Milan Fashion Week beyond the runway

For one week each season, Milan becomes a city of packed schedules, crowded streets and fashion moments. But beyond the shows and front rows, there is another side to the city: hidden courtyards, historic buildings, neighbourhood bars, and the unexpected places where people come together.
 
For this September’s Milan Fashion Week, we asked Alessandra Pellegrino of AD Italia to explore the city through her own lens – from a CWH Soho House x adidas Originals opening night event to some of the week’s most memorable fashion, food, design, and nightlife experiences.

Cities Without Houses x adidas Originals 
A historic billiards hall just steps from the Darsena, with 25 pool and billiards tables, was the starting point for our Cities Without Houses Milan Fashion Week kick-off party, in partnership with adidas Originals. A cocktail in hand, a game of billiards, international DJ sets, and photos in the automatic photobooth – it was the perfect beginning to Fashion Week: informal, slightly nostalgic and unmistakably Milanese. 
 
Beyond the fashion
Fashion Week naturally means clothes, but for Alessandra Pellegrino, the spaces surrounding them are just as important. From the new House of Dior in the Quadrilatero della Moda to Prada Galleria beneath the dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan’s architecture became part of the story. At Prada, a hidden underground passage was transformed into an exhibition space, while Loro Piana took over the historic Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense for its show. At Moschino, models crossed the rooftop of a car park in Rogoredo, turning the city itself into the backdrop.
 
Milan after dark
Away from the shows, Fashion Week takes on a different rhythm. There was an aperitivo at Bar Basso, home of the Negroni Sbagliato, followed by pizza, late-night conversations and a stop at Nòtt, a listening bar and cultural space for a more nocturnal side of the city. By the end of the week, the dance floor at Rocket offered another change of pace, with sets from Justin Strauss, Goldie and Pascal Moscheni bringing the week to a close.
 
The spaces in between
The most memorable moments weren’t always on the official schedule. They were found in the places between shows: an unexpected conversation, a new address, a piece of design discovered by chance or a door that would normally stay closed. For Pellegrino, that became the thread running through the week – looking beyond the fashion itself to the people, places and creative communities that make Milan what it is.

Opening soon: Soho House Milan
The week offered a glimpse of the creative energy that makes Milan an important part of the international Cities Without Houses community. Soon, members will have another place to connect in the city. Set inside the former Cinema Arti building between Piazza San Babila and Corso Indipendenza, Soho House Milan will be our second House in Italy, opening in late 2028. Spanning six floors, it will bring together indoor club spaces, a rooftop terrace and pool, a Soho Health Club, more than 50 bedrooms, and a collection of work by artists born, trained or based in Milan.
 
Until then, CWH members can continue to experience Milan through regular mixers, cultural moments and One Night Only experiences – and when the House opens, become part of its founding community. From CWH gatherings to the city’s wider creative scene, Milan is already a place for creative connection. In 2028, Soho House Milan will build on that community with a new home in the city.
 
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