Start-up. Self-confident: being aware of who we are and how we look like. Unconventional: unusual, different. Memorizing, putting together and mixing garments from our closet that instinctively seem compatible to us but not necessarily complementary. In other words, apply on yourself a style procedure that is often the start-up for fashion designers. They, travelling, go in search of new ideas, original inspirations, that they usually find – strangely enough – on the stalls of vintage markets. Look at your wardrobe like it’s the first time, eliminating the habits, trying not to wear the same things: mix up the cards, improvise, invent. Start the season with the will of being “new”. A look of Comme des Garcons in a picture of Peter Lindbergh (1994)

Tie, yes or no?. Blazer and shirt, without pullover. And without tie. Claudio Antonioli, owner of one of the most fashionable boutiques in Milan, has proclaimed the “farewell to the tie”. Some jobs need the tie and other don’t. Some men love it (the main part of them) and other hate it (“It’s too tight, it’s annoying, it makes me feel uncomfortable). So give voice to the trendsetters like Antonioli but, for equal conditions, listen to those who think different: me, for example. The jacket worn with the shirt, but without the tie, suits very few men. If you belong to the “no-ties” side, have at least the caution to wear the shirt completely buttoned. Or, absurdly: wear it unbuttoned to the breastbone, even if you take the risk to look like a naff, especially if you have a hairy chest. In doubt, cover the shirt with a beautiful sweater made of light wool or, indeed, wear the tie. The American rockstar Michael Stipe in a picture of Ron Galella.

British College. The illustration by J. C. Leyendecker (right) conveys the features and the codes of a timeless style, from the British campuses: the first signs of men’s fashion of the 20th century. The drawing is of 1929, and it was the adv campaign of the Interwoven hosiery factory. I’ve already written about the importance of socks. As you can see, even our forerunners were very careful about details. Look at the rest of the look: apart from the pipe (I haven’t seen one for decades), it is in accordance with the taste of several modern brands, that propose the eternal college style in sweater or blazer version and the wide trousers with turn-ups. And finally the slippers. That, horrible for some and gorgeous for others, are the number-one-accessory in the list of fashionistas. Right, an illustration of J.C Leyendecker for Interwoven (1929)

Zoot suit. The “Zoot suit” was a suit with exaggerated proportions, with very high waist trousers, often matched with Borsalino hats, that in the 40s became popular in the Afro-American, Chicane and Italian communities in the States. It was prohibited during the Second World War because it required much more fabric to be made than a normal suit. Well, this kind of suit is actually too much. But the current season offers suggestions that are similar to that baggy and soft silhouette: look at the collections of Armani, Pilati for Zegna Couture, Elbaz/Ossendrijver for Lanvin, Andrea Pompilio, Sergio Colantuoni for Caruso and Andrea Incontri. This trend is successful, is elegant, is charming. If you’re a bit short, opt for only a wide and enveloping piece. And the rest of the look has to be regular-fitting and not -viceversa-  very slim. Man wearing a zoot suit in Chicago, Illinois, in the Fourties.

Tre look della s/s 2015 di Caruso disegnati da Sergio Colantuoni 

Nel mondo dell’etica della moda le posizioni dei singoli aderenti difficilmente sono unitarie: c’è chi si focalizza sull’impatto ambientale, chi sulle produzioni estere di nicchia eseguite da gruppi di donne da rendere indipendenti, chi ancora sulla qualità biologica dei tessuti. Fra le tante opinioni spicca, per la sua particolarità, quella di Umberto Angeloni, presidente della Caruso Menswear di Soragna (Parma), che del rapporto qualità/prezzo ha fatto una delle proprie battaglie. La sua azienda ha ottenuto il riconoscimento ISO dall’International Organization for Standardization per l’organizzazione interna. Si tratta dell’unico marchio italiano a potersene fregiare. Ma di cosa si tratta? In poche parole, della certificazione di un impegno: mettere la migliore organizzazione possibile affinchè l’acquirente abbia il miglior prodotto possibile al minor prezzo possibile. Cosa che non comporta ovviamente il low cost ma che garantisce gli standard di qualità espressi dal prezzo. Per Angeloni, se il bello è soggettivo, non lo è il modo di arrivarvi. In sintesi, le opinioni non si possono misurare, i costi si. E della propria motivazione devono potere rispondere. Si tratta di una posizione, quella di Angeloni, quasi unica nel nostro panorama dove spesso si confondono etica e pauperismo. Una tesi che fa riferimento come base anche alle qualità necessarie per salvare il Made in Italy dalla globalizzazione del prodotto. Se la moda italiana perderà quelle caratteristiche di cura, originalità, qualità che l’hanno resa celebre assumendo il dettato di una confezione anonima e trascurata, sarà veramente la fine. Il nostro prodotto diventerà uguale agli altri ma sarà troppo caro e quindi fuori mercato. La concorrenza ci conta e ci spera. Luisa Ciuni

In the ethics of fashion … Continua a leggere →