Aspesi knows how to set a scene. From Bologna and Berlin in the west to Hyogo and Hiroshima in the east, Aspesi stores are artfully, unapologetically striking. The store in Milan, for example, is all brushed concrete and sheet metal, with moody black and white portraits gazing down over the bold and bright overstuffed couch and cushions. Giant murals line the walls with masked masqueraders peeping through ornate archways. You almost forget you came here for the clothes. But the clothes suddenly appear, in pride of place, artfully strewn and arranged on rails.

For all the trendiness of the store, the clothes are classic; timeless styles in flawless fabrics, with collections for both men and women on offer. Aspesi is a great addition to the already sartorially star-studded street of Via Montenapoleone; one of the streets in Milan’s famous Quadrilatero d’Oro (the “Golden Rectangle”). The shopping in this area is the stuff of legends (and healthy bank accounts), with Aspesi Milano being in such company as Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton; a heady shopping combo, indeed.