The silhouette starts from below. Many brands that have made fashion history – such as Prada, Gucci, Hermès, Vuitton, Trussardi- at the beginning produced “only” accessories. The same for Berluti (part of LVMH group): the total look development starts from here. Alessandro Sartori debuted as creative director last winter, in 2012: his collections are appreciated, describe with emphasis a male tendency for luxury, so that Berluti opened a boutique last january in Via Sant’Andrea in Milan, in the heart of “quadrilateral”. “Thinking about the silhouette starting from below, that is from the shoes, has been a fascinating and innovative exercise”: in short, Sartori starts from a different point of view to create very surprising outfits, “in which the leather handling and handmade treatments, make every garment special and unique”. Obsessive care for details is Alessandro’s strong point: when he was the creative director of ZZegna, he described me the collection each and every point, with such a meticolousness and passion  that I’ve rarely found in others designers. A passion that includes enthusiasm, ardor, involvement and above all emotion. “I love the light that comes from some men, regardless of age and origin, that creates a rare and exclusive, almost magic, effect”. Well done, Alessandro, we wait for you with open arms! above, Alessandro Sartori wears Berluti total look. Picture from Style by Matthew Brookes; below, Berluti brogue, model “Dark Chocolate”.

A dark and comfortable second skin. Massimiliano Giornetti, creative director of Salvatore Ferragamo, has designed a winter collection that this year considers a lot of leather and a lot of black. The next collection, instead, is going to be colorful and “signaling”. There has been a change of mind in the meanwhile? A sudden nostalgia for total-black followed by “regret”? I don’t think so, because Giornetti knows his stuff and this redirection, in complete opposition to last seasons, is part of the creative path of important brands: Prada docet. But let’s go back to the current season, so dark, austere. “There’s not nostalgia, rather a contemporary interpretation of the “dark” style: I like the idea of a palette converging in black intensity, a color scale taken to extreme saturation: grey, blue and dark green that blend”, says the designer. Leather, processed with rubberization, is in some aspects more “technical”. At a glance, the Ferragamo adv campaign has a martial look, more rigorous than the previous ones, a quite dramatic mood. “I wouldn’t say dramatic, but more intense, thank to the natural light choice, that draws geometries, pulses the space and wraps around face and body of Tyson Ballou, portrayed with the purpose of communicating a sense of organic continuity between architecture and nature”. The jacket in the picture has a squared and austere cut, softened by the leaning made of tone on tone fabric. Austerity, so, but not excessive. And comfort. In the picture by Letizia Ragno (detail) black leather jacket by Salvatore Ferragamo.

The last goal of the real dandy. The real dandy, and it has been said lots of times, doesn’t care about conventions: this is a doctrine expressed through behaviour and consequently through clothes. The dandy’s tendency, that in the early ‘900 was provocation, with results we can imagine especially because he belonged to homosexual world, nowadays has ovverruled the original inclination, so much that it concerns, viceversa, a certain kind of eterosexual man. Surpassed the “metrosexual” era, today there are many men that choose a different clothing from the traditional one, trying to satisfy on one side the need to stand out, and on the other side the desire to own luxury garments. What characterizes this occurrence and makes it intriguing, is – now as then – the absolute indifference to others’ judgement; the choice of a dandy-like suit surely leads to a specific direction, opposite from the “macho”‘s one, but if it could be confusing for many, the real dandy doesn’t care. That innovative look, matched with a silk scarf around the neck or a printed bow-tie under a smooth velvet tuxedo, soften the appearance without drifting into ambiguity: if you have any doubt, clear out your mind, because standing out from the crowd with great taste is a real art. Max 2001, picture by Michael Wolley, clothes by Roberto Cavalli. Style 2013, picture by Paola Dossi, velvet tuxedo by Louis Vuitton.

All sides of knitwear. Pullover, sweater, jumper, cardigan. There’s a wide range of nouns included in a single word, definitely acquired by fashionable slang: knitwear. As many are the models that complete the male wardrobe: there’s the “V” neck, the round neck, the turtle neck, the cardigan. Another element that characterizes further this commodities sector is the variety of fabric, that – in winter – is largely wool or cashmere: in this season cotton is rarely used, and only for sportswear. the more intellectual côté of fashion often wears knitwear as outerwear; refined designers and luminary of the most snob side like Yamamoto, designed long “coat-like cardigans” made of ribbed wool. The captivating and clever luxury by Gucci, now suggests beautiful round-neck pullovers, with heavy yarn and bright colours; they don’t replace the coat, but they should be worn under a light jacket, maybe unlined and soft. The final effect is a practical but chic mix, especially directed to young customers, but I think it could be brilliant for more mature men too, searching for a cool and informal look, but with a touch of quality. Bazaar Uomo 1993, Maxi-Cardigan by Yohij Yamamoto Ph. Judson Baker; The Men Issue ottobre 2013, Gucci. Ph. Letizia Ragno.

The new rules of male elegance. Andrea Incontri is a fashion designer who’s going to be increasingly well-known. His menswear mainly consider two elements: sportswear and classic-formal clothing; two features that merge each other in total harmony and give birth to a new menswear’s thought, very characterised, that is met with great approval by who wants to find – in a collection – comfort, personality and tradition, even if with the right amount of fashion. “In my collections there’s always a combination of classic and sport”, and infact the parka in the picture on the right is made of a “writing” fabric, that is the folds form a graphic sign that draw the garment, but the manufacture is clearly traditional: “Cuts are rigorous and sartorial, but fabrics are waxed, inspired to a open-air life”. Other looks, instead, are more suitable for a “more dynamic lifestyle, quick in choosing what to wear but always careful to a precise elegance code”. Just like the wonderful jacket made of bouclè wool, matched with bermuda shorts and heavy socks (on the left)? Isn’t it a risky suggestion for winter? No, it’s not, if we think that designers collections are sold all over the world: in London, for example, a man who walks around dressed like this is not strange at all, neither when it’s 5°. Maybe in Italy we’ll buy only the jacket: I will do. Andrea Incontri fashion show, f/w 2013 collection.