch near at the reasonable price of around €12-15 Euros.

The real novelty of this restaurant is that all the dishes are made inside of special little steam ovens and served up in attractive little bamboo wood baskets with a paper lining.  These boxes contain a selection of vegetarian, fish/seafood, and pasta dishes.  You can also get a freshly-made soup, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, dessert and one of the best made coffees in the area.

The service is surprisingly good, and you are usually given a quick explanatory tour of the That's Vapore concept before you are seated.  Only open since December, but beware...there are already lines out the door at lunch.

On Sunday they have a special brunch offer that's worth trying out for between € 18-21 per person.

A pochi passi dal Duomo e Montenapoleone, questo ristorantino luminoso offre un pranzetto leggero e salutare al prezzo ragionevole di €12-15 Euro.

La vera novità è la presentazione in deliziosi cestinetti di bamboo e la cottura al momento in forno al vapore.  Si può scegliere tra una selezione di primi e secondi vegetariani,  a base di pesce e con pasta cous cous o riso.  Ci sono anche delle zuppe buonissime, centrifugati di frutta e verdura, dolci fatti da loro e uno dei migliori caffé della zona.

Il servizio è buono e la prima volta che vai ci tengono a spiegare al volo il concept dietro That's Vapore.  Attezione, è aperto solo da dicembre scorso, ma pranzo ci sono già delle code piuttosto lunghe.  Da provare anche il buonissimo brunch che costa dai € 18-21 a persona.

Located on Corso di Porta Vittoria, 5, 20122 Milan, Italy   Tel. 0276281437
www.thatsvapore.com 

Bar Milano

Bar Milano is a great place to come for a
drink before dinner.  This large open space has been beautifully decorated with retro-inspired corners. Numerous spaces have been created where design lamps, architecture books, and sofas give the eyes an indulgent taste of Italian Style.

In the summer, enjoy the large terrace upstairs. Can host large parties:  +39 02 34930819

www.roialtogroup.it

Roialto - Aperichic

This bar is a great place to have an aperitivo in Milan, and in Italy, Milan is known as the city of the aperitivo.  The idea is to meet with friends in a cool spot after work, from around 7:30 to 9pm, in one of the many thriving bars and sip, quaff, or guzzle, depending on your drinking habits, while mingling, chatting, and eating a little something off of little plates.  Theoretically, the aperitivo is meant to be an appetite-stimulating pre-dinner (that sometimes leads to a pre-discoteca...), but often these aperitivi end up substituting a proper dinner, especially if you go to a place like Roialto.
Here you will enjoy a very cool decor with comfortable chairs and couches, high-quality food stations with hand-sliced Italian salumi and prosciutto, a cheese board, and other tempting nibblers (a.k.a. potential appetite-spoilers), strategically placed throughout the bar.  I confess to happily making this meal-substitute on a weekly basis...

Check it out:  Via Piero della Francesca 55

www.roialtogroup.it

Il Salvagente - Fashion "Lifesavers" in Milan

If there is one shop in Milan that every model comes to know sooner or later, it's "Il Salvagente" or the "lifesaver", and they do live up to their name in a fashion emergency.  These people are legendary in fashion circles. Their outlet is a regular supplier for all the stylists in town for fashion shoots.  They carry an incredible array of top brands, from Chloe' and Balenciaga, to Dries Van Noten and Margiela, and many, many more...at incredibly discounted prices.

This is the kind of tip I'm not so sure I should be sharing...

Go do a fly by in Via Bronzetti 16.

www.salvagente.it

Cavalli e Nastri: Chic Vintage in the Heart of Milan

Photos via www.cavallienastri.com

Let me assure you, this is not your average vintage shop.  You will find no dusty, faded, wilted worn or dismal pieces in this exquisitely selected collection.  This whimsically named shop, Cavalli e Nastri  (or "Horses and Ribbons") is just what you needed if you're looking for vintage Hermes, Gucci, Chanel, YSL, they've got 'em all.  You'll find fabulous prints, mint-condition bags, costume jewelry, and even home furnishings in their three Milan locations.

Hit their shop in Via Brera 2 for starters...fashion stylists beware, you will leave with a lighter wallet!

Check out their website at:
www.cavallienastri.com

Jennipie - Pretty "Petit Four" Lingerie - Oh la la!

photo via www.jennipie.it

I've always had a thing for cupcakes, and what girl doesn't like a little lingerie?  The next time you're in Milan, pop over to this fabulous little boutique, tucked away in Corso Magenta.  It feels like you've entered a romantic pastry shop, full of pastel colors, cupcakes, and flowers, but really this little gem of a shop sells frilly panties, silky babydolls, bathing suits, and super-feminine accessories.

These scrumptious little confections make the perfect gift in their little pastry-box packaging.
So make the trip, this place is pure flirty, girly fun...

Go check out their website, you'll see what I mean!
www.jennipie.it

Pink Champagne and Peck

www.peck.it

Sometimes a girl just feels an irresistible urge to throw a last-minute, over-the-top dinner party.  Last Wednesday was one of those days for me.  While enjoying a leisurely morning stroll, I happened to pass by Peck, one of my favorite gourmet wine/cheese/specialty food shops.  I couldn't stop myself from entering...and charging my credit card with a frightening sum for such a fanciful little whim...but that's how it goes when you enter this place.

I created my menu around a fantastic bottle of pink champagne, a rose' from Provence, and a luscious little bottle of Recioto di Suave for desert.

After eating fresh arugula salads topped with walnuts and summer figs, a variety of creamy and pungent cheeses, oven-roasted suckling pig leg (not for me, I'm vegetarian, but for my friends), roasted potatoes, basil zucchini and rice-filled tomatoes, we finished off with dainty homemade pistachio cupcakes topped with pistachio glaze.

...not a bad way to end an anonymous Wednesday night.

Welcome to The Chic Trotter

This week promises to be a great start to my blog, since Thursday is Vogue's Fashion's Night Out in Milan, my hometown.  All the best shops in this shopping capital of the world will be open all night for fashionistas to browse, window shop, and pick up on the latest trends for this fall while enjoying a nip of something refreshing to drink.  I can't wait to put on my heels...