Do you like this gender? Gender – No Gender. Nothing to do with transvestism, transsexuality nor homosexuality. Is good to distinguish the social-cultural and scientific side from the fashion one. In the second case, gender is a term (sometimes used improperly) that describes a kind of style that mixes harmoniously masculine elements with feminine ones. The line between the two sexes becomes finer. One of the main trends of contemporary apparel, maybe thanks also to the physical similarities of today’s teenagers (boys are thinner with long hair and girls have their hair cut short and wear gladly men’s blazers, T-shirts and jeans, like in the Seventies), accompanies and enhances a phenomenon attributable to males’ desire of showing their fragility and females’ desire of imposing their strenght. There’s nothing wrong like there’s nothing right, there’s not to be proud nor disgusted. As in all things, everybody has the right to choose.

Yacht club. That kind of menswear inspired by the sea can be easily defined as timeless. Yes to jackets (for the yacht), windbreakers (for the sailing boat), pullover made of cotton (for both), accessories for watersports. And, for the most elegant, yes to the classic double-breasted blue navy blazer with contrasting buttons for the happy hour. Why are they timeless pieces? The striped sweater reminds us of the pictures of Dalì with Garcia Lorca in the 20s. The windbreaker reminds us of the legendary Jacques Cousteau in the documentaries of the 60s/70s. Actually, the steel cronograph can be also worn in the city, as the white trousers, that perfectly match red and blue (but never wear them all together, they immediately make think about the french flag). In terms of shoes, espadrilles are allowed only at the seaside. Jacques Cousteau on the Calypso, ex minesweeper of the Royal Navy, after a diving exploration.

Great men. “In this job you need to know a little bit of everything: if I make a character be punctured by a needle in the wrong part of the arm, dozens of doctors will write to me to complain”. To sum up: to be a filmmaker you have to know even about – in this case – medicine, as this quote is by Alfred Hitchcock. And do fashion designers ever think about plus-sized men? In other words, if men wearing a 52/54 size would like to be in fashion, is there any designer that creates also for them? Surely Gucci and Saint Laurent don’t. Just to mention two very popular examples of brands that emphasize slim silhouettes, and other kings of fashion surely don’t create their collections drawing inspiration from Hitchock or, so to speak, Julian Schnabel. What shall you do if the scale marks overweight? It’s not only a women’s problem. The same old tailor? Ok, but the tailor is not “in fashion”. Take a look at the clothes I suggest: I think they fit everybody. A portrait and the popular profile of the director Alfred Hitchcock.

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.

When the picture is inspired by art. … Continua a leggere →