Viktor & Rolf

Location: Milan

The big selling point: A boutique that will turn your world upside down…literally.

What's in store: Known for their quirky takes on classic silhouettes, Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are fashion's merry pranksters. The pair's first boutique, located in Milan's über-glam Golden Triangle, is a gravity-defying example of how far these guys will go to be different. Everything that should be on the floor is attached to the ceiling, and the ceiling has become the floor, complete with an elaborate chandelier. Look up to see elaborate parquet floors, neoclassic chairs, and a log-filled fireplace—plus a TV broadcasting past Viktor & Rolf fashion shows, also upside down. In the midst of it all, the clothing (think convention with a twist, such as a crisp white shirt overlayed with a dozen starched collars) hangs the right way up from racks set into the walls. It has an upmarket fun house feel, and the dreamlike spectacle leaves you a bit giddy when you step back out into the real world.

Rub shopping shoulders with: Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Gwen Stefani, Rufus Wainwright, editors of edgy culture publications, international art stars.

Treat yourself: A flacon of the new Viktor & Rolf men's fragrance, Antidote, $65; a voluminous peasant-top dress that looks straight out of a Vermeer painting, $1750.

Viktor & Rolf
14 Via Sant'Andrea
Tel: 39 02 796 091