Fashion Week Milan

Home from Italy!

Aaaahhhh, boy did we need a little getaway!

Bing and I planned a trip to Italy and I thought it would be fun to share our itinerary and some of my finds – and they are some good ones 🙂

Here we go!

Monday, September 15

Living up in Harbor Springs means we have tough airport choices – ha!  We took an early morning fight from Traverse City ( 1.5 hours drive) to Chicago where we then caught a flight directly to Nice.  We ALMOST didn’t make that connection! In fact, we ran 1/2 mile through the airport to get to a VERY crowded nonsensical  boarding area – it was nuts.

Anyhoo, we landed in Nice and we wanted to get to our destination  – Monaco!- asap, so we took a helicopter!  This was my first time on a helicopter, so I was kinda scared. It was a five minute ride and it was magical flying right over the Ligurian Sea.  

We arrived in Monaco and met up with some friends from home who had just arrived that day as well. It truly is the land of the beautiful people, a magical fairy tale city on the sea.

Monaco is a special place for Bing because he LOVES LOVES LOVES Formula 1 and he LOVES boats too – so to see that track in person, and all of the incredible yachts in the harbor – well, he just loved it. 

Anyhoo, after dinner, we went to the Le Casino de Monte Carlo which was SO much fun.  It is the MOST beautiful building you have ever seen – just gorgeous.  It’s certainly not like a Vegas casino….it was not crowded and the people were dressed beautifully. We didn’t win a DIME, but that’s ok.

Since Grace Kelly is one of my ALL-TIME favorites it was fun to walk in the park and see her statue and get a close enough view of the palace where she lived. She really was so beautiful with such style and grace – her parent’s named her properly.

Next stop was Portofino and OMG was it gorgeous.  We hiked around looking at all the beautiful buildings and churches – it never gets old. We had been in Portofino 19 years ago for our anniversary, and back then we stayed at the Splendido where we ended up having dinner that night. It is as beautiful as ever with the most beautiful views.

After that, we visited some tiny little towns in the Cinque Terre like Riomaggiore, Corniglia, and Vernazza where we muscled through the cruise ship crowds.  It was worth it though because these tiny little towns have really remained the same over so many years.  Some of them didn’t have proper roads so Lord knows how these people even get a COUCH up these stairs and into their flats.  Don’t ask me. 

We ended up going to Santa Margherita and walked the most beautiful walk all they way back into Portofino.  That was REALLY fun because the there was so much to see from cute hotels to the MOST beautiful beach clubs you have EVER seen.  Those are now on our must-do list.  FANCY 🙂

Last stop was to get off in Genoa and drive to Milan.  That is really the way to go. We rented a car for $85 BUCKS and dropped it right in the heart of Milan.

BUUUUUUTTT…we did make a pitstop at the designer outlet mall  – of course.  It was AMAZING – I mean the stores in there were the best of the best. It was a good thing that we arrived just as it opened because LINES formed outside of Gucci, Valentino etc etc. 

Our first stop was Gucci not only because it was right at the entrance, but I love the brand. Do I have a lot of Gucci? No, but I do love it and the pieces that I do own :). Fun fact….the night I met Bing at Butch McGuires, he was wearing his trusty Gucci loafers that he still has TODAY.  He’s a Gucci loafer and Belgian loafer guy…so he was happy to visit.

I didn’t REALLY expect to buy anything unless I found something I LOVED on the spot (remember when it is a hell yes, you buy it).  I ended up finding the most FUN pair of greenish platform loafers, a pair of beige slingbacks (totally me), a classic tote bag and a dress.   I almost started crying because as Bing said, “these were made for you”.  Sigh.

Below, you can see the items I bought BUT some are old and can not be linked exactly, so I chose a bunch of similar items 🙂

We ended up shopping around a bit more (even though I was content) because we wanted to find a nice jacket – like a puffer – for Bing.  He IMMEDIATELY said YES when he saw this great jacket at the Moncler store.  Sold.

My other must-stop store was Missoni. I love Missoni (picture on tandem here).  I’ve had the same Missoni skirt for YEARS and every time I wear it, people compliment me. It’s beautiful. I did manage to find a gorgeous blazer (similar HERE) that I am obsessed with  🙂

The thing about outlet shopping is that you have to be strategic.  Many store create “lower” lines specifically for the outlet stores.  That’s not the stuff you want. You want the items that are moved from the brand’s main stores here when they didn’t sell.  That means there will be few sizes and a smaller selection that what you would see if you hit the store on Madison Ave.

The other thing is this; outlet shopping is great to find a bargain, yes, but it is also for people who love a particular brand and want to buy classic pieces at that discounted prices.  If you are someone who loves the newest, latest and greatest, then outlet shopping is not for you.  They’re not going to carry this year’s “it” bag or popular shoe, so if that’s what you are after, then skip the trip.  I happen to be someone who collects classic pieces from designers I love and I couldn’t care LESS how many seasons old they are. In fact, I PREFER to buy things that aren’t current so that when I walk into a party, I’m the only one wearing that dress :). It really just depends on what kind of shopper you are.  Me – classics at a bargain price?  YES.

Walking around Milan was great, but there were protests and it was just before Fashion Week, so the city was nuts. I did manage to hit some of my favorite spots – affordable spots – like Zara, Mango, (this is the sweater I got) and Maje – I love those stores.  And, after spending some money at Gucci, I felt at home buying great pair of boots for $179 bucks 🙂

Last stop was the Armani Hotel where we stayed just that one night. It was lovely and in a perfect location.  Diner was at the beautiful bar at the Portrait Hotel, which was magical. It was exactly what we needed – a margarita (I know, random but the guy made a great one) and a burger.  We loved it.

Off to Chicago straight from Milan – 8.5 hours and I never stood up once. I know, I know…that sounds crazy, but I went to the restroom right in the beginning and found myself happy to work, play solitaire and watch movies the entire time.  Frankly, it was awesome 🙂

After being up for 23 hours straight, we finally got in our beds at 12:30 EST right here in Harbor Springs.  Took a few days to get back to normal, but boy was it worth it.

So, there you have it!  It was a great trip and I’m going back 🙂

Have the BEST Thursday!