Bal Harbour

G U T T E R C R E D I T T E E K AY BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M For devotees of Ferragamo heading to Milan, the answer to the question of where to stay may be hiding in plain sight. There is no Ferragamo sign above the door at Portrait Milano. No oversized logo in the lobby, no overt branding announcing that the hotel belongs to one of Italy's most storied fashion families. In fact, the Ferragamos prefer it that way. Understatement is part of the point. And yet, spend a few days here and it becomes impossible not to feel designer Salvatore Ferragamo's presence. His photographs line the walls. His sketches and ingenious shoe designs appear as artwork. Books chronicling his life and work are spread across a long table that practically begs you to linger. Look more closely at the patterns and shapes throughout the rooms and you begin to see echoes of his creations. The hotel's own materials describe photographs, patents, and graphics inspired by Ferragamo as part of its visual storytelling. A member of the Lungarno Collection, the hospitality company owned by the Ferragamo family, the Milan property opened three years ago as part of its Portrait brand. The company describes its philosophy as one of "ultra tailored hospitality," inspired by the same individualized approach Salvatore Ferragamo brought to designing shoes. It is a connection that becomes increasingly apparent the longer you stay; not through conventional branding, but through a shared obsession with craft, beauty, personalization, and, perhaps most importantly, knowing your client. Just the setting alone is extraordinary. Portrait occupies Milan's former Archiepiscopal Seminary, an architectural landmark whose history reaches back more than 450 years. After being largely inaccessible for decades, the monumental complex was restored by architect Michele De Lucchi, with interiors by Michele Bönan, and transformed into a destination centered around its magnificent courtyard. Walk through the grand Baroque portal from Corso Venezia and suddenly the city seems to fall away. It's a secret piazza hidden in the middle of Milan's Quadrilatero della Moda. With just 73 rooms and suites, privacy becomes paramount. The service is discreet but extraordinarily attentive. Staff members with earpieces stationed near entrances lend the place the feeling of a private residence with its own security detail. Return to your room to find handwritten notes and thoughtfully chosen books waiting. There are more than 3,000 books throughout the property, and guests are encouraged to borrow them. Past and present coexist everywhere. Bönan conceived the guest rooms with references to 1950s Milanese residences, combining Italian walnut, rattan boiserie, leather, brass, and marble with Tuscan craftsmanship. And then there is Ferragamo: The archival photographs, patents, shoe references, and graphic details quietly reveal themselves throughout the hotel. But what will stay with you most after leaving Portrait Milano isn't any single feature. It is the feeling of having been allowed inside the private world of Ferragamo. —D.F. transplanting the Milan offering, Eleventy is emphasizing super-lightweight fabrics suited to South Florida's climate, along with exceptionally fine knits in a spectrum of colors. Cashmere remains part of the mix (Baldassari notes that the brand sells it year-round), but the emphasis is on pieces that can move easily between Miami, New York, and wherever a client is heading next. That adaptability has always been central to Baldassari's idea of modern dressing. He is especially enthusiastic about Eleventy's relaxed trousers, constructed in flexible, wrinkle-resistant jersey and designed to shift from casual to polished with little more than the addition of a belt. "We have to think about the comfort and the daily life of our clients," he says. But the real luxury here may have less to do with fabric or fit than with time. Eleventy introduced made-to-measure in Milan two years ago, deliberately developing the program slowly before expanding it. "We promise something, then we have to deliver," Baldassari says. Now that the infrastructure is in place, he believes the experience is ready to travel. And experience is the operative word. A client sits down, discusses where and how he lives, what he already owns, what he needs, and what he simply wants. Measurements are taken. Fabrics are touched. Colors are considered. Baldassari describes it as moving at "a different speed," for the relationship between designer and client to become part of the process. For someone who has built Eleventy around the idea of smart luxury, it's a logical evolution. Baldassari wants to meet the client, explain the fabrics, share where they come from. "This is what makes our retail different." And the most Eleventy idea of all. As the fashion world turns its attention to Milan for the Spring/Summer 2027 collections, we step beyond the runway—and the Ferragamo boutique at Bal Harbour Shops— to discover Portrait Milano, the Ferragamo family's discreetly luxurious hotel in the heart of the city's fashion district. A PORTRAIT OF FERRAGAMO P H OTO BY M A R T I N O D I N I , C O U R T E S Y O F P O R T R A I T M I L A N O ; M U S EO F E R R AG A M O , F LO R E N C E FROM LEFT A guest suite at Portrait Milano; a Lucio Venna sketch for a 1930 Salvatore Ferragamo ad; the legendary designer with the Damigella ankle boot, designed for Sophia Loren in 1959 116 116 BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M

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