Giorgia / Milan

14 years ago by

Right at this very moment (11:23 p.m.), I just sent a list full of questions to Giorgia. Here’s the story:

We were having coffee and carrot cake (well, she was having the coffee, carrot cake was all mine, ahah), just a bit after the D&G runway show on the Viale Piave and she was telling me just how much she loved Milan. And then I thought that it would be sweet to have a Milanese girl as cool as Giorgia tell me some of her favorite places.

I started writing down all the questions I wanted to ask her. And then I got totally into this whole thing and started writing an e-mail full of questions that had nothing to do with Milan, the kind of questions I always like asking all the people I take pictures of. The result : three e-mails chuck full of questions. I just got this response:

“From : Giorgia Tordini

Subject : Re: other ideas!

Date : 23 September 2010 17:44:03 HAE (EUA)

To : Garance Doré

OK OK OK!

Garance do you know that i’ll need days to answer to all of these questions?? ahhhhh…

when do you need my replies? omg i’m scared…ahahah!!

what do you think if i write just who i am, about my job and then i give you a mini-guide of “my best” in milan?

for example what i love about the city, places, food, shopping and i skip the part of body and style?

i’d prefer…i mean if you don’t mind…”

——–

Ok, let’s hop right in. Here’s what Giorgia sent me :

I am a handbag and accessories designer. That’s usually how I describe my job, but I have a chance here to explain who I really am and what I like. I’ll try to do it slightly differently this time : I’ll introduce myself through the city I live in : Milan.

Best Multibrand Shop – ANTONIOLI – It’s all dark and you can barely see inside, but what I can see very well is that all my favorite designers are all there: Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Alexander Wang… And a well thought out selection of jewelery.  The choice they make is refined and edgy. I just love it!

Best Shopping Area – TICINESE – Check out: Frip, Wok and Frav! They all deserve to be seen!

Best Lingerie Shop – ROSAMOSARIO – My stylist friend Marianna showed me this little jewel. The designer and the owner is named Carlotta and she’s just a genius combining lace, femininity, satin, grace,  silk and sensuality in her special pieces.

Best Vintage Shop – Franco Jacassi “VINTAGE DELIRIUM”: a museum of clothes, bags, glasses, shoes and any kind of object. A magic place,a real vintage paradise where to find pieces from 1910 to 1990, from Poiret and Vionnet to YSL and Chanel.

Best Milanese Food

• AL GARGHET: It’s outside Milan located in the “kingdom of fields and frogs”…that’ s how Milaneses call it. It still has this magical and extraordinary atmosphere. This place has a history. It’s lovely to read the hand written menu in a Milanese dialect on the typical notebooks from elementary school.

• LATTERIA: It’s like going at your grandparents’ for dinner, except these are your Italian grandparents, Arturo and Maria. It already sounds oh so cute, I know. And it is! The place is small and informal, no-frills, for sure.  A and M use all ingredients that come directly from their own vegetable garden! Adorable!

Best Cafè – CALIFORNIA BAKERY – I love coffee to go. It’s definitely one of my addictions. I just like the whole idea; holding your coffee while you’re walking to your office and how you get to make it exactly how you like it: Cream? Cinnamon? Vanilla? Sugar? Brown sugar? Milk? Soy milk? and so much more… but we’ re not America and not even Europe for the coffee thing. We don’t have all that -ino (frappuccino, mocaccino…) stuff. People here drink espresso and seeAmerican coffee as brown colored water. So this is my pick for best Cafè whether you like it or not!

Best Patisserie – SISSI – It’s a typical place to go on a Sunday morning. They have the most amazing savory pastries and a small hidden veranda on the back were you can read your newspaper peacefully.  The owners are from Senegal so the French accent you hear while having your breakfast makes everything more special. A real surprise.

Best Bookstore – 10 CORSO COMO. I love the location, the white everything and the silence. The bookstore has so many books about fashion, architecture, design, art and graphic design.

Best Clubs – MAGAZZINI GENERALI  only on Friday and only downstairs in the basement, at Pink it’s Punk… don’t get confused! It’s not the same at all!

– PLASTIC on Saturday. It’s a real show! That’ s why the party is called House of Bordello.

Best Hotel – HOTEL STRAF – For sure we have more luxury hotels than this in Milan! The thing is that this one was made by one of my favorite Italian designers: Vincenzo De Cotiis. I’ve been following his work (and also his clothing line) since I was young and when I found  out about this place I just ran to see it! It’s dark hi-tech minimalism. He made every room different using innovative materials and giving a slight vintage touch.

———–

Ok, this is great ! I’ve been coming to Milan for years and I’ve never heard of half (except the California Bakery, that’s where we got the carrot cake…) I can’t wait to try everything !

Oh and this is the first time I’ve done this kind of  city questionnaire.. But I thought that with all the emails asking me tips about the cities I travel to, this would be the best way to share it… Help me out anytime ! If you have any ideas and other questions, don’t hesitate!

So outside of that, here in Milan, the fashion world has come together for the shows (I mean, yeah, it’s fashion week. I’m trying to find other ways to say it, if you’ve got any ideas) and I’ve got so much to show you. I’ll be back soon, oh so soon. Big hugsssss!

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