A visit to MICAM & Mipel in Milan
Hi all,
This past Milan fashion week I had the pleasure of attending Mipel and MICAM, the leading handbag and footwear trade shows in the world with WWD and Footwear News. I bet you can only imagine how excited I was to be under the same roof with over thousands of shoes and handbags! So here’s a quick recap and some pictures from this great trip!
MICAM & Mipel Trip in Milan
As mentioned MICAM and Mipel are the leading handbag and footwear trade shows in the world, and during the trip, we had the pleasure of discovering new brands (Fragiacomo was one of my new favorites and I fell in love with one of their black patent leather mini handbags, for example) and test out so many shoes (I know, sounds horrible 😉). In addition, I had the incredible opportunity to speak on a panel with two of my fellow influencers regarding the business of blogging, which was super fun. You can check out some of the highlights from the interview here on Footwear News . Other highlights consisted of visiting the Leu Locati workshop. He produces bags for Dior, Nancy Gonzalez and D&G among others and even designed a bag for Grace Kelly herself that I was even able to borrow (see pic below)! While there, we were able to see firsthand all of the work it takes to make a real, handmade bag.
But the icing to the cake during the shows was getting to meet Tommy Hilfiger and his wife, designer of Dee Ocleppo shoes. During the meet and greet with them we previewed her shoes and boy, are they stunning!
A Day Trip in Lake Como
Following two incredible days of the trade show, we got to explore the Lombardia region around Milan and went off on a day trip to Lake Como. No, I didn’t spot George & Amal Clooney but if you’re reading this and haven’t had the opportunity to visit this part of Italy, I highly recommend adding Lake Como to your northern Italy itinerary. This day trip to Como consisted of a boat ride on one of the most beautiful wooden boats I’ve ever seen, the opportunity to eat more delicious Italian food (I swear all I ate was pasta for a whole week), a visit to Villa d’este where we took some amazing pictures on the property, and a dinner at the new Le Sereno hotel, where apparently there is a 6-Month wait list for dinner (yes, you read that correctly)! And one secret tip for you all, is while on the boat ride, ask your driver to take you to the waterfall, you won’t regret it and I swear to this date is one of the most magical places I’ve bet seen!
All in all, it was an absolute incredible trip and we closed out the trip with a few days of Fashion shows and attended MSGM, Etro, and Moschino among others. I personally hope to be back next year and this trip only further cemented my admiration to Italy.
Hope you enjoy the pics and let me know next time you go to Milan if you want some tips!
xo,
Christie