(Style · 18 Jul 2026)
Dressing for Milan in January
Fog, cold stone and short days: a field guide to the city that invented the overcoat.
Milan in January is grey, damp and five degrees. The city answers with the best-dressed street in Europe: Via della Spiga at noon.
Start with the coat. Mid-calf, single-breasted, in a colour that is not black: tobacco, camel or stone.
Under it, a fine roll-neck instead of a shirt and tie. Warmer, and the line of the coat stays clean.
“In Milan the coat is the outfit. Everything under it is a detail.”
Trousers slightly wide and slightly short, so the shoe shows. Leather soles are fine; cobblestones are not slippery when dry.
Shoes: a brogue boot in cognac, waxed. It survives the fog and looks better every winter.
Finally, no hat. Milanese men carry their umbrella like a cane and get a little wet with dignity.
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