Marcello, that liar. Cannes, May 1987: 31 years ago Oci Ciornie won the Palme d’Or. The movie by Nikita Michalkov, inspired by some novels by Anton Cechov, is not so well known: it is never broadcasted on TV and it is hard to still find a copy. I’m lucky to have one, and I had the great fortune of being that year at the Festival, watching the premiere of the movie and participating at the award ceremony. The story is interpreted by Mastroianni and Elena Safonova, with the special appearance by an extraordinary Silvana Mangano that, even if she was already gravely ill, accepted to join the cast of the Michalkov masterpiece. It was her last movie, she died in Madrid two years later, only 59 years old. I remember one line of Elisa, her character, that she says to her husband in one of the last scenes: “Romano, once in your life, tell the truth”. Yes, because the role played by the great Marcello is that of an incurable liar, looking for a new woman that he finally finds in Russia. The movie is set at the beginning of the 20th century, many scenes are filmed on a cruise ship where Mastroianni shows off several suits designed by the costumers Larisa Lebedeva and Carlo Diappi and made by Sartoria Tirelli.

Summer remix. Summer, ready, go: last call for elegance. Be careful about fast shopping, the compulsive desire of something new and trendy is often a bad counselor. Be more thrifty! Reflect well, before buying the same old bermuda shorts, shirts, cotton trousers: you already have three or four of them, and maybe you’ve worn them twice. Look at our magazines and at the online fashion reviews without being fussy: “That’s a fashionistas’ stuff”. You’ll realize that many of those suggestions, that look too trendy at first sight, draw inspiration from a timeless style. That same charme that make you claim: “Men were so elegant in the past!”. And then, personalize your choices, don’t trust exclusively on total looks, take the shirt proposed by Tom and the trousers by Harry. Do the same thing for accessories. Choose what is more suitable for you, put the pieces together and the result won’t disappoint you. William Holden in 1939, ph. William Walling.