WWD List: 10 Things Not to Miss During MFW

MILAN — A brief guide to new restaurants, bars, exhibitions and stores in town to check out in between the fashion shows.

“Le Tipe Umane” by Andrea Incontri at Tommaso Calabro Art Gallery

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WWD List: 10 Things Not to Miss During MFW

Who would have thought that drawing as a pastime would translate into a proper gallery-worthy exhibition? Certainly not Andrea Incontri, the Italian designer in charge of Tod’s men’s division, who started three years ago to sketch different kinds of women and figurines on his personal Instagram account. It turned out that art curator Caroline Corbetta saw his works and asked him to develop them for a collective exhibition in 2016 and now for a new dedicated showcase called “Le Tipe Umane [Human Types].” The exhibit will bow during Milan Fashion Week, at the city’s Tommaso Calabro art gallery, running until March 3. “I dressed up these pieces of art, just like I usually dress up a real woman,” said the designer, who had the sketches printed on linen canvas and embroidered them employing beads and premium fabrics sourced from Italy’s finest textile suppliers. “The time required to embroider them and that of putting the show on is antithetical compared to the speed of digital,” Incontri explained, noting his aim was to depict a collection of human types, spotlighting their intimacy in everyday life gestures, such as carrying shopping bags or walking the dogs. Spread across three rooms at the Milan gallery, the exhibition also displays a selection of seven bespoke dramatic fashion designs crafted from luxurious fabrics and rich in ruffles and sculptural details.

Tommaso Calabro Art Gallery
Piazza S. Sepolcro, 2
Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
+39 0249696387
[email protected]
tommasocalabro.com/
IG: @tommasocalabrogallery

Plato Chic Superfood

A restaurant with a mission: This chic spot recently opened its doors in central Milan with the goal to offer a healthy yet tasty experience to its customers. Immersed in refined interiors curated by the CLS architectural studio and dominated by white ceramic walls, wood panels, plush blue chairs and marble tables, clients can try healthy courses based on the combination of fresh and natural ‘superfoods’ full of vitamins, antioxidants and fibers. Teff flour, a gluten-free ancient grain native to Ethiopia and the surrounding region, and the nutrient-rich plant Moringa’s powder are used for their detoxing and anti-inflammatory benefits, especially in Plato’s signature “veli.” These are yeast-free phyllo dough offered from breakfast to dinner enclosing both sweet and salty ingredients, as in the Sorrento option with orange jam and nuts and the Matcha Salmon alternative.

Plato Chic Superfood
Via Privata Cesare Battisti, 2
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 6:30 to 11 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 6:30 to 11 p.m.
+39 02 55013602
[email protected]
platomilano.com
IG: @platochicsuperfood

“A Visual Protest. The Art of Banksy” at Mudec

Controversial artist Banksy is the subject of an unauthorized retrospective exhibition held at the Mudec museum, which runs until April 14. A collection of around 80 works of art including paintings and numbered prints, as well as 60 drawn vinyl and CD covers and 40 pieces of memorabilia trace the artist’s riotous and unconventional career synonymous with political stance and social commentary. Although no Banksy painting has been shredded so far — as opposed to what happened to the artist’s “Girl With Balloon” artwork at a Sotheby’s auction last October — the showcase has already attracted more than 130,000 visitors, who immersed themselves in a multimedia space where iconic places decorated with the artist’s murals have been re-created through video projections and sounds.

“A Visual Protest. The Art of Banksy”
Mudec
Via Tortona, 56
Monday: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
+39 0254917
[email protected]
mudec.it
IG: @mudecmi

Talea

“Liquid Cuisine” is the concept promoted by bartender Filippo Sisti in this intimate, club-like bar offering a new take on the mixology trend that has invaded Milan in the last couple of years. Tools and preparations derived from the culinary world — Sisti formerly worked in the Milanese hip restaurant Carlo e Camilla in Segheria — are employed in the creation of the innovative cocktails, realized with techniques requiring ovens, steam pits and blast chillers. The cocktail list changes every six months to offer seasonal ingredients while a selection of basic courses complete the menu. In addition to the chic main room dominated by a wood and copper counter and to the sportier veranda, a hidden private venue named Vivarium is available upon reservation for small groups that want to experience Sisti’s creative process and have a one-hour tasting journey through five different cocktails.

Talea
Via F. Argelati, 35
Monday to Saturday: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
+39 02 36577554
[email protected]
taleamilano.com
IG: @taleacocktailbar

Nashi Argan Salon

For a much-needed pampering in between shows, Italian beauty label Nashi Argan has opened a 1,938-square-foot location selling its signature natural products and operating as a hair salon. The minimal yet cozy interior featuring wooden furniture and plants reflects the brand’s natural vocation, as all hair-care and skin-care products are based on bio-certified argan and hemp oils. Treatments offered in the salon include the Filler Therapy restoring damaged hair’s strength and sheen, and the Refresh service reviving and intensifying hair highlights, in addition to usual blow-outs, hair cuts and dyes. A second Nashi salon has also recently opened inside Milan’s CityLife shopping district.

