Shoe shopping in Milan

[moltoelegante]

Hi everyone, I will be going to Milan in a few weeks and would like to pick up some new shoes while I'm there (loafers and dress shoes in the $250-$500 range).

Can anyone recommend some must-see shops, whether small boutiques or department stores with a good collection?

Many thanks!

 

[zanci]

I would check out Barbanera.

 

[Johnny80]

if you will be in Milano, you should check Santoni shoes
Address: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, 67 Milano

 

[Angel91]

Velasca? Not the highest quality but good for the price

 

[moltoelegante]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Unfortunately Santoni is out of my price range. I have never seen a Valesca shoe so it will be interesting to have a look. I also had a look at the Barbanera website but there is no mention of a physical store and Google Maps only has one entry for Barbanera which it classifies as a 'corporate office' so they seem to be online only.

 

[Johnny80]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Unfortunately Santoni is out of my price range. I have never seen a Valesca shoe so it will be interesting to have a look. I also had a look at the Barbanera website but there is no mention of a physical store and Google Maps only has one entry for Barbanera which it classifies as a 'corporate office' so they seem to be online only.

Depends how much out of your price is..because if you see something there that you like, there are chances to have 20-30% discounts

 

[Johnny80]

And of course there is Velasca..they have a lot of range of shoes with very competitive prices

 

[moltoelegante]

Have been in Milan for a week now and had a good look around. As with any big city, cheap plastic shoes are everywhere, especially in the lower end shopping strips like Corso Buenos Aires. (Recommended to avoid in general).

There are streets full of expensive boutiques too, scattered throughout the city, but not much in the way of affordable yet quality men's shoes. You really need to make an effort to find out about them then make a special trip there as they are often small shops on side streets which can easily be missed.

Best I have found so far (for my needs) is Belfiore, at Via Belfiore 9, where decent Oxfords and loafers are around €225 ($243). I bought a pair of Oxfords and will order loafers next week when the new stocks arrive (they didn't have my size). Could easily buy 4-5 pairs here. Had to control myself

Next door to Belfiore is Cardinale which is so similar in shoe style and price that it is also recommended (I almost bought loafers there too but they didn't have my size).

If you do visit Belfiore/Cardinale, make sure to visit a great little shoe accessory shop nearby which is full of shoe trees, Saphir creams, shoe horns, laces, etc. It's "Roby Shop" at Via Francesco Cherubini, 4.

I did have a look at Valesca but left after a few minutes. I also checked out Harris but there wasn't much of interest for me.

Still haven't found a decent department/multi-brand store for men's shoes. Will check out Rinascente tomorrow and report back if it proves to be interesting.

 

[LeonVince]

Iliprandi and Stivaleria Savoia
Best of luck

 

[fabricateurialist]

boutiques, Fortalezza, Antonia, Corso Como might be to fashionable

if you want a deal in that price range hitch a ride to the Seravalle outlet - some brands adjust their prices here bc of the high volume of overseas tourists compared to other outlets in Italy

have a look around Brera, it has vastly more independent boutiques than the main shopping areas surrounding the Duomo

 

[moltoelegante]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will visit as many as I can.

Today I went to Antonio (Piazza G. Oberdan, 2) and the shoes seemed ok but it's a tiny shop and there were very few models so I didn't find anything. Oxfords and loafers were €189 ($202).

I also found "Ago e Spago" which has a mix of Blake and Goodyear constructed shoes for around €200-250. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for classic shoes around this price point. Their shop window:

 

[fabricateurialist]

would you consider reporting back on how these shoes last over time - maybe after a three-month break-in period ?

 

[RGLZ]

Eral 55

 

[RGLZ]

Eral 55

 

[moltoelegante]

I had a look at another two of the mentioned streets - Via Brera and Corso Como - but there were no men's shoe shops there that I noticed.

I finally tried Rinascente, the large department store next to the Duomo. There was a good range, including Church’s, Trickers, Crocket and Jones, Tods, Santoni, Ferragamo, Doucal’s, Sebago and Fratelli Rossetti. Most were out of my target price range but this may be of interest to others.

I had a look at Barrett and Doucals' but these seemed to be €400 and up so generally above my target range.

Stivaleria Savoia is a nice shop but I didn't find a good model/color match for me. Ready to wear at about €300 and up. Bespoke also available at around €2,000 (3 months+)

Iliprandi has a good selection of mostly English brands. Again, over my target price point but definitely worth a visit if you have more to spend. (I saw some very nice Church's and Crocket & Jones models there).

One more shop to add: Calzoleria Vitolo. They had some shoes on display (their own production if I understood correctly) and offer a bespoke service as well.

would you consider reporting back on how these shoes last over time - maybe after a three-month break-in period ?

It might not be three months exactly but once they have seen some real action I will try to remember to report back on the experience.