Ethan In Italy: The Dolce Vita at Lake Como

This trip was the first time I’ve had to do a layover (Newark on the way there, Detroit on the way back) as well as landing somewhere that wasn’t our full destination. I say that because after about 14 hours of traveling (broken up into five and nine hour flights with a 4 hour layover), our big party landed in Milan. Almost immediately, we went to the downtown area for my brother, my stepdad Richard, and Ty (Richard’s youngest son) to get fitted for their rental tuxedos. Remember that we were in Italy for a wedding!

I obviously don’t have much to say about rental tuxedos, but let’s just say that I’m glad that I took the opportunity to commission one from Dave. The rental shop, which functions as a costumer and even a bespoke tailor (at least going by the cutting boards and the books of Loro Piana fabric), was incredibly small. I could tell that the shopkeepers weren’t expecting to fit everyone at once! Richard, Camden, and Ty were all wearing different styles of tuxedos due to availability and after a few fitting adjustments, they ended up looking pretty good! Perhaps it’s because I don’t usually see any of them in any semblance of tailoring, but I could tell that they felt good in their tuxedos…even if it was just to make my mom happy for the big day.

While we waited for them to complete the adjustments (we were going to bring the tuxes with us to Lake Como), Isabel and I quickly explored the immediate Milan area. I was immediately reminded of Rodeo Drive, simply due to all the luxury and designer boutiques. Peppered between them were dozens of restaurants, cafes, and gelaterias, each quite tempting since all we had eaten for the past day was airline food.

My first meal in Italy ended up being one of those local places and was a very delicious rigatoni; I also started with a caprese salad with some prosciutto. We even branched out and had sparkling water, as we knew that if we wanted “regular”, we’d have to specifically ask for still. Once we were filled up on pasta, we pilled into a van that took us to Lake Como where my mom’s ceremony was to be held that weekend.

Day One

My WWI Chinos (and underwear) drying on the balcony.

I’m not sure what I expected, but Lake Como was absolutely gorgeous. The only American beach towns I’ve been to are the ones in Orange County and Santa Monica and this blows them all out of the water. Old buildings, local businesses, and cafes on cobblestone streets that lead directly to the water. Perhaps now I can see the appeal of WM Brown and Yolo Journal. This place is ripped right out of menswear (or luxury) lifestyles. Again, I can’t understate how incredibly lucky I was to have had the opportunity to visit a place like this, let alone to share it with my family and my significant other.

The first thing I did when I got into my hotel room was to shower and change. We had been traveling for a full day and I felt gross. Since this was a beachy place with a tiny balcony, I actually used it to wash and dry my clothes; it was a necessary chore if I ever intended to wear my travel pants during the trip, let alone repack them for the subsequent legs of the journey.

By this point, it was about 5 or 6 in the evening and as you can see in the photos, the sun was still out and shining. I changed into what would basically be my uniform during the trip: a striped tee shirt, my navy suit jacket (made of breezy crispaire), and big pants (that day it was pleated, brown wool trousers). This combo, combined with my trusty yellow-clear sunglasses definitely got that mid century vacation vibe which definitely fit the scene.

Isabel and I took that first evening and walked around Varenna, which was the specific town of Lake Como we were at (I didn’t know Lake Como was so big and encapsulated dozens of lakefront towns). While it wasn’t uncomfortably crowded, the streets were indeed full of tourists, both from inside and outside of Italy. The scene of aperol spritzes being drunk next to plates of pasta and steaks would be repeated at every city we went to, but the fact that this was at Lake Como just felt right. It was the perfect introduction to our Italy trip.We actually didn’t drink anything that night, instead opting for a cheap gelato which we consumed right near the water. I’m usually a cup guy (who loves to eat his ice cream), but since this was the Dolce Vita, I went with a cone and licked the scoops at my leisure. There were no game campaigns to read, no art criticism to read (and translate to menswear), no blogs to write. There was just the sunset and gelato.

