La Citta dei Saloni/ Fuori del Salone del Mobile

"It is not hard to feel like an outsider. I think we have all felt like that at one time or another." - Alan Cumming

What a huge success for the Salone del Mobile in Milan this year! The press office announced that there were 329,563 accredited global visitors at the exhibition. However, outside the main exhibit halls of the Fiera, even more people attended events accompanied by champagne, prosecco, or some other popular adult libations at the galleries in the center of Milan.

Milan is an underrated city, but I, for one, love to stroll and catch up on some of the latest fashion trends while treasure hunting with the Salone del Mobile's Fuori exhibit map. Even better, the spring Milan weather embellishes one's ever-anticipated happy mood!

Outside the exhibitions, the crowds are manageable and intriguing, even though the size has increased dramatically now that another "zona" has been added: the Zona Lambrate. While one has to bare reading the ambiguously abstract street map, provided by a sponsored publication, to locate the individually dispersed exhibits through out the center of Milan, the day is fun and the flow encourages attendees to visit the shows at their own pace with less pressure. These presentations are typically focused on launches of new products, but it is a sweet surprise when the content has nothing to do with commerce previews.

Please enjoy the snap shots taken from my stroll this year.