Chicago · October 2026 · Made in Italy · By Mike Lopriore
Michele Lopriore is hosting Milano on Michigan on Thursday, October 29, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 125, Chicago. Designer Mike Lopriore will be in the boutique with his puppy Miky. Aperitivo, music, light bites. No ticket, no charge.
I am flying in from Milano for one evening, and I would like you to come.
We are opening the doors of the North Bridge boutique on Thursday the 29th and turning it into something closer to what an evening looks like at home: a glass in your hand, music low enough to talk over, something small to eat, and people trying on shoes without anybody hovering. In Italy we call that an aperitivo. It is not a cocktail party and it is not a sale event. It is the hour between work and dinner when nobody is in a hurry.
My puppy Miky will be there too. He has been coming to the atelier since he was small, he has opinions about leather, and the family calls him the ShoeDog. He will be working the room.
The details
- What
- Milano on Michigan, an Italian aperitivo with the designer
- When
- Thursday, October 29, 2026, 5:30 to 8:00 pm
- Where
- Michele Lopriore, The Shops at North Bridge
520 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 125, Chicago, IL 60611
- Who will be there
- Mike Lopriore, second-generation designer, and his puppy Miky, the ShoeDog
- What we are serving
- Prosecco, Aperol spritz, Italian light bites, music all evening
- RSVP
-
shopusa@michelelopriore.com, or simply walk in. The door is open the whole time.
Bring a friend. Bring your mother. If you already own a pair of ours, bring them with you and we will clean and refresh them for you that evening while you have your drink.
What I am bringing with me
Fall 2026 is the first collection I built knowing Chicago would see it in person. The city has real weather and real streets, so nothing here is a shoe that only works getting out of a car. These are the four pairs I want you to try on with a glass in your hand.
The one on the invitation
Carolina Stiletto Boots
$595
Knee-high, cut close to the leg, on a slim stiletto that is lower than it looks. This is the pair on the invitation, and the one I expect to run out of first.
Shop Carolina Boots
New for fall
Contessa Stiletto Booties
$395
The Carolina line shortened to the ankle, in testa di moro and in black. Wear it under a wide trouser and nobody sees the boot, they just see that you are standing differently.
Shop Contessa Booties
Limited edition
Vivienne Limited Edition Pump
$350
Bordeaux. We made a small run of these and they are not coming back in this color. If you have been waiting for a reason to stop wearing black in the evening, this is it.
Shop Vivienne
For the walk down Michigan
Georgetown Loafer
$325
Forest green suede and chocolate suede, on a sole you can actually cross the bridge in. Our most-asked-for loafer two seasons running, and the one I wear myself.
Shop Georgetown
“You can tell everything about a shoe in the first ten steps. That is why I would rather you try them on in front of me than read about them.”Mike Lopriore
Why we still make them in Milano
My father, Michele, opened his first workshop in 1986. We are still in Milano, and every pair that reaches Michigan Avenue is made in Italy by the same hands.
A pair of our shoes is touched by hand at least seven times before it is boxed. The uppers are hand-cut, because a cutter reading the grain of a skin will place a pattern better than any machine deciding by average. The leather is Tuscan and vegetable-tanned, which is slower and more expensive than chrome tanning and is the reason the leather darkens and softens instead of cracking. Most of our dress styles are Blake-stitched, so the sole sits close to the foot and can be replaced years from now rather than thrown away.
That is also why I say made in Italy and not designed in Italy. Those are two different sentences, and only one of them means the shoe was built here.
Shop the edit
Everything below will be in the boutique on the 29th, in your size where we have it. If you want a specific pair held for the evening, email us and we will put your name on it.
Carolina Stiletto Boots
$595
Shop
Savannah Boot
$495
Shop
Contessa Stiletto Booties
$395
Shop
Vivienne Limited Edition Pump
$350
Shop
Georgetown Loafer
$325
Shop
Genova Loafers
$295
Shop
Can’t make it to Chicago?
The whole fall collection is online, and everything you see in the boutique that evening ships from Miami.
Shop New Arrivals
If you want to see what else landed this month, I wrote about it in New Arrivals, October 2026, and if loafers are more your language, start with The Italian Loafer: Four Styles for Fall 2026.
Questions, answered
When and where is the Michele Lopriore Chicago event?
Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm, at the Michele Lopriore boutique in The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 125, Chicago, IL 60611.
Do I need a ticket or an RSVP?
No ticket and no charge. An RSVP to shopusa@michelelopriore.com helps us plan the food and drinks, but you are welcome to simply walk in any time between 5:30 and 8:00.
Will the designer actually be there?
Yes. Mike Lopriore, second-generation designer and son of founder Michele Lopriore, is flying in from Milano for the evening, along with his puppy Miky. He will be in the boutique the whole time.
Can I bring someone?
Please do. Bring a friend, a partner, your mother. The boutique holds a comfortable crowd and the evening is better full.
Are Michele Lopriore shoes made in Italy?
Yes. The house was founded in Milano in 1986 and every pair is handmade in Italy, with hand-cut uppers, Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather and Blake-stitched soles on most dress styles. Each pair is touched by hand at least seven times.
Can I get my old Michele Lopriore shoes cleaned at the event?
Yes. Bring any pair you already own and we will clean and refresh them for you during the evening while you have a drink.
Con amore,Mike LoprioreDesigner & second-generation Lopriore
