Milan Boutiques' Christmas Windows

With Christmas Upon Us We Take a Tour of Some of the Most Beautiful Boutique Windows in Milan

Milan department store La Rinascente covered its facade in icy blue lights. (Photo via vogue.it)

From New York to Paris, Toronto to Milan, Christmas is the time when boutiques and department stores allow their creativity to flow right onto the sidewalks outside their shops. Whether designers are making statements or stores are trying to draw in customers, Christmas windows (or vetrine di Natale as they are called in Italian) are usually the talk of the town because of their glitz and glamour. Milan, a city famous for its fashion, is obviously no different. From designers like Armani and Moschino to department stores and international companies like Cartier and Ralph Lauren, the Christmas windows in Milan this year are full of beauty, creativity, humor and messages.

Cartier in Milan (Photo via vogue.it)

Lights are one of the main ways stores decorate their buildings for the holidays. While several storeys of blue-white lights on the outside of a department store reminds one of Alpine mountains and glaciers, the lit-up bow hugging Milan's Cartier boutique can lead to thinking of nothing else but opening one of the company's trademark red boxes on Christmas morning. Cartier's glitzy red-and-gold window displays have also been framed in lush garland bedecked with lights and gold present boxes.

Last year the window that created the most buzz was undoubtedly Moschino's very tongue-in-cheek display, which was very in tune with the overall ethos of the Italian fashion house. The windows featured Santa Claus (Babbo Natale) reclining in his psychiatrist’s office, obviously the recession has caused some stress for Jolly Ol' Saint Nick. Not surprisingly the lady doctor is dressed in a sharp grey Moschino suit. And while that window had people talking well into the New Year, in 2010 Prada's artful, Baroque-style vetrinas are having the same effect. The simple windows feature Prada accessories and mannequins framed by orante frames--a rich, opulent look for Christmas.

Moschino in Milan: The Most Talked About Window of 2009 (via milan.repubblica.it)

Isaia, a tailoring firm from Naples, added garbage bags to their Christmas display to remark on the current garbage problem in Napoli. The stacks of trash and newspapers are all tied in giant red bows and positioned near mannequins in gorgeous tuxedos, a stark juxtaposition to be sure. Another of the store's windows features a Christmas tree fashioned completely out of black garbage bags. These thought provoking windows are quite different from the minimal ones seen at shops like Armani and Missoni, where the holidays seem to have arrived with a whisper.

Aspesi Christmas Window in Milan (via vogue.it)

Ralph Lauren's Milan store is a nod to the tasteful elegance the brand is known for. Lit garland cascades from the three floors of balconies above the shop's entrance, creating a warm and sophisticated holiday feel perfect for getting into the festive spirit. Aspesi, meanwhile, appears to be sending quite a clear message about the meaning of the season with their window. While Christmas is about giving--gifts and otherwise--the thatched roof manager in the Aspesi boutique is a good reminder that it is also about much more.

For more beautiful Christmas windows in Milan visit the Vogue Italia site.

From everyone here at Life in Italy we wish you a very Merry Christmas! Buon Natale!