Caruso / Milan
Perfect tenor
One of the world’s most famous cultural venues provides inspiration for Caruso’s Milanese flagship store. Blending finely tuned tailoring with a decorative visual score to rival La Scala, the menswear destination puts its clients firmly in the spotlight.
In the heart of Milan’s Quadrilatero della Moda shopping district on Via Gesù, a street becoming a key address for luxury men’s fashion (see panel), Italian menswear label Caruso’s new flagship store draws envious looks. The Soragna-based clothier, backed by China’s largest privately owned conglomerate Fosun, aims to give discerning gentlemen a space where they can try on the brand’s suits. Caruso expects to open in Shanghai and Tokyo next year, hot on the heels of its New York and Milan debuts.
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For Milan, the interiors draw inspiration from one of the city’s signature landmarks: La Scala opera house. While the shop occupies the same building as the city’s Four Seasons Hotel, the boutique’s interior mimics the backstage of a theatre, complete with working winch and pulleys. At the entrance, shoppers are greeted by arias on the sound system, arched windows cast in Vicenza stone and flooring in cocciopesto, a technique that uses crushed earthenware mixed with plaster.
“Rather than a conventional retail space we wanted something that was a real coup de théâtre for our clients,” says Caruso ceo Umberto Angeloni (pictured, top right). Beyond red velvet curtains, clients can admire a bas-relief in wood that depicts miniature spectators in copper and silver leaf at the opera, seated below chandeliers made of mother-of-pearl.
Ready-to-wear and made-to-measure suits are available and bespoke clients can select from hundreds of fabrics ranging from gabardine to Quattroventi, a special crease-resistant, two-ply yarn developed with Loro Piana. “We have 32 staff employed full time doing r&d just on fabrics and accessories,” says Angeloni.
All-day wear is in Trio, a mohair, silk and wool blend; for summer, there is a linen bouclé blazer in blue, Angeloni’s preferred hue for jackets.