Broken down into geographical sections of the City, Rachael gives a history of each of these areas and insight into the shops and boutiques that reside there, with wonderful stories of the owners, designers and origins of each of them.

She has also added lovely snapshots of not only the designers who have been so influential in putting Italy and in particular Milan onto the map, but the traditions and psyche of the Milanese and their attitude and connection to style and beauty, which is as important and necessary to them, as is breathing.

The pictures throughout the book make you want to jump on a plane and walk down those streets, sit in those cafes and more importantly, to me anyway, spend hours browsing around those shops!

Each section begins with a map of the area and fantastic recommendations of where to eat and drink, to recover from your shopping spree and to sit and watch the fashionable crowd pass by. The end of the book has a great section on practical information, such as dialling codes and how to get a tram!

So - for a book to make you smile just thinking about it, add this one to your collection!

Read the full review here

Your Style Renaissance

If Milan is on your bucket list, make sure you take this well written guide along with you.

Italia Magazine June/July 2021

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One of our favorite exchange students is from a small town on the outskirts of Milan. We absolutely love visiting her! Love going into Milan and exploring all that it has to offer. Up to now, it's been a bit confusing, as we did not know exactly what each area of the city had to offer. NO MORE! Thanks to this book, my wife and I have identified several places we wish to explore. The book also explains the history and people of the different fashion zones. And even what to shop for in each area. It's just fantastic!
I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley, but will be ordering a couple of hard copies right away. One for us, the other for Giulia to use.
I cannot wait for Spring 2022 to finally visit her again, and to have an itinerary planned out beforehand!

NetGalley, Randal White

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, exquisite, knowledgeable and so easy to read. I didnt need a Milan holiday booked to enjoy this geographical wonder. ⁣
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I dont know about you, but when I'm travelling somewhere new I always pick up a travel guide, a non fiction bible of all the hidden secrets of my destination. This was perfection. The pictures were culturally rich with history and knowledge. The guide was exactly what I would want to read, when visiting Milan.⁣
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Clear, concise, factual, rich and absolutely beautiful. Any fashion loving traveller with devour this book and feel straight away the know the roads of Milan, before they've even walked them.

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Instagram, @lost_in_her_bookland

Rachael Martin gives us one of the excellent guides from the WhiteOwl publishing house. She does this by talking about Milan, a city that I love (and She obviously loves too!!!), but which is often not understood or appreciated in Italy. Rachael manages to appreciate the hidden corners of this city using the fashion key, which has made the city famous in the world. The style of the guide is perfect with clear chapters and many ideas for shopping, to delight the eyes with the beauties of a city of great artistic and architectural qualities where different periods and styles have merged. And without a doubt, as written, she appreciates and knows perfectly the Italian spirit (and the Milanese one) that she manages to convey through the descriptions of fashion characters, shops, areas to visit and also places to enjoy good food. I, almost from Milan (I was born in Trieste and moved to Milan at the age of 1) have greatly appreciated this guide, I have no doubt that readers from the rest of the world will do it too!

Read the full Italian review here

Omne Ignotum Pro Magnifico

I mean, for the type of book this is, I feel I can’t give a rating because it’s more informative that anything else. I loved it, and as Milan is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, and plan on going in the motorhome once we can, I will definitely be taking this book!

It had information on shops, like Chanel 😁 I think this is the perfect for an insight into what to expect when you go to Milan.

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Instagram, @sambooka23

First of all, I'm the first to admit I'm not the most fashionable person or well travelled but I have always loved learning about different cultures and I find Fashion really interesting and love reading about it.

The photography in this book of Fashion and of Milan is so gorgeous to look at. You're not just getting good photography, but excellent travel advice as the writer Rachel, has lived just North of Milan for over 20 years! So you know your getting local knowledge from someone with lived experience of the area.

The book itself is small & compact, it could easily fit in your bag when travelling too. The layout is easy to follow as well, with the book split geographically with sections focusing on different neighbourhoods.

It has excellent background information with great resources including shopping & eating guides, maps and cultural stops. It also has in depth historical information.

I loved learning about the Golden Quad which houses the big fashion names such as Balenciagan, Versace and Dolce and Gabbana.

I think I'd like to visit Duomo, the historical centre. The pictures look amazing and it was interesting to read about the history (and tragedy) of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. I'd also love to see Porselli where they specialise in classical dance and pointe shoes.

Overall, this was a really in depth guide to Milan that I think anyone would find helpful. It's clear a huge amount of work has gone into compiling the masses of information in this book.

This is definitely a 5 star travel guide!

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Instagram, @read.booksallday

I was happy to have a read of this for a ‘virtual’ trip to Milan! I always buy a guide book when I go somewhere new and for me the preparation and the looking forward to is a big part of the excitement of going on a holiday. I like to be able to read up in advance and know what I have to look forward to.

Holidays are short and in order to maximise the time when you arrive I want to know what to do, where to go and what to see and this book is just perfect for that. For me reading it at home, it was just so interesting to learn more about this beautiful city!

Laid out in clear sections, with colour images and glossy pages the book is beautiful. Even if you weren’t planning a trip to Milan purely for the focus on fashion there is so much more in here; clear maps, galleries, sightseeing, tips on how to get around and a guide to where to eat and drink with opening hours and websites for the eateries – who doesn’t like to look up the menu in advance?!

For those going for the fashion there’s a guide to the designer brands and shopping whilst there.

