I went sportswear shopping at Fidenza Village! This is what I bought.

Girls, did you know that at Fidenza Village you can do some excellent sportswear shopping?

To be honest, I had no idea that right next to high fashion brands such as Prada or Ralph Lauren I would find some of my favorite sport brands like Nike, Salomon, Asics or New Balance … until last week, when I found out in person their wide selection of #SportPerformance!

That’s great news!!

My day started at 9:45 am when my friends and I left from Milan Piazza Duomo onboard the “Shopping Express“, the comfortable double-decker coach that directly connects the center of Milan with the renowned Shopping Village.
The coach operates every day, leaving from Piazza Duomo and also stopping at Piazza Repubblica.

In a little more than an hour, during which we chatted and laughed, there we were at our destination!

The first thing that I noticed at Fidenza Village is the architecture: it really feels like you are walking in some pretty village while window shopping, which makes everything much more pleasant than being stuck inside a shopping mall with air conditioning and loud music!

The second thing that I really appreciated was the staff: international and very kind, they immediately helped us make the most of our shopping day according to our tastes and what we were looking for.
For example I was looking for a nice outdoor running outfit that would keep me warm enough, since spring still seems to be far away..

So I focused on Salomon, a brand of excellence that I use a lot to go on the snow, and in the end I chose this beautiful purple matching outfit in windstopper fabric. How do you like it?

My friends opted for more gym-workout outfits by Asics and New Balance, alternating fluo tank tops with studded jackets by Dolce & Gabbana, and colored sneakers with high heels by Jimmy Choo! I must say I had to detain them from buying the whole village!

I couldn’t blame them actually, for when you find first-rate goods with a 70% discount … it’s almost a shame to resist! And this is precisely what distinguishes Fidenza Village, as it is NOT an outlet but a “shopping village”, part of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection by Value Retail, (whose most famous village is on the outskirts of London) that sells exactly the same garments of the same quality that you would find in a boutique in Montenapoleone, starting from last season.

You know how much I prefer to use my money on plane tickets rather than clothes, but I have to admit that even an anti-fashion heads like me cannot deny the convenience and the pleasure of having some new clothes of great designers without having to pay for a mortgage in order to afford them!
I saw the prices and they really were too good to be true…and they were true!

Since my friends kinda got that Sex & The City fever, we thought it would be wise to use the “Hands Free Shopping” service that allowed us to shop around the village without having to carry the shoppers with us, collecting all the loot at the end of the day at The Concierge, a delightful “relax” zone with some pretty vintage decor where guests can take a break, have a coffee, flick through fashion magazines and even use an ipad. Quite smart isn’t it?

I saw several (extremely stylish)  Japanese girls that also requested the DHL international shipping and the Personal Shopper service.

After the morning shopping that went from clothing to beauty to home decor, we headed for lunch at one of the many restaurants. I noticed that all of them offer high quality Italian cuisine, with local DOC products and seasonal dishes.

At Ca ‘Puccino they prepared for us a Sport Performance Menu with tons of avocado, accompanied by a delicious orange ginger carrot centrifuge. What more could three sporty ladies like us wish for?

I also found out that during the year Fidenza Village hosts various open-air artistic and cultural initiatives, such as the recent “Love The Dog Art” consisting of 50 dog statues scattered around the village decorated by the students of Como’s IED to celebrate Chinese New Year.

And it’s 5:30 already! Our Shopping Express coach is waiting for us to take us back to Milan.

What a lovely day we had! In the name of friendship, good food and shopping (sport shopping of course, I have not changed don’t worry!)

Official website: www.fidenzavillage.com