Milan's Best Trattorias Combine Personality With Panache

Owing to Milan's international character, finding all kinds of first-rate food from sushi to Indian dosas is certainly easier than in Rome or Florence, and in its number of Italian regional trattorias and ristoranti you'll find Milan dotted with entries from Sicily, Tuscany, Liguria, Abruzzo and, of course, its own region of Lombardy.

         Many have been in the city a long time, and the local favorites are certainly more interesting than the tourist-favored places within the Galleria. Since Milan is such a fashionable city, the concierges tend to steer foreign visitors to the most stylish and most expensive spots—some good, some merely expensive—like Pacifico, Niko Romito, Torre in the new Prada building, the Armani Ristorante and Dolce & Gabbana's Bar Martini.

         Good or not, those are decidedly not where the Milanesi eat regularly. Smaller trattorias are more their style and cheaper.

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Macao Is The Fashionable Playground For The Young And Rich In China

The mainland Chinese market has an insatiable appetite for all things beautiful and bespoke. According to Dr. Daniel Langer, CEO of Équité (a luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm), they are the Nouveau Riche and "disrupting (the) luxury (industry) the most." He explains that "the youngest customers now have the highest expectations toward luxury brands...in China, more than 80 percent of luxury goods are bought by consumers under 40, including a rapidly increasing share of Gen Zers, who are all 20 years old or younger." And nowhere is this more apparent than in Macao, China - the "Vegas of Asia"- and a vast playground for the wealthy Chinese.

According to Lily Cheng (Director of Public Relations for Sands Resorts Macao) the number one demographic for those seeking a "staycation/getaway" are from Mainland China, who apparently have plenty of hedonistic desires in need of satisfying.

In trying to navigate the future of luxury, it's been the objective of Sands Resorts and its family of brands to carve out an enduring space in an otherwise volatile market; so they are not only appeasing needs, but attempting to anticipate and anchor them as well. With 8 hotels (and growing) to choose from and their combined 12,000+ rooms, properties are frequently upgrading their respective "luxe life" to remain top-of-mind, experiential and "Instagram-worthy". Moreover, "because competition is so keen in Macao - and the standards of hospitality so high - in order to differentiate ourselves, we need buildings and properties that are iconic and easily identifiable," explains Joyce Chiu, Senior Public Relations Manager for Sands China Ltd.

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A Slow Fashion Brand Celebrating Asian Women

Natasha Sumant was working as a freelance art director in New York when she started exploring South Asian feminism.

"I found that there was a hole in the market and nothing was really speaking to us," Sumant, who is 28, tells Forbes.

Gundi is a Hindi expression used for women who aren’t considered ladylike - or for female thugs.

"Gundi Studios is a progressive brand that celebrates outspoken South Asian womxn in motherland and diaspora," Sumant explains. "Gundi is the Hindi word for female-thug or gangsta, a colloquialism used to describe girls who misbehave. The brand was founded in response to the lack of representation in media of assertive and independent South Asian women."

Sumant had designed a piece of typography reading "Gundi" and had embroidered it onto a patch, and featured the patch on fashion shoots, which gained traction on social media.

"They really resonated with people, so I started selling the patches to others to pin onto their clothing and claim the word Gundi for themselves too.

"I started buying up vintage jackets and selling those with the patches pre-pinned. When I realized that people preferred buying the jackets over the patches alone, I decided to launch a collection that would enable people to wear their values. I moved back to India in 2018 to design our first collection, and build out our supply chain."

Gundi Studios’ products are handmade in India, and clothes are produced in small batches. Sumant’s hope is to turn the fast fashion industry on its head, by not just producing clothing, but also running a media outlet on the brand’s site - which includes producing short narrative films.

"Our streetwear is created in a women-led supply chain, and our media addresses issues related to gender and postcolonialism. Women are often victims of the fast fashion industry on both the demand and supply side—advertising regularly plays off female insecurities to generate demand for products made by disenfranchised (and often female and South-Asian) garment workers.

