What you can do in Milan even if you don't go to Fashion Week

56 fashion shows, 5 digital shows, 74 presentations, and 26 various events. For a week, from February 20 to 26, Milan returns to being the world capital of fashion, a hub of trends, influences, suggestions, and creations that will become part of our wardrobes in the coming months. The highlights of this fashion week dedicated to fall/winter 2024, capturing attention and fueling curiosity, coincide with the debuts of three designers as creative directors of three brands: Adrian Appiolaza for Moschino, Matteo Tamburini for Tod’s, and Walter Chiapponi for Blumarine. For 7 days, anyone in the city will come into contact with fashion, glamor, celebrities, exclusive parties, dividing their time between model-watching, FOMO, and nerves for taxis and restaurants always full. Although most events and fashion shows are reserved for industry professionals, there are many public events during Milan Fashion Week. NSS G-Club highlights the most interesting ones to stay updated on what's happening in the fashion system and breathe in the cultural mood of this particular time of the year.

To discover: public presentations by Federico Cina, Fashion Hub and the talk with Juergen Teller

On Saturday, February 24, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, at Via Pier Candido Decembrio, Federico Cina presents "TOR-TEL-LÌ-NO", the launch of the new color variants of the Tortellino and Tortellino Mini Bag. First seen on the fall/winter 2024 runway during Milan Fashion Week Men's, the bag, soft and with a puffy silhouette reminiscent of filled pasta, is a tribute from the designer to his land, Emilia Romagna. Just introduced, the Tortellino has won everyone over with its fun and cute design and, now that it is enriched with new colors and sizes, is destined to be the next it-bag. Speaking of future style, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion presents the tenth edition of the Fashion Hub Market, which will be open to the public at Palazzo Giureconsulti, from Wednesday, February 21 to Sunday, February 25, from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Here, the MFW fashion shows will be streamed, but you can also participate in talks, special projects, and exhibitions highlighting the talent of young designers focusing on "experimentation, innovation, craftsmanship, sustainability, inclusivity, and education." On Saturday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m., at the Triennale Milano, there is another appointment not to be missed: a talk with Juergen Teller. On the occasion of the exhibition I need to live, the renowned photographer meets the public for a special copy signing of his volumes.

To visit: MFW exhibitions

MFW is not limited to fashion shows. There are also many exhibitions worth visiting between an FW24 collection and a trendy drink. Fondazione Sozzani opens its spaces to Michaela Stark, an artist, costume designer, and stylist famous for custom lingerie designed to sculpt the body and enhance the "imperfections" perceived by society, offering a new and more indulgent perspective on the female form. Michaela Stark’s Panty Show is a hybrid event that combines an artistic performance and an exhibition. Scheduled for Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 PM, the performance focuses on the theme of the transgressive mutation of the body. The exhibition can be viewed from Tuesday, February 20 to Sunday, February 25, from 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM, and features living dolls, living dolls representing femininity. Until April 1, Palazzo Morando is the chosen location for Daniele Tamagni Style is Life, the first major retrospective of the Milanese photographer who, with his street style shots, documented social evolutions through the outfits of the new generations in Africa and Latin America. His images provide a glimpse into the Congolese sapeurs, dandies of Bacongo, a district of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, the metalheads of Botswana, the traditional costumes of Bolivian wrestlers, and Dakar Fashion Week. Those who love photography should visit 29 Arts in Progress Gallery, in the historic Sant’Ambrogio district. Here, until March 16, the career of Michel Haddi is celebrated with the second part of the exhibition Michel Haddi – Beyond Fashion. Free admission will immerse you in the universe of the Franco-Algerian photographer, among nudes, unpublished photographs, shots of top models, and celebrities like David Bowie and Sarah Jessica Parker, images with bright colors in the full glitz and glam style of the '90s like those of Versace campaigns. Free entry also for Fifties in Fashion, a journey into the decade that made Made in Italy style appreciated worldwide, where until Thursday, February 29, at Accademia del Lusso, you can admire vintage creations including items from Fernanda Gattinoni, Tiziani, Schuberth, Antonelli, Fabiani, and many other brands of the time. The last stop in this full immersion in Milanese art is the Tube Culture Hall with Before the Coffee Gets cold. Until March 8, you can admire the works of Shangyu Cai, Benedetta Giampaoli, and Sofia Muljat. The common thread? The "contrast between rational and unintelligible, ordinary and mysterious, noisy and silent, as well as between empirical and chimeric representation."

To shop: nss newsstand, Frab’s Magazine, and Beauty Fair Rinascente

From Friday, February 16, to Sunday, February 25, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, on corso Magenta, the nss temporary newsstand opens. Inaugurated in conjunction with the launch of the Digital Cover and merch Ti Odio Milano Ti Amo, this space under the Madonnina will be a physical place for meeting and exchanging opinions on Milan, where you can also buy t-shirts, long sleeves, sweatshirts, and tote bags dedicated to the Ti Odio Milano Ti amo project. Speaking of new openings, on Sunday, February 18, Frab's Magazines inaugurated its independent magazine store in the Porta Venezia district of Milan. For beauty enthusiasts, the appointment is with Beauty Fair. The Flagship stores of Rinascente in Milan at Piazza Duomo, in Rome in via del Tritone, and the store in Turin in via Lagrange will host until March 11 a real event dedicated to the most innovative initiatives in skincare, fragrances, and make-up. On the program are launches of new products, exclusive counters, a wide range of innovative treatments, customizable products adaptable to different skin types, and, of course, cabins and services from top fragrance, skincare, and make-up brands.

To party: Drama and Pixie

After a day dedicated to FW24 collections, do you feel like celebrating, dancing, and freeing your mind? Mark these two appointments: Friday, February 23 at District 272 and Saturday, February 24 at Santeria Toscana 31. On Friday, Drama, Italy's largest queer cabaret, returns to Milan, bringing with it the glam and funny show made up of drag queens and kings, burlesque, dance, live music, and many surprises that will meet the world of fashion thanks to the unprecedented involvement of 3 Milan-based design brands advocating the queer revolution and LGBTQIA+ movement such as Simon Cracker, REAMEREI, and Lorenzo Seghezzi, designer of the looks for BigMama in Sanremo 2024. On Saturday, you can dance in Santeria Toscana to the tunes of Pixie, a new musical event entirely dedicated to intersectional femininity, with an explosive lineup that mixes live and clubbing. Thirteen artists will alternate at the console, with sounds ranging from r&b to pop and traveling to North African melodies and experimental electronics.

To eat: Nowhere and Casottel 

For a refreshing break in the midst of MFW, the right place is Nowhere at Vetere 14. The all-pink venue offers a wide selection of coffee, vegetarian dishes, and sweets such as oatmeal porridge, brownies, banana bread, La Tonda, Nowhere's signature brioche. Also worth trying are internationally inspired dishes such as Curry, Forrest! a soup based on legumes and curry, Smashed Avo, based on avocado, various seeds and sprouts, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil, and Maldon salt or Shakshuka, an alternative version of the famous Maghrebi dish with creamy eggs in a spicy harissa sauce, tomatoes, and red peppers. For those who want to escape the chaos of fashion week, you can relax at Casottel, enjoying a dish of traditional Milanese and Mantuan home cooking. The choice ranges from pasta and beans to shin with polenta, from pumpkin ravioli to tripe, from risotto with ossobuco to roast veal.