Rachael MartinThe Fashion Lover's Guide to Milan (City Guides)

I live in Milan several months a year and for anyone visiting the very fashionable city ,this is an indispensable guide !

I have always wanted to travel and Italy has long been on the list to countries that I want to visit. This is a guidebook that I would definitely want to bring with me on such a visit. It has a lot of detail in it, so I probably wouldn't want to carry it around during the day, but I would definitely read it before a trip and during a trip depending on the plans for the day.This guidebook is nice because it not only talks about and shows the physical locations but it talks about the history of the fashion salons and brands; the people that created them and what their focus was. The book also gives details about the hours and primary focus of the businesses talked about and how to visit them.The book also mentions cafes and coffeeshops around the fashion area of Milan and mentions what each one specializes in and recommends a few things.If you are planning to take a trip to Milan, I would highly recommend to both read this book before hand to get an idea of what to expect and what there is there. I would also bring it with on the trip as to not miss anything the book talks about. Even if you are not traveling, this book is full of fun facts and details that make it enjoyable in its own right.I received this book free courtesy of NetGalley and this is my unbiased review of it.

One of our favorite exchange students is from a small town on the outskirts of Milan. We absolutely love visiting her! Love going into Milan and exploring all that it has to offer. Up to now, it's been a bit confusing, as we did not know exactly what each area of the city had to offer. NO MORE! Thanks to this book, my wife and I have identified several places we wish to explore. The book also explains the history and people of the different fashion zones. And even what to shop for in each area. It's just fantastic!I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley, but will be ordering a couple of hard copies right away. One for us, the other for Giulia to use.I cannot wait for Spring 2022 to finally visit her again, and to have an itinerary planned out beforehand!

The Fashion Lover’s Guide to Milan(City Guides) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Rachel MartinPublication date: 26 March 2021“I first came to Milan after I arrived in Italy at the end of the 1990s, with the soundtrack to the Merchant Ivory production of ‘A Room with a View’ still playing in my head and visions of that oh-so-seductive dolce vita. I spent my time getting on and off trains, eating pasta and pizza in every form I could find, and spending all my English language teacher’s wages on clothes.”Milan is one of the world’s four fashion capitals. It’s the city that sent Italian fashion onto an international stage during the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, Milan Fashion Week takes its place among the big four: New York, London, Milan and Paris, in that order.People such as Gianni Versace and his sister Donatella, Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferre, Rosita and Ottavio Missoni, Valentino, Krizia, Walter Albini, Romeo Gigli, Franco Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, and Tom Ford for Gucci have all played a part in the fashion city’s glory. Some, such as Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, are still living and working in Milan.Martin encourages readers to savour the city. Browse Milan’s luxury fashion district. Take in some culture around the Piazza Duomo where the famous cathedral is located. Visit the museums, sit in the cafes. Walk along the streets of the different neighbourhoods. Choose a bar and relish an aperitivo.‘The Fashion Lover’s Guide to Milan’ has a very accessible format and the author’s enthusiastic tone is refreshing. The book is highlighted with stunning photographs and includes maps. If you’re a fashion lover or traveller, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. It is also for dreamers, who don’t travel, but dream of the day they will. Compact, concise and packed full of essential information about where to go and what to do, this is an ideal guide for exploring Milan.A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @white_owl_books or an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you have books that make you smile? Sometimes it is because they are visually pleasing, sometimes it is because they make you feel good when you read them and others because they remind you of a special place or time.Well, for me, Rachael Martin’s “The Fashion Lover’s Guide To Milan” was all three!I was sent a digital copy to review, but I loved it so much I bought it in hard copy, as I wanted to have it by me to dip into at all times!It quickly became my guilty pleasure - I looked forward to long journeys or wet days, as it gave me an excuse to curl up and lose myself in my favourite city.Milan is my place of work, Italian style and fashion is a huge part of my business, but I have only been able to get there sporadically over the last couple of years (for obvious reasons), so to have this wonderful book land in my life has been such a treat.Broken down into geographical sections of the City, Rachael gives a history of each of these areas and insight into the shops and boutiques that reside there, with wonderful stories of the owners, designers and origins of each of them.She has also added lovely snapshots of not only the designers who have been so influential in putting Italy and in particular Milan onto the map, but the traditions and psyche of the Milanese and their attitude and connection to style and beauty, which is as important and necessary to them, as is breathing.The pictures throughout the book make you want to jump on a plane and walk down those streets, sit in those cafes and more importantly, to me anyway, spend hours browsing around those shops!Each section begins with a map of the area and fantastic recommendations of where to eat and drink, to recover from your shopping spree and to sit and watch the fashionable crowd pass by. The end of the book has a great section on practical information, such as dialling codes and how to get a tram!So - for a book to make you smile just thinking about it, add this one to your collection!

Such a lovely book with lots of snippet of fascinating information and great pics. Really informative and interesting and easy to dip in and out. I now can't wait to plan a trip to Milan.