There is so much packed into this yet, it is small enough to take with you and keep in a handbag as you explore. Having the author’s knowledge packed into this guide book is like taking a local with you.


I know that the next time I travel I will be checking to see if there is a guidebook by Rachael Martin to accompany me!

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Instagram, @rutherford.reads

Every time I visit a new city, I always get a Tourist Guide before to be able to plan my stay and maximise my time exploring.

I absolutely LOVE Italy, but I haven’t ever been to Milan. Now I have read this guide, I cannot wait to be able to Travel freely again and shop ‘till I drop in Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace and more!

What I really like about this guide is that it has where to go, what to see and how to get there. It is split up into the different areas of Milan and details what you can find there, some history and so much detail – down to even the opening times for the boutiques!

The guide is clearly set out, easy to look through and has such beautiful illustration. The index at the back is super helpful and the guide is the perfect size to pop into your handbag!

Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Instagram, @asreadbydanielle

If you need one guide in your life, it's this one.

Obviously travel is very limited at the moment and has been for a while now but I'm sure you're as keen as me to get on holiday as soon as it's safe to do so. And I love Italy so I fully intend to go back there at somepoint, and Milan is top of my list after looking at this book.

This is a bit of a different tour for me but I love fashion and with summer making the odd appearance this month, I wanted to dream I was somewhere else.

A very detailed guide, full of maps and absolutely stunning pictures of clothes.

Anyone fancy a trip to Milan?

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Instagram, @duckfacekim09

Just from reading the introduction of this book, it made me want to read more and also go on my own trip to Milan. I loved how the author eases you into the book and how you get a glimpse of how important writing this book is to her.

Something that I like about this book is that it isn’t just giving you current Milan fashion, it goes through the history of fashion in Milan. I also really like how within each section of this book, it has even pieces included to tie the chapter together. I also really like how this gives different places to shop depending on the style of clothing that you are looking for. This book also includes different places in which you are able to get different meals which was great to read about.

Something else that I like about this book is that you can jump around while reading it. There is no need to go from one section to the next, you can read the portions that you are interested in and save some for later. I skipped around a bit while reading this and glimpsed over the historical pieces but still found the book just as great as when I went back and read the pieces I skipped or skimmed.

While I am not a person who is big into fashion, I did find this book easy to follow along, and found different brands to look into and places in Milan that would be cool to visit. I think this book is great for fashion lovers as well as those of us who might not be too familiar with the fashion world. I highly recommend this book to those of you who might want to explore Milan’s fashion along with their food. I also think this is a great way to explore another country right now during this pandemic where travel might not be possible for all of us.

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Unconventional Quirky Bibliophile

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have always wanted to travel and Italy has long been on the list to countries that I want to visit. This is a guidebook that I would definitely want to bring with me on such a visit. It has a lot of detail in it, so I probably wouldn't want to carry it around during the day, but I would definitely read it before a trip and during a trip depending on the plans for the day.
This guidebook is nice because it not only talks about and shows the physical locations but it talks about the history of the fashion salons and brands; the people that created them and what their focus was. The book also gives details about the hours and primary focus of the businesses talked about and how to visit them.
The book also mentions cafes and coffeeshops around the fashion area of Milan and mentions what each one specializes in and recommends a few things.
If you are planning to take a trip to Milan, I would highly recommend to both read this book before hand to get an idea of what to expect and what there is there. I would also bring it with on the trip as to not miss anything the book talks about. Even if you are not traveling, this book is full of fun facts and details that make it enjoyable in its own right.

NetGalley, Mariah Kallevig

Even if I know Milan quite well this book made me discover some new places and I found it well researched and informative.
Recommended.

NetGalley, Anna Maria Giacomasso

Milan is one of the world’s four fashion capitals. It’s the city that sent Italian fashion onto an international stage during the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, Milan Fashion Week takes its place among the big four: New York, London, Milan and Paris, in that order.

People such as Gianni Versace and his sister Donatella, Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferre, Rosita and Ottavio Missoni, Valentino, Krizia, Walter Albini, Romeo Gigli, Franco Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, and Tom Ford for Gucci have all played a part in the fashion city’s glory. Some, such as Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, are still living and working in Milan.

Martin encourages readers to savour the city. Browse Milan’s luxury fashion district. Take in some culture around the Piazza Duomo where the famous cathedral is located. Visit the museums, sit in the cafes. Walk along the streets of the different neighbourhoods. Choose a bar and relish an aperitivo.

‘The Fashion Lover’s Guide to Milan’ has a very accessible format and the author’s enthusiastic tone is refreshing. The book is highlighted with stunning photographs and includes maps. If you’re a fashion lover or traveller, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. It is also for dreamers, who don’t travel, but dream of the day they will. Compact, concise and packed full of essential information about where to go and what to do, this is an ideal guide for exploring Milan.

NetGalley, Michelle McGrane

This eye-catching little book is a fashion accessory in its own right.

Beautifully glossy and slim enough to slip into a handbag, The Fashion Lover’s Guide to Milan is a guide to shopping, eating, and taking in some of the culture of Milan. Rachael Martin, originally from the UK, fell for Italy and an Italian in the late 1990s, made the country her home, and so combines an insider’s knowledge of her local city with a visitor’s delight in all that is special about it. … In short this is not only a handy little travel companion for a future holiday or city break, it’s also a delightful book to pore over during these pandemic-restricted times, perhaps sipping Sicilian lemonade and dreaming of travel opportunities to come.

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Katrina Robinson