91 - Nathalie Jean

THE SAS MAGAZINE SINCE 1972
WWW.FLYSAS.COM NO.04/2013
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Shop like
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Follow in the heels of a true fashionista

THE WEEKENDER
La Géode theater as seen from the
Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie
in the Parc de la Villette
Cin cin: Toasting a job well done
at enoteca N’Ombra de Vin
SHOP LIKE
A MILANESE
Words by IVAN CARVALHO
Photographs by GAIA CAMBIAGGI
MILAN Italy’s fashion capital has everything la signora could possibly desire, but
where to begin Jewelry designer Nathalie Jean opens her little black book
SCANORAMA APRIL 2013 83

THE WEEKENDER
Rome and
Venice may
have a wealth
of attractions
built long ago but to see the
treasures Italy is making today
requires a trip to Milan. One
of the world’s leading fashion
and design capitals, the city’s
calendar is packed with runway
shows that parade the latest
trends in clothes, bags and
shoes for both sexes, and every
April more than 300,000 visitors
turn out for the weeklong
Salone del Mobile, the world’s
biggest furniture fair and a
showcase for Italian craft and
creativity.
Yet beyond the catwalk and
big-name boutiques the city
can seem a little standoffish,
its scores of fashionistas taking
cover behind sunglasses. But a
little perseverance goes a long
Shopping around (clockwise from top):
Trying on looks at Antonia; Jean and
daughter Agata at Fioraio Bianchi Caffè;
the food hall at Coin Excelsior
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THE WEEKENDER
way. Just ask jewelry designer
Nathalie Jean.
The Montreal native moved
to Milan 25 years ago to work
for the industrial designer
Ettore Sottsass and wound
up staying for life. Like many
she, too, found the city drab at
first. “The public facade is very
gray but there are lots of great
places hidden from view,” she
says.
An architect, Jean switched
from skyscrapers to store
interiors, dressing up shops
for Alberta Ferretti and others.
In 2000, she scaled down to
necklaces and rings in gold and
sterling silver, selling pieces
to Carla Sozzani’s über-hip
concept store 10 Corso Como
and working with brands from
Versace to Christofle. When
not busy with clients in her
atelier, she indulges in the
popular Milanese pastime of
shopping, sometimes partnering
with her daughter, Agata,
and friends.
www.nathaliejean.com
Shop till you drop
For retail therapy, Jean’s first
stop is Antonia, a boutique in
the Brera district run by Antonia
Giacinti with a well-curated
mix of luxury brands and
emerging labels. Next door are
accessories: Manolo Blahnik
and Christian Louboutin heels,
both emblazoned with “Made
in Italy” tags, and handbags.
“She has great taste and there
are always new discoveries,”
Jean says. Male companions,
meanwhile, peruse Antonia
Uomo around the corner for
cult Italian brands (Aspesi and
Incotex to name two).
If Jean finds herself in the
quadrilatero della moda, Milan’s
ground zero for glitzy fashion,
she pops into Gianvito Rossi
at Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi,
a shoe boutique housed in a
Neo-Renaissance residence
turned museum. “I love his
boots: knee-high, ankle boots;
you can’t go wrong.”
For a big store experience,
Jean bypasses Rinascente next
to the Duomo (“too touristy”)
and opts for Coin Excelsior, a
Jean Nouvel-designed department
store inside a former cinema
that boasts street fashion,
wearable pieces from Marni to
Valentino, Borsalino hats, a bistro,
and an immaculate basement
food hall where locals
stock up on South Tirolean fruit
juices, artisanal chocolate from
Turin, and biscotti.
Another hideaway off the
main thoroughfare is retailer
Wait and See. “It’s for wealthy
Milanese women who want to
keep a low profile,” Jean says.
Inside an 18th-century convent
on a quiet cobblestoned street,
owner Uberta Zambeletti
sells everything from Italian
knitwear to Spanish ballet flats.
To keep tabs on interior
design trends, Jean heads to
Spazio Rossana Orlandi.
Presided over by Rossana
Orlandi, the local doyenne of
On a mission: Jean, Agata and
their friend Louise check out
fashion and home accessories
at Antonia ( left) and Spazio
Rossana Orlandi
Studio line: Jean’s necklaces
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THE WEEKENDER
Between shops: (clockwise
from left): Jean with design
maven Rossana Orlandi;
lunch at Pisacco, plus dolce
design, the store occupies an
old necktie factory and features
ceramics, glassware and furniture.
“It’s a wonderful shabby
chic space. Again, hidden from
the street in a courtyard. So
very Milanese.”
Antonia
1 Via Ponte Vetero.
www.antonia.it
Gianvito Rossi
7 Via Santo Spirito.
www.gianvitorossi.com
Coin Excelsior
4 Galleria del Corso.
www.excelsiormilano.com
Wait and See
14 Via Santa Marta.
www.waitandsee.it
Spazio Rossana Orlandi
14 Via Matteo Bandello.
www.rossanaorlandi.com
Affordable luxe
For a stylish stroll, Jean
wanders through the Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele II, a grand
shopping arcade with an ironand-glass
roof that houses
Gucci, Tod’s and Prada, the latter
about to add a second boutique
at this coveted address.
Heading toward La Scala, she
window-shops at Valextra,
the local luxury goods maker
known for pricey, no-logo
purses and calfskin briefcases.
For bargain hunters, Jean
recommends the company’s
outlet, out of sight in a little
downtown alleyway, to pick up
a beauty case or wallet.
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THE WEEKENDER
Bags down: Aperitivo at N’Ombra de Vin
D Magazine Outlet, meanwhile,
carries a wide range of
labels and habitués have been
known to come away with
brand-new Dolce & Gabbana
boots for next to nothing.
Valextra
3 Via Manzoni (store); 11 Via
Cerva (outlet).
www.valextra.it
D Magazine Outlet
44 Via Manzoni.
www.dmagazine.it
Chic eats and drinks
Before any shopping excursion,
Jean and her daughter begin
their day at Fioraio Bianchi
Caffè with a cappuccino and
brioche. Originally a florist, this
small boho eatery is part bistro
part café and still sells flowers
on the side.
Jean never says no to lunch
at Pisacco, a restaurant opened
last fall by a team backed by
Michelin-starred chef Andrea
Berton. In place of tasting
menus, the kitchen turns out
delectable, and affordable,
dishes of grilled calamari with
avocado purée, oven-roasted
ribs, and a dessert waffle with
vanilla gelato and apricot
sauce. “They have super-fresh
ingredients and an exceptional
wine list,” Jean says, sipping a
glass of Vitovska, a dry Slovenian
white.
To round out the day, any
self-respecting Milanese goes
for an aperitivo, the locals’
version of happy hour. One
of Jean’s preferred watering
holes is N’Ombra de Vin.
From the outside, the enoteca
is un assuming but venture
downstairs to the cellar – a
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THE WEEKENDER
refectory once used by
Augustinian friars – and you’ll
find 3,000 vintages from
Barolo to Bordeaux lining the
walls. In the evenings, sophisticates
sip robust Italians reds,
prosecco and champagne – the
house bubbly is sourced from
the family of former French
prime minister Dominique de
Villepin.
Fioraio Bianchi Caffè
7 Via Montebello.
www.fioraiobianchicaffe.it
Pisacco
48 Via Solferino.
www.pisacco.it
N’Ombra de Vin
2 Via San Marco.
www.nombradevin.it
GO TO MILAN Book your trip at
Flysas.com. Use money or EuroBonus
points, or both.
SCANORAMA APRIL 2013 91