Special effects. “Susy Benner decided to improve her ballet level in the most famous dance school in Europe, the Friburg Academy. She arrived in Germany from New York at 22:45…”. This is how the nightmare of Susy/Jessica Harper starts. Suspiria (1977), 2nd only to Deep Red (1977), is one of Dario Argento’s best movies and represents his passage from thrillers to horrors. Creepy soundtrack and special effects (with the limits of that years) that set new standards. The photography by Luciano Tovoli is a very strong connotative element: bright colours, invasions of shades of red and blue. The academy’s wallpapers with surreal patterns were inspired by the drawings of Maurits Cornelis Escher. A pop and at the same time claustrophobic opera. A must-see.

Epochal choices. Today we talk about the importance and added value of accessories, that dignify (or mortify) the look. Shirts, ties, and then shoes, socks, watches, bags, briefcases, hats. Everything can, if matched in the proper way with the outerwear, make us look a little more special. Today is very easy, due to the extraordinary supply of products. But at the same time it’s easier to make mistakes, exactly because the supply is really wide. The “decades of elegance”, like the 30s or the 40s, had rules about shapes and lenghts, fabrics and collars, and everything else: so it was hard to fail. Today, while enhancing the individual personality, there could be the possibility of provoking confusion (and making a mess of bad matchings). The secret stays in coherence. Dandy, eccentric, conformist, traditionalist, pop, unconventional: everything is permitted, as long as you are focused on the style you decide to adopt. Right, a 1935 adv of Arrow shirts.