"Our clothes are made to last by a small and dedicated team of artisans, embroiderers and tailors based in India."

The studio uses aari, zari and cut dana techniques which are traditionally used on sarees and burkhas, but brings them into the modern day with streetwear-inspired styles.

Sumant said her company’s target audience is similar to that of NorblackNorWhite and Brother Vellies, who both merge design with sustainability and traditional techniques. "But we talk to the South Asian market in a way that is very different to others," she adds. "Our campaigns and content speak to a market of underground South Asian diaspora. We make streetwear that takes sustainability, and traditional craft techniques into consideration and our supply chain is womxn led and womxn run."

Sumant’s biggest challenge has been creating an ethical supply chain and employing South Asian women at "every level" of the business.

She says there are "real systemic problems" within the garment industry in India and while it’s quite easy to find a factory that will make anything for you, it is hard to find ethical spaces.

"In India, on the factory floor womxn often occupy lower positions of hand embroidering, hand sewing or using machines. Pattern cutters are almost always men. Embroiderers that can do our signature zari embroidery work are almost always men, so it was a challenge finding skilled women who could execute our designs."

The types of embroidery the company uses require long stretches of uninterrupted time, which Sumant says explains why it is often the domain of male artists who have fewer responsibilities at home, and therefore more time to invest.

After dedicating most of 2019 to finding ethical partners, Sumant can now say her supply chain is "100% womxn led and womxn run".

The collection and feminist artwork has already hit Mumbai, New York and London, and going forward Sumant hopes to continue growing her audience.

"We’d like to get more of our pieces into consumer’s hands so that we can provide the women working at our production partners with as much meaningful work as possible.

"We’re also going to keep making work that uses eastern craft techniques and recontextualises South Asian art forms into genres and styles that can be seen across fashion and not just the "ethnic" section of Anthropologie stores and Free People."   wedding dresses

The Clothing Rental App That Wants To End Fast Fashion

Brits purchase more clothing than any other European country, spending £2.7 billion ($3.5 billion) on fashion that they only wear once.

The founder of a fashion technology company called By Rotation is hoping to change consumer habits, and help the planet to boot.

U.K.-based, India-born and Singapore-raised Eshita Kabra came up with the idea when she was planning her honeymoon.

"I turned to social media for ideas on what to wear, and always saw influencers on social media wearing beautiful clothing—often only once—in idyllic settings. I started to wonder if these items were gifted from the brands themselves or bought just for the photo, and what would happen to them after."

Kabra didn't want to follow the footsteps of Rent the Runway, or China's YCloset, as she wanted to "build a sustainable community, rather than a cheaper alternative to dressing new."

By Rotation launched via a beta platform in April 2019, while 28-year-old Kabra was still working full time at a hedge fund.

Kabra says her company differs from players like Rent the Runway, or U.K. companies such as Girl Meets Dress, Front Row, and Our Closet, as they are the "U.K.'s first and only fashion rental app."

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7 Affordable Tips For A Fabulous Same-Sex Wedding

Wedding season is upon us, and same-sex couples across the country want to make their special day as unique and special as they are. With many of these couples funding their same-sex weddings, what options do they have to make their day memorable? How can they avoid letting their wedding ruin them financially?

Palifroni’s been planning same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies since before marriage equality in June 2015. She’s seen the evolution of these ceremonies and says same-sex couples are growing more comfortable just with the idea of throwing their own wedding. They’re embracing it more, whereas initially many were wrapping their heads around the concept that weddings were actually an option for them.


Palifroni says, “We’re loving that more LGBTQ couples are reaching out and saying, ‘Yes, we do want to have a wedding. We do want to have a celebration. And, what does that look like for us?’”

