MILAN TRAVEL TIPS & HIGHLIGHTS: SIGHTSEEING, ITALIAN FOOD & ARCHITECTURE. BRERA DISTRICT, DUOMO GOTHIC CATHEDRAL.
In the life of a fashion blogger, every day’s a mash-up of work and play. While in Milan, we spent the morning in a photoshoot for our HOPE tshirts to benefit Japan.
This was my first time in Milan. On the other hand, my fellow traveller used to live and model here. So while I was keen to sight-see, he… was less enthused (as you can see in the photo above!).
It started to rain. We passed an “ombrello” man, and I insisted on the rainbow one. “Che palle! Mah!”
He took refuge under the less fabulous umbrella of Alice and the Cat, designer of our HOPE t-shirt.
Milan is certainly grittier than other parts of Italy (such as Venice, Florence). But I was charmed by the Brera district, which had chic restaurants and boutiques on cobblestone streets.
As always, we were famished. Alice took us to Princi cafe and bakery, to refuel.
The warm aroma of artisanal baked goods, sweet and savory…
Focaccia, olives, tomatoes, cheese.
My favorite was the zucchini and mozzarella flatbread… ah!
The Duomo is an ultra-touristy attraction, surrounded by boring big-box stores. But this was my first time in Milan, so I had to see the Gothic cathedral in the flesh.
I had the best tour guide ever. Our conversation went something like this:
LC: Tell me about the Duomo.
SS: It’s called the Duomo, and it’s a biggggg church.
LC: What’s the story behind that pyramid?
SS: Ah yes. It’s a biggg triangle.
We met up with my cousin, who happened to be in Milano at the same time. I’m wearing a rose hoodie and wolf bag, gifted from Iron Fist.
Apparently, we are all over Weibo, the Chinese Twitter-like service. You may recognize these photos from the Luisaviaroma fashion blogger event in Florence.
Want to see more of our Italy travel adventures? All the posts so far are in this blog category.
PS: Thanks to popular blog College Fashion for including me in their Blogger Inspiration interview series.
PPS: Hugs to Cait Banfield for the fanart drawing inspired by this photoshoot! I love how cuddly my cat looks. Send your Carmina/Basil drawings to me and I’ll post them on my blog.
Have you been to Milan before? What did you think of the city? Did you have any memorable Italian meals?
Song of the Day: Assemblage 23 – Ground
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GOTHIC LOLITA SHOP SPIDER IN HONG KONG. SHOPPING IN MONGKOK: BEST CHEAP DISCOUNT CLOTHES, ANIME OTAKU MALLS.
Wanna know all about Gothic Lolita Punk shops in Hong Kong? With photos, access and more? I know you’ve been waiting for this post, and here it is.
Spider is one of my favorites Gothloli clothing brands. Two sweet sisters run the small Mongkok shop. They design all the fashion, with close attention to detailing, and produce in small runs.
The clothes tend to be on the Gothic Punk side, which suits me perfectly. I love the corset lacing, punk plaids, and frills.
Certain persons on the Internet complain that shorter skirts “aren’t proper Lolita.” I say — open your mind; the designs are wonderful and can be styled into a lovely Gothic Lolita look. Plus, Seba looks great in short skirts!
I bought these three items and the rose skirt, and wear them constantly (you’ve probably glimpsed them in my outfit posts). If you’re in Hong Kong and can only make it to one destination, I hope it’ll be Spider. Please say hi to owners Natalie and Queenie for me.
Spider is located at shop 130, King Wah Centre, 628 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Map) Tel: (852) 2740 9366
Mongkok is our favorite Hong Kong district for shopping. (Take the subway there and explore the Nathan Road area). There are so many little malls that sell bright, alternative, trendy street style — at insanely low prices. Our favorite is:
Argyle Centre Mall, 688 Nathan Road in Hong Kong (map).
This “Gothic Lolita & Punk” store is located at Shop 67, 1F in Argyle Centre. However, Mongkok stalls move around constantly; they’re open one week and closed the next. Instead of worrying about finding specific stores, I recommend exploring at random. You’ll undoubtedly come across alternative fashions.
Mongkok’s clothes aren’t the highest quality (comparable to, say, Forever 21). However, the styles are way ahead of the curve, and prices are incredible: you’ll rarely pay more than $5-15 US for any clothing item.
Now you know why Hong Kong is shopping paradise! You can find items straight out of your favorite Japanese fashion magazines, but for a fraction of the price.
Such as Miffy the Rabbit plush goods, spooky artwork, and vintage snake-skin bags.
Or circle contacts, cyber fashion, patterned tights, cute stationery.
Hong Kong’s Goth scene is basically nonexistent (there are no club nights or gatherings). However, you can find Gothic/alternative items in the Mongkok mix — such as this jewelry, guarded by Edward Scissorhands.
Don’t you want it all? Amazingly, you can! The Rilakkuma bear top, for example, costs $8 US. Of course, it’s not an authentic product. We’re in China, after all.
Want to learn more about Hong Kong’s Gothloli and kawaii fashion? Check out my Hong Kong Gothic Lolita guide.
What do you think — is Mongkok shopping heaven? Which items in this post would you most like to own?
Song of the Day: God Module – Sections
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LA CARMINA
