Fashion Shop

Jewellery may not be novel concept, but Dafni Gioielli is.  Ilia and Barbara, the women behind this relatively new brand, design different collections of jewellery to suit every budget. Whether you want to buy a trinket for yourself or blow the budget on some serious bling, Dafni offers it all and will personalise it to boot. Each item is designed and hand made by this dynamic duo and no two items are the same. Dafni’s prêt-a-porter collection starts at €35 and boasts earrings, bracelets and necklaces made from either rose gold plated silver, 18 carat gold, 925 silver or burnished silver, embellished with various charms, initials, stones or tassels. We love this season’s ‘Gypsy’ collection with small multi coloured stones that sparkle as they hang daintily from their rose gold plated chain. At € 45 for a bracelet they make the perfect gift.What we find particularly novel about Dafni Gioielli is their Progetto Fenice (Phoenix Project): the chance to give a new lease of life to old, unfashionable or unloved pieces of jewellery and have them re-set to reflect the wearer’s unique style. This, in fact, is how Ilia and Barbara came to meet and Dafni Gioielli came to be. Following the birth of her second child, Ilia wanted to re-set several pieces of jewellery she had inherited.  However, she wanted these family heirlooms to have personal meaning and came up with the idea of incorporating her children’s names into the new setting. Word of mouth subsequently put her in touch with Barbara, a professional jeweller, and the rest is history.  Ilia’s original necklace was such a huge hit amongst friends, that Dafni Gioielli subsequently launched the ‘Penelope’ collection (named after Ilia’s eldest daughter): different length gold chains interspersed with coloured semi precious stones are decorated with the initials or names of loved ones in gold (and precious stones if so desired). Prices vary according to the length and materials used to make each unique piece. Dafni Gioielli also has a bespoke haute couture range for people in search of serious bling. Contact Dafni Gioielli for further information or to make an appointment as the showroom is currently open on Tuesday afternoons.  

My mother often accuses me of not being very observant and in the case of Suite 123 I am inclined to agree with her. Well to be fair, even if Suite 123 is just around the corner from my home, I don’t usually cycle along the last part of Corso di Porta Romana near Piazza Medaglie d’Oro, and if I do I’m too busy trying not to get run over or prevent my bike tyre from getting caught in a tram track. That being said, this week I deliberately walked down the road scouting out new places and was pleasantly surprised to discover Suite 123. This understated store is run by two delightful sisters, Rosita and Cristina Cigliola. Their philosophy is that each client has a distinct style and it’s their job to help their clients express that style with the help of the clothes on sale.  Hence Suite 123 is a carefully laid out multi brand store that offers everything from clothes, shoes, hosiery, hats, bags, accessories and underwear. Here clients can find carefully selected pieces from brands such as: Sonia by Sonia Rykiel; Tsumori Chisato; Zucca; Red Valentino; Eugenia Kim; Alessandro De Benedetti; Isola Marras; Boonpa; Vivetta; DeCouture; Roberto de Carlo and Stella Mc Cartney. Each rack is carefully colour co-ordinated and each item easily mixed and matched while the presence of black is reduced to a minimum.Definitely going back to buy a few items I had my eye on! 

This part of Milan is a great place to meet up with friends for a coffee at Pandeus or Sissi, and while you are there why not take the opportunity to pop into Barbé.  You won't be disappointed.This small store with a strong retro vibe is packed full of wonderful surprises. As you walk through the door you are greeted by a delicious mixture of scents: floral, ginger, musk and citrus emanating from the candles, room diffusers and cologne and perfume bottles that line the walls. Barbé offers a wide range of fragrances and scents by names such as Creed, Phaedon, Labatorio Olfattivo and Farmacia SS Annunziata to name but a few. Barbè also stocks Ren's natural skincare products (hurray!) as well as Glo Minerals make-up. If you haven't tried Ren's amazing skincare products yet then ask to try a Ren facial treatment which Barbè organises monthly.Not only is Barbé an olfactory delight, it also stocks costume jewellery by Angelorum and Tataborello as well as Maria Le Rosa's beautifully hand woven, macramé, knitted, crocheted and embroidered bags made from cotton, rafia, linen, silk, chenile, cashmere and alpaca (www.marialarosa.it). A must have for every woman's wardrobe! Also, if you like the Milanese "bon ton" look, Barbé also stocks Lunatica's made-to-measure clothing range such as their chic coats and swing skirts (www.lunaticastyle.com). Simply choose a style and give them your measurements and they will tailor make it! Barbé is open from 10am to 2pm and from 3.30pm until 7pm. 

Labolsina is the brainchild of Margherita Vaghi, who in 2010 had the fantastic idea of transforming end of line luxury upholstery fabrics used to furnish hotels into stylish yet easy to wear bags. Margherita's bags are characterised by their simplicity, bold colours and the fact that all the names of the various models start with the word "La", oh and the fact that they are all manufactured in limited numbers. LaBolsina's Spring/Summer 2015 collection has been inspired by Frida Kahlo, artist, diva and icon of boho chic. This season you will find bags made from laser cut fabrics which are then layered to create unique and sophisticated patterns as well as monochrome leather bags. The colour palette for this season is bright and Margherita has used golds, lemon yellows, bright fuschia pinks, lipstick red, chalk white with a splash of black. LaBolsina bags come in 4 different sizes: maxi shopper, messenger, mini pochette and deluxe clutch.For those of you who already know LaBolsina, this season Margherita has made a large version of Labpad and the Lamonedera comes with a removable chain so that it can be used as a purse as well as an evening or day bag. LaBolsina bags are available online at http://www.labolsina.com/en/eshop. If you want to see them in person a selection of LaBolsina women's bags can be found at Maison Gigolette (Piazzale Bacone, 9, 20129 Milan), while the unisex I AM BIG bags can be found at High Tech (Piazza 25 Aprile, 12, 20124 Milan).