Prada Pastries! Armani Aperitifs! Cavalli Cocktails! How One Editor Eats and Drinks Her Way Through Milan Fashion Week
A pastry and coffee at Caffe Cova in Milan.
A fashion editor friend recently said to me, “I don’t know what I love more, food or clothes.” A few years ago, those words would have proved blasphemous in the “You can never be too thin or too rich” world of fashion. But now as every style blogger instagrams their favorite artisanal Manhattan cocktail or macaron as often as their beloved Marni sandal, we see that food really has become fashion— or at least another way for editors to show off that their lives are much sweeter than the average human.
But I’ve always been an enthusiastic eater, so when people ask me, “How do all the fashion girls stay so thin?,” I can only shrug, Like, I would know!? At the recent Pucci show, I was happy to see Instagram star Eva Chen, walk in eating an ice cream cone, covered in chocolate! And you know what? She ate it like she couldn’t have cared less. (Chen is one of the ladies of fashion who likes food— just take a look at her Instagram and you know she likes her dumplings plump and her donuts sugary.) Australian fashion writer and photographer Margaret Zhang is another one who has one of the most delicious Instagram feeds I’ve ever seen. I am tagging myself to her 24/7 just so I can see what she’s noshin. Look, your new bag is really nice and all, but I want to see how rare your steak is and just how big your plateau of fruit de mer is!
When I’m in Milan, I don’t know what gets me more excited— the confections on the runway or the ones behind those polished marble counters at so many of the city’s chic cafes. Yes, Milan fashion week is where all fashion lovers come to pay their homage to the gods of luxury like Prada and Versace— it’s fashion’s equivalent of going to Mecca or Lourdes. But we are no longer limited to praying in their showrooms and fancy boutiques—now we can do it at their designer-owned cafes, bars and nightclubs. So how on trend was my food odyssey this fashion week, here’s how my it went down.
Bar Bamboo in the Armani Hotel Milano. Photo: Courtesy
My first stop in Milan was Bar Bamboo, otherwise known as the Armani bar where I had a Champagne spritz, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and faro wheat salad. If it’s good enough for Mr Armani, it’s good enough for DFung! The next day, between shows, I popped into the Luce Cafe, located in the Fondazione Prada, which feels like a movie set (Madame Prada enlisted director Wes Anderson to design it) complete with a juke box, which plays the soundtracks of famous Italian movies, art deco-style furniture and the most perfect mini brioche sandwiches and fruit tarts.
Cafe Luce in the Fondazione Prada. Photo: Getty Images
So after bar snacks with Armani, coffee and cakes with Prada, what’s next? Time to burn off some of the calories (FYI: If you’re not a closeted chain smoker, you stay thin in fashion by dancing all hours of the night!) Let’s go dancing with D Squared! Oh, yes my friend and the name designer Dean and Dan Caten’s nightclub is Ceresio 7. This is where the A-gays of Milan and the fashion industry come to hang out by the roof top pool, drink and dance til late. If I’m looking for the after after party, I’ll hit the Cavalli club, located inside the city’s Parc Sempione, which I’ll admit, typically hosts Milan’s equivalent of “bridge and tunnel” crowd. But if you want to have a laugh, and hear some Euro bear music — it’s still alive and well in Milan!
Ceresio 7 bar. Photo: Courtesy
By Sunday, I was feeling a little wobbly from last night’s drinks. Thankfully, the fashion world has got me covered. Not one, but two very important pastry shops have recently been taking over by planet fashion. Pasticceria Marchesi, one of the city’s oldest and most beloved pastry shops, was just bought by Prada and reopened its doors just in time for Milan Fashion Week. I work through my party fog with dainty pastries, beautiful almonds covered in sugary sweet pastel colors and tall tower-like cakes with pistachio sprinkles on top. Prada’s pistachio just screams luxury! Of course, the staff is clad in all black Prada uniforms. Note to Laduree, Prada’s coming for you! Nearby stands the LVMH-owned Cova Caffe — it’s been around since 1817 but has become a stylish pit stop for a quick shot of expresso lately.
So what’s next up for the fashion food scene? After seeing Marni’s S/S 2016 collection, I’m feeling a candy store in the company’s future. And fashion’s current love affair with Gucci makes me think that designer Alessandro Michele needs to open a pizzeria. Imagine all those colors and shapes? While we all can’t indulge in the label’s new $995 fur-lined loafer slide, I think most of would be happy with a Gucci slice.
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