How to live today in Milan, the capital of fashion, the road to the post-pandemic

(From Milan) - Surrounded by fog for several days now, the Madonnina, a golden statue of the Virgin Mary that crowns the Milan Cathedral, immutably watches over the hesitant movement of a city that timidly seeks to replicate the vitality and dynamism of the pre-pandemic. “Milano da vivere, da sognare, da godere, Milano da bere” (“Milan to live, to dream, to enjoy, Milan to drink”), reads the commercial by Amaro Ramazzotti that journalism Italian from the '80s he used to define the effervescent, fast-paced and frivolous social life of the area.

Cradle of futurism and capital of Italian fashion, fast industry par excellence, the constant flow of energy is the quintessence of being Milanese.

With the same gray skies that peek between the infinite tram wiring and the endless number of yellow buildings (by choice or by the simple passing of the years) as always, the new Milanese normality brings with it a hesitant approach to the daily Emptier than usual, its streets bear witness to an uncertain panorama at the regulatory and epidemiological level in which, like in hopscotch, each false step puts the world on pause.

Events suspended, such as the Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani shows at Men's Fashion Week that took place in mid-January, or postponed, such as the famous Salone del Mobile which was rescheduled for June, show this fragile balance full of contradictions. Any pretense of lightness succumbs to the cold Milanese winter and the gaze falls on a promise of warmer and freer days.

“In Milan, fashion is taken very seriously and it is a fast-paced city with a devouring pace”, reflects Agustín Escalada, an Argentine model who arrived in Italy for Fashion Week, in dialogue with Infobae. “From my perspective, it is affected by the global situation: fewer clients doing castings, many renowned brands canceling their dates and others opting for a virtual modality. The job offer was greatly reduced ”, releases Escalada.

Still, slow and indecisive, the size of the Italian fashion industry is still colossal. "I didn't imagine that the first job I did in Europe would be at Fashion Week," confesses the model Delfina Pérez, "it's my first time working outside of Argentina and it exceeded all my expectations," she adds.

Along the Quadrilatero della moda, the nerve center of Milan's luxury trade, the sidewalks remain free of tourists who hinder movement by carrying countless Prada bags. Like a spectacle in the open air, Via Montenapoleone, its main artery, shines with the brilliance typical of the windows of the most famous European fashion houses. From time to time it is possible to spot a super car that it circulates calmly while the posters of Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Chanel are reflected in its windows. The Cova pasticceria, emblematic of the area, is always full against all odds and restrictions. There's no turning Milanese away from cappuccino and brioche.

what was everyone's weirdest panic purchase my brain glitched and i bought three types of jam

— Brandy Jensen Fri Mar 13 19:22:22 +0000 2020

In addition to having the usual players, Milan is still a canvas on which the classic (if Prada and Armani can be considered classic) and the avant-garde of Italian design intertwine.

Young brands such as GCDS, The Attico and County of Milan, by Argentine Marcelo Burlon, have established themselves as ambassadors of the new Italian fashion through maximalism, irony and streetwear. It is in this dynamic of contrasts that the attractiveness of the city is found. The traditional cafes share a block with poke chain franchises (Poke House) or Japanese-Brazilian fusion cuisine (Temakinho) and from the Bosco Verticale, a modern skyscraper entirely covered by plants, it is possible to see the Santa Maria delle Grazie church where the Find "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci.

Crowded with attractions, the only thing standing between today's Milan and the famous “Milano da bere” are ever-changing regulations and, for someone vaccinated abroad, the elusive Italian Green Pass .

As in a Kafkaesque plot, the path to the QR that opens all doors goes from an office where a sign indicates that the procedure is carried out by mail to an automatic response that leads to an online form. The waits are long and the responses are few but, finally, it arrives. Like the sun, which after a week of darkness, illuminates the Duomo. And just like that, in an instant, the bars are flooded with a frenzy crowd eagerly awaiting aperitif hour.

One month before the women's edition of Milan Fashion Week, the city is advancing, step by step, with preparations. Closer and closer to heaven, like in hopscotch.

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