Still, in Milan, there is a longstanding department store called Rinascente that’s located right next to the Milan Cathedral. It’s in a historical eight-story building that’s as imposing as any tourist attraction. Aside from Rinascente, there’s the department store Coin, which is geared more towards the average shopper. It’s in the same area, but in a commercial part of town a bit apart from the cathedral rather than right next to it. It also tries to present an innovative new image instead of being inside a historical building.
If you walk into Rinascente or Coin, you’ll see the makeup section on the first floor—which gives it a pretty similar feel to a Japanese department store. But just when you start to think that it’s no different than a department store you’d find in any country, you realize that the similarities stop there. For example, if you go into the underground floors, you won’t see a bustling department store food market like you do in Japan. Food items are pretty much only sold at grocery stores or markets here, so any food items sold in Rinascente or Coin are likely tucked away in a corner somewhere. The other floors primarily sell clothing and apparel or household goods.
The biggest difference is the undergarment area. When I first set foot inside Coin, I was shocked to see that the undergarments took up an entire floor. I realized that the Italians don’t see them as daily necessities, but as a fashion item in themselves, designed to accentuate beauty. I then learned from friends and coworkers that it was entirely normal for men to buy their partners undergarments as presents. I was impressed by how high the demand was for them as gifts. They certainly come in a variety of designs, many of them quite tasteful.
Italian TV commercials, advertisements, magazines, and shows certainly highlight the sexiness and elegance of undergarments, which makes consumers more eager to buy them. One of the attractions is having a wide variety of undergarments to choose from depending on the occasion—from comfortable daily wear to luxury items that you would only wear on a special evening. There are numerous Italian undergarment brands, many of them known throughout the world—and you can see that women tend to enjoy picking out pieces. Italian women work hard to keep up their appearance even as they age, seeing undergarments as a form of self-expression and taking the time to select colors, materials, and designs they like. Self-care is firmly rooted in the culture.
Incidentally, I was interested to learn that the Italian custom is to wear red underwear for the New Year. The department stores and lingerie shops are packed with red pieces in December—for men as well as women. It comes from the traditional belief that wearing red undergarments on the New Year brings good luck.
So if you decide to celebrate the New Year in Italy, don’t forget to bring your red undies!
