Geometries. “Colors for a large wall” (in the picture) is an artwork by Ellsworth Kelly. I saw it for the first time at the MoMa in NY: a huge painting with perfectly symmetrical white and coloured checks, placed in the middle of a wide white wall. The American artist is one of the first figures of the Hard Edge Painting, developped during his years in Paris, between 1948 and 1954. Colour geometries have been used in fashion by the early Kenzo and Castelbajac, and today by brands loved by young people. Those fabrics, printed with stripes and checks, are included in the s/s collections, but softened by pastel colours or cooled by grey and blue shades and fibres that look technical. They are an important trend in classicwear too, but with some imperceptible but clear fashion sign, as in the case of the Brioni s/s collection by Brendan Mullane. Detail of “Colors for a Large Wall” by Ellsworth Kelly (1951)

(Revisited) Icons. Is there a way to update an iconic style? It’s difficult, because the icon has a precise symbolic meaning, which is “untouchable”. The English poet Thom Gunn (1929-2004) chose to move to San Francisco to come out. In those years, the Sixties, even in the States this matter was a taboo (it doesn’t mean that now it’s a bed of roses…). In the picture on the right we see Gunn in a biker-casual outfit: checked shirt, gun belt and jeans. An iconic attire, in fact, adopted by many Hollywood stars, from Steve McQueen to Jude Law (when he’s far from the red carpet, of course). It reminds us the costumes of Brokeback Mountain, just to stay on the topic. Well, this week I throw down the guantlet: I try to “debunk” that old-fashioned image with a base close to the original, but with a modern styling. Look at the pictures, and tell me if I’m wrong. The English poet Thom Gunn

The new leather. Leather, napa leather, suede. Treated, hammered. Black, coloured and white, “off white” in fashion language. In other words, leather is one of the main trends of this season, the real protagonist of s/s collections. But the most interesting note is its metamorphosis in fashion culture: leather lose a big part of its sporty appeal and, above all, a big part of that erotic unconscious celebrated by thousands of fashion shoots, from Newton to Testino, and as many drawings by the most famous illustrators in the world, like Thierry Perez or Touko Laaksonen, known as Tom of Finland. So leather soften his feature, goes far from sexual allusions that relegated it to a strong and bold sphere, and come in our wardrobes in new shapes and volumes. The “new leather” is one of the most clear signs of a fashion that never stops. Above, drawing by Thierry Perez for Gianni Versace.

Breaking the rules. Who knows me well, knows that I can’t stand social occasions: I limit my participation to the bare minimum. Then there’s the matter of outfit. Legend has it men are helped: “A beautiful dark jacket, white shirt, bow-tie or tie and you’re ok”, First of all, we’re bored to dress in the same way too; then, not necessarily only ladies can transgress. Can you try to break the rules? Yes, but only if you are already eccentric in everyday life. So, how to break the etiquette’s code for a social event? Take a look at the collections: there’s a triumph of check fabrics, from the micro-printed to the tartan, and there’s a big celebration of colour that leaves space to the most daring matches. And a lot of fashion accessories, and “little” objects of desire, but destined to a vertical decline soon. Picture by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

Revival. Chinatown is one of the best American movies of the 70s. It won the Oscar Award for the screenplay by Robert Towne but it should have deserved to win also for the direction by Roman Polanski and for the performances by Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, the two main actors, and by John Huston as actor in a supporting role. This movie is 40 years old but it looks more recent: the rhythm is fast, the plot is engaging, the end leaves breathless. The love story between Evelyn and Noah takes shape in the middle of a mistery that is disclosed in the end, leaving the spectator with a bad taste and upset for a irreversible damage, that has no way out. “When it was released it was considered a new-noir; now, many years later, it could be included in the original noir movies” we read on the Chicago Sun-Times, highlighting its modernity. Even the costumes, that trace fashion of the late 30s, are up-to-date: the sunglasses with round lenses, the wide-brimmed hat, light colours in the shades of beige for the outerwear and printed ties. If you’ve never watched it, you have to. If you know it, it’s a masterpiece to rediscover. Jack Nicholson in “Chinatown”