When asked if same-sex weddings are becoming more traditional in look and feel now that we’re four years into Federally recognized same-sex marriages, Palifroni says no. “The thing about weddings today is there are no rules anymore, and that goes for opposite and same-sex weddings,” she says. Palifroni continues, “Once you have all the base pieces together—who, what, where, when—it’s really up to the couple to add in their own personality.”
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Dom Pérignon's Head Winemaker Looks To The Future

The future at Dom Pérignon is, dare we say, as bright and bubbly as a glass of its signature wine.

This year marks a turning point for one of the best-known names in Champagne. In 2018, longtime chef de cave Richard Geoffroy announced he would step down after a storied 28 years as the head of the storied wine house. Vincent Chaperon took over as Dom Pérignon's chef de cave at the start of 2019.

A scant six months into his new tenure, Chaperon is at an inflection point for Dom Pérignon, releasing vintages that have been waiting in the wings for their moment, while also looking ahead to the future.

Chaperon has been at Dom Pérignon for years, working closing with Geoffroy, so he's well-versed in the house philosophy. "I'm really at the front line," Chaperon says, of getting used to his new role. "It's really intense. This year has been very exciting. Still, I need a little bit of time to find my own path."

One issue on the horizon, for Chaperon as well as anyone working in agricultural products, whether it's wine or coffee production: Variance in temperatures due to climate changes.

In terms of wine, the harvest time (historically in mid- to late September) is now sometimes earlier, and it means grapes don't always develop the way they have in the past.

"Globally, we can see that the harvest is advancing," Chaperon says. "For 20 years, it has been earlier and earlier. It is simply explained by the fact that the climate is warming. As it gets warmer, the vine cycle is shorter."

The harvest will vary by year to year; in 2019, for example, harvest is projected to take place after September 15, based on recent cool temperatures.

"Weather is changing. It's moving, but on the other hand, it's always been part of our job," he adds, noting that Reims, in the north part of France is used to harsh climates. "Champagne is used to building its model on an aggressive climate. It's a persistent adaptation."

Global changes in weather over the next century will determine if Champagne in general, and Dom Pérignon in particular, will ever have to change grape varietals, to say, grapes that can withstand harsher winters and earlier harvests. Still, if and when that happens, it won't be for several more decades in the future.

Right now, Dom Pérignon is only made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and they only produce vintages, as they have always done since the 1700's; Chaperon doesn't see that changing during his tenure. "One day, perhaps in 20, 30 years, we [may] have to change [grape varietals], you never know," Chaperon says. "Everything is moving around us. If it happens, you need to be really clear on who you are and what you are."

In the meantime, the house is celebrating the release of a special new vintage, the Vintage 2002 Plénitude 2, which was released last month. It is the secondary expression of the previously released 2002 Vintage. To create the Plénitude 2, however, part of the same 2002 stock was kept in the cellars longer, and therefore in longer contact with the lees, or yeast.

"All of our wines are going through a moment in their lives that we call 'plénitude,' " Chaperon explains. "The wines are not transforming themselves in a linear way. They grown in stages, let's say, windows of expression, which we call 'plenitude.' "

Giving the wines, in this case the 2002 vintage, more time in the cellar means granting wines extra time to develop complexity and flavors. "The Plenitude 2 is a stage of more intensity and more maturity," Chaperon says. "The wine is unfurling its personality. We feel it's really alive. It's showing a lot of energy of life."

As Chaperon looks ahead to what is likely to be the start of several decades in Champagne, he knows there will be challenges, whether from consumer tastes, economics and changing weather patterns. "We need to drive Champagne to stay at the peak of the pyramid of sparkling wine," he says. "We have to go on improving."

"Plénitude 2 is an answer to that," he adds. "We're still Dom Perignon but we offer something with more intensity, a better aging potential."

Projects like the Plénitude 2 require planning and patience. The plans for this wine began in the 1990's, under the direction of now-former chef de cave Richard Geoffroy.

"It's a long-term project," Chaperon says. "We started 30 years ago thinking about it."

"Sometimes time is constraint but it can be an advantage," he adds. "Few people today have time."