FASHION, COCO CHANEL ONCE SAID, DOES NOT EXIST IN dresses only. “Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” One can imagine, then, that Mme. Chanel would’ve supported the current trend of fashion designers turning from outfitting human forms to opening high-end hotels. Now well-heeled travelers can not only dress in head-to-toe Giorgio Armani, they can also lounge on a chaise he personally selected, in a room painted in his signature colors and swathed in his preferred fabrics, sipping the prosecco he deems di qualità superiore. For fans of the label, it’s the next best thing to being invited to the designer’s own home.

We spoke with three legends of Italian fashion – Armani, Rosita Missoni, and Leonardo Ferragamo – about the appeal of designing hotels, guest-room must-haves, and what a fashion designer brings to the world of hospitality. The designers’ frequent-flyer lifestyles coupled with stiletto-high standards result in properties that are like the best of fashion: beautiful, luxurious, and, yes, comfortable.

GIORGIO ARMANI
Giorgio Armani launched a revolution in the 1970s when he clothed men – and, soon after, women – in elegant, minimalist suits that offered a startling departure from starched, traditional dressing. Over time, Armani built an empire, licensing everything from flowers and chocolates to restaurants and fragrances. His sleek line of household goods and furniture led to Armani Hotel Dubai, a 160-room hotel that opened in 2010 in the world’s tallest building. Armani Hotel Milano followed in 2011, and plans are in the works to open additional properties. The hotels share the designer’s famed aesthetic, featuring dark leather, marble floors, his own line of furnishings, and a subdued, sexy gray and beige palette. Travelers eager to take the label home can shop the boutiques (there are three in Armani Hotel Dubai alone).

Why the hotel business?
“For many years I had dreamed of creating a total Armani lifestyle for my customers. As I began to really understand the process of designing interiors, I started to think about a hotel as a perfect place to express my idea of an Armani lifestyle. The hotel would be a reflection of my idea of aesthetics, luxury, service, and hospitality: a place I would enjoy staying at and that would make my clients feel at home.”

How does hotel design compare with fashion design?
“I have always believed that I am designing for someone, rather than just for myself. I do not create clothing for the catwalk, photo shoots, or the red carpet, but for real people in real situations. Designing a hotel is all about the same things – how should the spaces look, of course, but also how can I make them comfortable? So, you see, the creative step from designing fashion to designing hotels is not so great after all.”

Something guests will never find in one of your hotels:
“Opulent, over-the-top, suffocating interior design.”

Recommended dish in one of your hotel restaurants:
“A traditional Milanese risotto, which is superb in its simplicity.”

Go-to getaway:
“The volcanic island of Pantelleria, just off the coast of Sicily. It is a place of harsh beauty, which is not to everyone’s taste, but I find it a wonderful retreat, full of a sense of wild and untamed nature.”

Up next:
“I am working on how to open a few more hotels and resorts.”

ROSITA MISSONI
Missoni is a storied Italian family dynasty founded in 1953 by Rosita and Ottavio “Tai” Missoni. Together the couple grew their knitwear business into one of history’s most iconic fashion labels, bringing their children and grandchildren into a business that has become as famous for its family as its zigzag, geometric-print knits. By the late 1990s, Rosita had grown tired of fashion and retired, leaving the company in the hands of her daughter. But she soon returned (“Idle didn’t suit me,” she says) as creative director of Missoni Home, a line of interior accessories and furnishings. Hotel opportunities emerged, with Hotel Missoni Edinburgh opening along the Royal Mile shopping district in 2006, followed by another in the Middle East, with more to come. Their interiors sport the label’s signature colorful palette, but Rosita takes care to consider hospitality first. “When you travel,” she says, “nothing feels better than to be welcomed and relaxed.”

ROSA SUITE, HOTEL MISSONI EDINBURGH
Bathed in scarlet and fuchsia and peppered with black-and-white check, this 592-square-foot one-
bedroom retreat (pictured above, bottom left) is just the room you’d imagine a glamorous magazine editor reserving. Suite from $1,238.

Why the hotel business?
“We started because Rezidor [Hotel Group] offered us this chance! They thought we could bring something special to hotels. Missoni has this style that has become iconic, not just the designs but our lifestyle.”

Three adjectives that describe your hotel brand:
“Hospitable, stylish, and charming.”

How do you balance Missoni’s fun factor with functionality?
“Everything I choose for the hotels is soft and nice, even down to the menus in the restaurant. So it’s not a question of impressing people with the ‘wow,’ the color, and pattern, but a way of welcoming them and making them feel at home.”

Favorite detail:
“The Missoni kilts the doormen wear in Edinburgh. One of the men who worked for us at the time came to the hotel’s opening party in a Missoni kilt. It was so good that we said we have to have our doormen wear those.”

Hotel room peeve:
“I hate heavy furniture, like when you need someone to pull out your chair. The Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs we have are a masterpiece of shape and comfort and lightness. I also have them in my dining room at home in oak and black.”

What do you look for in a hotel?
“I like rooms that are fresh and clean. The first thing I requested with our hotels is I didn’t want to have carpeting in the bedrooms – it’s the dirtiest thing you can find. I also love adjustable lights on the side of the bed. My husband likes to read in bed, and so that was one of the things I added. And, of course, it’s nice to have a mirror where you can look at yourself from top to toe.”

Favorite places:
“I am very keen on flea markets, and London and Paris have the best flea markets. I love New York because it’s unique and offers so many opportunities. I would like to have a hotel there someday.”

