Design for living

IF you've ever wondered what the term "fashion capital" means when it comes to describing a city then you need look no further than Milan - it's the capital of fashion capitals.

Wish team in Milan

IF you've ever wondered what the term "fashion capital" means when it comes to describing a city then you need look no further than Milan - it's the capital of fashion capitals.

As well as being the main industrial, financial and commercial centre of Italy, it's also the place where fashion is front-page news. It's a big part of the Italian economy so the locals take it very seriously.

The picture above was taken by a passer-by on Via Manzoni in the heart of Milan's fashion and luxury and fashion precinct on a very cold January day. This is the second time we've shot on the streets of Milan. Doing a fashion shoot in the middle of a city can be problematic. As well as permits and weather to contend with, you also have the curiosity of the general public to manage. People tend to either crowd around and want to know what you're doing or they just get in your shot. In a way, it's all part of the fun of working away from the comfort of your home town but, at the time, it doesn't seem that way.

Milan, however, is different. You only need to look at how the locals dress to get a sense of how different. The reason no one will look at you strangely when you're trying to take a photo of a handsome man strutting down the middle of the street like he's walking down a catwalk is because to the Milanese it's not a particularly uncommon sight. If they see you working on a fashion shoot they wait for your photographer to get the shot before they walk into the frame or, as is the case with the above photo, they offer to help out.

And, while they might stop and stare at what you're doing, they're probably actually just critiquing the clothes. The WISH team flew to Milan, courtesy of Etihad Airways, in January in order to shoot the men's collections straight off the runway. That story will appear later in the year, closer to the clothes being available in stores. But for this issue, we shot a fashion story at the new Armani Hotel Milan.

This design-focused issue of WISH also includes a look at architect John Denton's amazing new house in Victoria and an interview with NRL legend Darren Lockyer. And if you want to know why Lockyer is in an issue of WISH that's all about architecture and design, read this.