Nashi Salon Porta Genova
Via Vigevano, 32
+39 02 25136442
Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Nashi Salon CityLife
Piazza Tre Torri
+39 02 89352222
Monday to Sunday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

nashiargan.it
IG: @nashiarganofficial

Sine

Making a premium gourmet dining experience accessible to young food enthusiasts is the ethos behind the recently opened Sine restaurant — meaning “without” in Latin. Housed inside a revamped motorcycle body shop with a postindustrial atmosphere, the restaurant is spearheaded by Neapolitan chef Roberto Di Pinto, who aims to offer traditional dishes adding unconventional twists while getting rid of everything redundant — both on the dishes and the check. Case in point the not-so-classic Milano/Napoli risotto, with octopus, mussels and prawns in addition to saffron, or the “desecrated” rum baba cake served with popcorn-flavored ice cream. With a five-course tasting menu priced at 45 euros, Sine’s accessible and democratic, too.

Sine
Viale Umbria, 126
Monday to Saturday: 12:30 to 3 p.m., 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.
+39 0236594613
[email protected]
sinerestaurant.com
IG: @sinerestaurant

Aspesi

The label epitomizing sophisticated Milanese style has found a new home. Located in the city’s tony shopping district, the two-storied, 6,458-square-foot location was formerly a bank, redesigned by the Dordoni Architetti Studio to express the brand’s aesthetics. The interior concept resulted in a mix of materials, ranging from industrial PVC to fiberglass and Plexiglass, with elements in iron, wood and stone. Gray lime plaster in shades of pale pink, sage green and ochre cover the walls, while a skylight contributes to the illumination. American photographer David Benjamin Sherry’s oversize picture “Lemurian Morning Wood” flanks the main front staircase in stone and wood that connects the ground floor dedicated to men’s wear to the first level showcasing women’s collections. A second stairway with yellow curved lines is added to favor customers’ flow in the store. For the opening, Aspesi also commissioned the “Retouches” installation to Italian artist Lorenzo Vitturi, who revisited staple materials of the brand playing with semi-spherical shapes and colorful fabrics. The artwork will be on display on Feb. 22, when Aspesi will be officially celebrating the opening with an in-store event.

Aspesi
Via S. Pietro All’Orto, 24
Monday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
aspesi.com
IG: @aspesiofficial

Agua Sancta

For those into some serious Latin American vibes, a new cocktail bar has opened on central’s Corso Garibaldi. Agua Sancta delivers cocktails prepared with signature South American spirits: tequila and mezcal on top of the list. From classic beverages to experimental versions of margarita and Mexican beers, cocktails come accompanied by tacos and small dishes. Pastel-hued chairs and Mexican skull-shaped bottles arranged haphazardly make it an Instagram-worthy new spot to enjoy a pre-dinner with friends.

Agua Sancta
Corso Garibaldi, 110
Tuesday to Sunday: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
+39 3755350033
[email protected]
aguasancta.it
IG: @aguasancta

Imarika

The concept store founded by eclectic Benedetta Bevilacqua has celebrated its 40th anniversary expanding and restyling its spaces. Turin-based Marcante-Testa architectural studio revisited the interior design playing with essential lines and pastel hues, infusing a modern yet feminine touch to the location. White, light gray, light blue and yellow walls are juxtaposed to pink furniture — including the pink briar wood counter and hexagonal displays — while horizontal glass shelves are complemented by vertical copper tubes. Bevilacqua and her team also worked on refreshing the refined selection of women’s wear and accessories attracting an international clientele and already including fashion labels such as Antonio Marras, Anya Hindmarch, Comme des Gar?ons, Forte Forte, Ganni, Jil Sander, Rochas, Simone Rocha, The Gigi and Ulla Johnson, among others. In addition, starting from this season, the store’s namesake private label will be rebooted under the new Kalia moniker.

Imarika
Via Giovanni Morelli, 1
Monday: 3 to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 3 to 7:30 p.m.
+39 02 76005268
[email protected]
imarika.com
IG: @imarika_milano

“Antonio Guccione. New York — Milano” at Other Size Gallery

In 1991, Gianni Versace was crystallizing the supermodel era by sending Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington arm in arm down the runway, while Tyra Banks booked 25 shows in Paris at just 18. Italian photographer Antonio Guccione witnessed that period and captured with his intense and glamorized black-and-white portraits stars and models alike, including Elle Macpherson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Carol Alt, among others. Running Feb. 20 to March 30, a collection of 15 images that Guccione shot in 1991 will be exhibited at Milan’s Other Size Gallery. “A photographer doesn’t express himself with a click, as many are led to think. This is just the final touch of an action. The person always stands behind,” said Guccione, whose comeback to Italy after years spent in New York is being celebrated through this small retrospective titled “Antonio Guccione. New York — Milano.”

Other Size Gallery
Via Andrea Maffei, 1
Monday to Friday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
+39 027006800
[email protected]
othersizegallery.it

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