Leonardo Ferragamo
Salvatore Ferragamo was so obsessed with crafting the best possible heel, he studied anatomy and mathematics in order to master the perfect fit. Ninety years later, his label’s collection of hotels, called the Lungarno Collection, offers as much attention to detail, with suites as glamorous and comfortable as his famous footwear. A standout feature is the hotels’ appreciation of art: The properties each feature exquisite collections, and Florence is home to the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo and a boutique offering a limited number of heritage reproductions, such as the ruby slippers created for Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and Marilyn Monroe’s reinforced-heel stilettos. Salvatore’s son, Leonardo Ferragamo, joined the family business in 1973 and is chairman of the Lungarno Collection. The hotels’ intent, Leonardo says, is to express his family’s culture of hospitality and the timeless style and elegance of the Ferragamo brand.

Why the hotel business?
“Creativity, beauty, and substance have always been aspects of our identity. Fashion and hospitality have a lot in common. This goes beyond merely designing attractive furnishings and providing high-standard service; it also means creating an atmosphere.”

How did you choose your hotels?
“The hotels in our collection each have a rare location, art, and always a special atmosphere born from the right mix of music, service, elegance, and style. You can even say these characteristics are conditio sine qua non, which means these elements are indispensable and essential ingredients. We highly respect the culture, origin, and history of the locations we choose.”

Attributes a fashion designer brings to hotel design:
“Attention to detail and the sensitivity of quality in the choice of material. Above all, the right combination between design (aesthetics) and comfort (substance).”

Favorite hotel outside of your brand:
“The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. This hotel has been my point of reference for the last 23 years. With all the changes taking place, Mandarin Oriental remained true to its values and stayed a global icon of hospitality.”

Favorite spot in your collection:
“The terrace of Hotel Lungarno’s restaurant, Borgo San Jacopo. It is like a dining table right on the Arno River with views onto the Ponte Vecchio. There, you can enjoy a casual breakfast, business lunch, or even a romantic dinner. [Order the] Quartet for a light, dignified lunch.”

Most coveted room amenity:
“The Tuscan Soul bathroom amenities by Salvatore Ferragamo Parfums.”

Best way for a hotel guest to get a Ferragamo shopping fix:
“A free visit to the Ferragamo Museum. Guests of our Florence suites receive a private guided tour of the Ferragamo Creations Santa Trinita Boutique, as well as special surprises for shopping there.”

Most coveted room amenity:
“The Tuscan Soul bathroom amenities by Salvatore Ferragamo Parfums.”

STUDIO SUITE TORRE, HOTEL LUNGARNO
Play Rapunzel in this cozy suite (pictured above, bottom) housed in the 800-year-old Marsili Tower, featuring original medieval bricks, a sunny loft, a canopy bed, and floor-to-ceiling windows, the better
to hang your hair from. Suite from $604.

Other Stylish Stays
BULGARI HOTELS & RESORTS

A century of craftsmanship extends to contemporary hospitality.

Since the first of its three hotels in partnership with Ritz-Carlton opened in Milan in 2004, Bulgari, the 128-year-old Italian luxury-goods house, has stood by its straightforward philosophy: “contemporary luxury in hospitality.” Rare, lavish materials accent expansive, bold interiors that reflect the statement-making graphics of Bulgari’s line of jewelry, leather goods, watches, and fragrances. Guest rooms and spas feature, of course, the brand’s signature toiletries and fragrances. Overseen until last year by longtime CEO Francesco Trapani, the great-grandson of founder Sotirios Voulgaris, the brand has also opened a lush seaside resort in Bali and a posh hotel in London.

The Suite Life
Not all designers take on the task of styling an entire property. Some work on a smaller scale, infusing special rooms with their fashionable aesthetic.

CLARIDGE’S, LONDON
Diane von Furstenberg Suites: The floral, jungle, and ethnic prints from von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap dresses are splashed across two unique suites that feature luxurious fabrics, carved wood furniture, and photographs from the designer’s own travels. Grand Piano Suite from $4,797.

THE PLAZA HOTEL, NEW YORK
Eloise Suite by Betsey Johnson: Who better than the perpetually youthful Johnson to design this pink, pink, and even more pink homage to Kay Thompson’s beloved Plaza-dwelling character, Eloise? From $1,550.

ROUND HILL HOTEL & VILLAS, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA
Pineapple House by Ralph Lauren: The designer’s classic Americana style swathes four 460-square-foot oceanfront rooms on the second and first floors of this secluded house, but with an airy, tropical twist. From $250.

THE ST. REGIS NEW YORK
Dior Suite: Inspired by the House of Dior’s famed Parisian atelier and wrapped in its signature “whispering gray,” this 1,700-square-foot suite includes dining and living rooms. From $9,500.

Tiffany Suite: Live the posh life Holly Golightly only dreamed of in this 1,700-square-foot suite by Tiffany & Co. accented in its trademark blue. From $9,500.

Enjoy the Suite Life of HOTEL COUTURE? You’ll Love Hauteoc Traveler’s Special Fashionista Now boarding BEHIND THE HOUSE OF STYLE Milan Fashion Itinerary: Rome, Venice, and Milan – 8 Nights

Join us for the Extended Stay for a themed Ferragamo Visit in Florence - 10 Nights | Special Tour Pricing Now Available till December 31st, 2012 Inquire at BookTravel@Hauteoc.com for Details.

Reserve your Spot for this Trip on May 4th-13th, 2013 for The Premiere of Behind the House of Style: Milan Fashion Itinerary featuring guest host former Editor of Vogue Italy Carla Sozzani, and leading Italian Chef Carlo Cracco. BookTravel@Hauteoc.com