My fit! Simple, appropriate, and still feels like me.

@ethanmwong
This place is beautiful! Also, always good to dres like yourself even on vacation. Im surprised i got it all, even without checking in anything! #fashion #menswear #menstyle #italy #vacation #vlog
♬ original sound – Ethan M. Wong

I love Isabel’s style! That linen jacket used to be mine until I grew out of it.

We walked through Varenna as much as we could before deciding on a place for gelato (there were so many shops).

These ferries would take you to other towns in Lake Como.

We ran into my brother and his boyfriend enjoying a nice dinner!

Day Two

The next day, we woke up a little early to ensure we ate some breakfast. The Cipressi, the hotel that we stayed at, had their eating area facing the ocean which made for an incredible view (though I’m sure every hotel in that area does the same thing). We also woke up early in order to catch a pre-lunch to Bellagio, a bigger town across the lake.

My outfit for this day was expectedly similar to the previous one mainly because I’m literally wearing the same shirt. I only wore it for a few hours, so why not do it again? To change it up, I opted for the full navy suit and swapped the loafers for my deck shoes (for comfort). Again, this really accomplished the menswear vacation vibe I was after while staying true to Casual Ethan. Though I guess this isn’t a casual suit-approximation but simply a suit lol.

I would dress like this in LA if I didn’t just love wearing ties and collared shirts!

As you probably expected due to the name, Bellagio isa big tourist spot that is full of restaurants, shops, and a few historical places to visit. My mom and her crowd immediately set off to shop and eat lunch, but Isabel and I decided to first visit the church near the top of the hill. You’ll see later that churches made up a big part of our personal itinerary due to the architecture, history, and the beautiful artwork that lies within. Isabel is also Catholic, so there was an additional context for each of our church visits!

The shops within Bellagio are a mix of tourist traps and artisanal makers (if you’re not counting luxury stores like Max Mara), though I had trouble differentiating the two. Each one had quirky or unique products that honestly felt very compelling, whether they were wood toys or handmade pastas that were packaged right there in the store, ready for you to take home. There wasn’t much in the way of tailoring, though there were a handful of silk product merchants that included neck ties. I don’t think that many of them sell many of them, as the font and graphic design of the labels show that much of the ones on display were from the 80s or 90s. Some of these were nice (being foulards and geometrics) and were even cheap (under €30) but I didn’t feel like buying any. The ones that did tempt me were the knit ties (but I passed because I have plenty already) and the hand painted ones, which had kitschy but still fun designs.

That’s not to say that we didn’t buy anything. Isabel and I found a merchant that sold Kilim rugs. Based on the very affordable prices (€30 for cotton and about €200+ for wool) , they didn’t seem like they were vintage but the pieces were beautiful nonetheless. We had thankfully packed a duffle for us to check any purchases back home, so Isabel and I each got a rug. I think it was quite funny that my first purchase in Italy wasn’t menswear at all, though you could say that rugs are menswear-adjacent.

Our priority were the Melzi Gardens, which was a ten minute walk away from the shops. It’s a small botanical garden that also features some old buildings, a church, sculptures, and a museum detailing the creation of the estate. It was a cool place that served as as break from all the shops and alleys full of people drinking wine.

Once the afternoon hit, Isabel and I joined the rest of my family on the ferry back, where we split off again to have dinner. It was here that I had my first spritz, though it was a creation of the restaurant rather than an Aperol one. I also ordered the steak as a bit of a preview of what I’d expect to eat once we got to Florence. Not to worry— I had some of Isabel’s pasta as well!

We adjourned back to the hotel to rest before going back out for a nightcap and some gelato. However, God hates plans and I found myself face to race with a big downpour. We didn’t want our evening to go to waste (I had also changed into a suit and tie), so we shared a glass of wine and read in the hotel bar before going to sleep.

Thankfully the rain had abetted, because the next day was my mom’s wedding!