Free Associations. I quote the guidelines of the Gianni Versace s/s 1985 menswear collection, from the book Gianni Versace. L’abito per pensare: “Since the collection’s feature is the free matching of the garments, as in the case of the outfit shown, we give indications about the different garments and not about this specific outfit”. The matching (or styling) is one of the key strenght of a designer’s conception. Or of his fashion, when it’s represented in magazines’ shootings, and interpreted by the stylist. The combination of stripes of this tartan pattern, matched with the little contrasting polka-dots on the trousers (picture), was one of the many reference codes of Versace: geometrical prints with positive/negative effect. Ideas that, in menswear, are back again, suggested by the most fashionable brands. Ph. by Claus Wickrath for L’Uomo Vogue (1985)

In the post-feminist era at the beginning of the 80s, women felt like enhancing their beauty and men, driven by vanity, started taking maniacal care of their looks as well. At that particular time, it was not about awareness but most likely about showing off. The messages that the designer’s kingdom, Milan’s fashion quad, was sending out have been creating a new breed of ever-tanned bodybuilders with hair slicked back and hardened by Tenax, who used to wear obviously only designer clothes. In Milan, they used to gather around Mc Donald’s, but it was really happening everywere and not just in the capital of Lombardy, heart of Italian fashion. And made in Italy it was. Magazines had different points of view about style: on the one hand they had to satisfy the trend, on the other hand fashion directors and fashion editors had to fulfill their personal vision. That vison was way classier than those trends, in fact it was suggesting a different kind of beauty: pale skin, inner attitude and also a bohemian posture in order to contrast the arrogant stride of those prevailing machos. What about female models? Instead of chosing the super-beautiful ones we used to prefere the androgynous kind, to dress them up as a man. Picture by Claus Wickrath for L’uomo Vogue, July 1987. Dresses by Enrico Coveri.