Polo e T-shirt, Fred Perry x Raf Simons s/s 2016

Friendly Classic. Living fashion with an easier approach. In other words: integrating a male aesthetic that mixes everyday clothes with more informal garments we wear only at home. I’ve always been annoyed by this kind of mix, in fact I’ve always looked askance at my colleagues that wear sneakers with the suit. But – partly – I have to change idea. Homewear mixed in the right amount with more classic garments suits me a little bit more now: maybe because I’m a fashion victim too and I’ve got used to such a young trend even if I’m a conservative at heart. It’s true that today lots of designers offer a kind of clothing that lies between sportswear and comfort. Basically, the strong effect of the techno/classic (the shiny blue lycra trousers with the blue coat: what a horror!) is softened, to advantage of a more friendly american style translated in contemporary taste. Ok, I like it.

In the 70s it was a typical style of the student movements, in the 90s it was a trend and today it’s in fashion again: knitwear used as a jacket or (more fashionable) as a coat. But it has to be thick, heavy, bulky; it doesn’t have to be cashmere necessarily, there are other extraordinary wools. If you like it and if you are sporty and a bit nostalgic, try the cardigans with jacquard motifs, fastened with a zip or – better – with a belt made of the same fabric; the classic leather buttons are ok too. If you are more fashion-oriented, opt for the long cardigan-coats suggested by many designers. Finally, if you are hesitant, well, I suggest you to have at least a turtle neck or a sweater made of  these amazing weaves that seem to be made with the crochet hook.

Style that lives through trends. That appreciated vintage touch, that intellectual-retro taste that remains intact. The portrait of the sculptor Mario Ceroli in his studio (above) conveys the idea, a frame that could be both two or forty years old: static in its currentness. The artists of Ceroli’s generation usually don’t follow dynamics and evolutions of fashion in the strict sense, but their style reveals a certain sensitivity and personality. In this case there’s a sporty attitude, even if the details – the denim shirt, buttoned up, and the gun belt – keep us guessing a tendency for order and a high degree of irony, respectively. This week’s style suggestions are for those who aim for wearing something new but that would last and live through evolutions/revolutions “imposed” by fashion.

Functioning chic. “You have to suffer to be beautiful”. True? False? The truth lies in the middle. This slogan was coined by the USA clothing company Clipper Craft in 1960. It was surely incisive, but menswear, then, was so far to adopt fabrics and treatments apt to make classic wear practical and comfortable. Today this is possible, but we must distinguish between comfort and sloppiness: with sweatshirt and oversized jackets – unless you are under 18 – you’ll look like homeless. In hyper-traditional clothing, the sartorial one, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to find a match point between elegance and practicality. As an alternative, there’s a world too much hastily described as “casual” that, on the contrary, is chic and functioning at the same time. Look at the outfits I suggest you. They’re only one thousandth of what you can find in stores and represent a synthesis between classic, newness and comfort. Advertising of the USA clothing company Clipper Craft (1960).