SHOPPING IN MILAN IS STEPPING INTO THE FUTURE. Newborn styles, fresh from the showrooms of megastar designers, fill the city’s fabulous shop windows. It’ll take a while for these fashions to appear in stores back home, so whatever you buy here will be sensational for a couple of seasons.

The city is a teeming cauldron of energy, a fashion kingdom that rose to power in the 1970s. Here Italy’s old-time traditions of tailoring and craftsmanship are transformed into a spectacular industry.

And everybody looks so good! Women walk down the street as if they’ve just stepped off a fashion-show runway. And then there are all those handsome soccer players, as Milan is home to Italy’s two top teams.

You’ll inevitably begin your Milan explorations at The Galleria, the city’s heart. It’s the world’s oldest mall, rising in neo-classical splendor between the Duomo and La Scala opera house. The very first Prada store is the highlight here. Though Milanese call it the “Tourist’s Prada,” it’s still a beautiful place to peek into: two floors of exquisite stuff created from the vision of Miuccia Prada, the reigning Queen of Italian Designers.

Miuccia’s grandfather founded Prada in 1913, making leather bags and suitcases. At first, Miuccia (born in 1949) couldn’t care less about her family’s old-fashioned business. She went to university for a Ph.D. in Political Science and then on to theater school for five years and performed mime in the streets. During that phase, she was also an outspoken Communist and rallied hard for women’s rights.

In 1978 she inherited the company, which was on the financial skids. The same year, she married Patrizio Bertelli. He took over the marketing, while encouraging Miuccia to design. What she ultimately came up with in 1985 turned Prada’s fortunes around: a simple, sleek, black nylon handbag. Since then, her runway shows have been media sensations, with styles that range from austere to outrageous. Always a lover of the avant garde, Miuccia spreads the mega-fortunes of her company around, with a foundation that supports and exhibits contemporary artists.

Upstairs from the Prada men’s shop in the Galleria is the perfect place for a shopping break: Marchesi 1824, a branch of Milan’s beloved pastry shop, that’s designed like an elegant jewelry box.

If you’re pressed for time, the Rinascente department store is right around the corner from the Galleria, with seven floors of beautiful designer clothing and housewares. Best of all is its rooftop food halls and Obika mozzarella bar, which has a terrace that puts you eye-to-eye with the top of the nearby Duomo.

While all this is wonderful, be prepared to be blown away at the Quadrilatero della Moda, aka The Golden Rectangle. Here you’ll find the Mount Olympus of Italian designers—Dolce & Gabanna, Moschino, Versace, Armani, etc—all tucked into a few blocks of scrubbed cobblestoned streets, centered around Via Montenapoleone. I believe this is the world’s best window shopping experience—complete with price tags in the stratosphere.

Not to be missed on vias surrounding this luxurious experience is DMag Outlet (Via Bigli 4, Via Manzoni 44, www.dmag.eu), to score 40 to 60 percent markdowns on top brands.

Heading a few blocks away you get to the Brera district, bordered by Via Manzoni, Via Fatebenefratelli, and Via Bonaparte. Its history is bohemian, and it’s home to antique shops and boutique designers—such as the romantic, flowing creations of Luisa Beccaria (Via Formentini 1, www.luisabeccaria.it) and Alfonso Garlando (Via Madonnina 1, www.alfonsogarlando.it), for a fantastic choice of footwear.

The place designers love most of all in Milan is 10 Corso Como (10corsocomo.com), owned by a former editor of Italian Vogue. It’s about a ten-minute walk from Brera. When you get there, the mosaic sign up top and narrow entrance gives you the feeling that it’s a private club. Then it opens up to this elegant courtyard where there’s a garden restaurant/cafe, and upstairs photography galleries and a huge art bookshop. Best of all is the warehouse-sized dazzling store packed with designer goodies—from clothing to housewares. There’s even a three-room B&B. Close by is the Corso Como Outlet (Via Tazzoli 3), where items from seasons past are discounted.

In another direction from Piazza Duomo (southwest), you can discover Cinque Vie, the historic heart of Milan, that was a trade center during the Roman era. From its center, you’ll discover an enticing labyrinth of narrow streets full of great shopping experiences such as Wait and See (Via Santa Marta 14, www.waitandsee.it), a delightful vintage shop housed in a former eighteenth-century convent.

Golden Day: Shop and stop for caffè where your desires lead you. Get to the roof of Rinascente department store (Piazza Duomo) at sunset, settle into the terrace of Obikà mozzarella bar, and enjoy the beautiful light show over the Duomo rooftop statues.

TOURS

Select Italy (www.selectitaly.com) offers great guided shopping tours of Milan that they can custom design to your tastes. They also can arrange for special entrances to stores during sales weeks, and private visits to ateliers.