A picture of 1995 by Francesca Galliani. Total white and luxury accessories: printed coloured silk tie (Hermès), crocodile brogues (Bruno Magli), watch (Cartier) and cufflinks (Antonini). Model Nick Scotti.

LANVIN

La sfilata di Lanvin manda un messaggio nitido: mette in scena due anime dello stesso uomo, un uomo che desidera una moda-couture, realizzata con tagli di chirurgica perfezione, geometrica e affilata. Ed è il medesimo uomo che, di notte, veste giubbotti corti e neri, e li abbina a camicie e canotte d’effetto catarifrangente: ambiguo e affascinante, una sintesi tra Helmut Berger di “La caduta degli déi” e Anthony Perkins di “Psycho”.

HERMÈS

Mastice, ferro, azzurro chiaro: i colori sono  pallidi e polverosi. Lo styling dégagée da vita ad una  collezione delicata: le maniche arrotolate, i cotoni sgualciti o lavorati in rilievo, “croccanti”, restituiscono una freschezza che alleggerisce l’aria  impettita di chi si prende troppo sul serio. Le giacche destrutturate vestono con garbo e proporzioni perfette, un uomo che ha voglia di stare  bene con gli abiti che indossa. Un uomo che ha il giusto rapporto con la moda. Ossia: la ama ma non la subisce.

PAUL SMITH

Rosa Dandy e Rock Sartoriale. Dalla collezione emerge una leggerezza che da sollievo: ho ritrovato  un’aria anni ’60, mi ha ricordato David Hemmings in “Blow-Up”, e l’attitudine scanzonata ma chic delle Band dell’epoca. L’idea di accostare  un capo rock/moto come il “chiodo” leather nero con il pantalone in grisaglia in puro stile british, avvicina due mondi apparentemente lontani: un modo nuovo di proporre  la moda.

Dinner in Versilia.

There are fashion pictures and photos of actors and actresses hanging on the walls just like at Paper Moon in Milan, the Via Bagutta restaurant which since the 70s  has become the meeting place for all fashion insiders. We are in Tuscany, more specifically in Massa, Versilia..totally different atmosphere and habits and a wholesome yet quite special menu, to avoid the obvious. Convitto it’s a refined 50s style restaurant,  recommended twice in the Gambero Rosso’s Guide: not the typical restaurant as they also sell design pieces, clothes and accessories (everything in the restaurant it’s available to buy, from the chandelier to the chairs). The high standard fashion selection includes coats, denim and footwear: it is basically the only “boutique” in the area where’s possible to find Church’s Shanghai shoes, which have been realized in the same shape of those worn by Galeazzo Ciano, when he was Italian Consul in China. On top, the Convitto restaurant in Massa, Versilia.

Some fashion codes should be applied also to men’s bags which have become status symbols just like clothing but even though they are practical accessories, they don’t suit everyone. The ritual gestural expressiveness related to bags (that were initially created only for women) has always been laughed at by mischievous people. It would be enough to follow a few simple rules in order to avoid looking ridiculous. First of all it would be good to abstain from carrying clutches and handbags: they surely are trendy but can also be misleading and other than that I can assure you it’s a passing trend, not worth the cost. If a briefcase it’s too much “Wall Street” and makes you feel obsolete, perhaps you would prefer a distressed leather shoulder bag or a Saffiano briefcase, very handy for carrying your laptop and IPad. If you need something bigger and softer there are some beautiful duffel bags on the market just as capacious as weekend bags. I recommend choosing the right leather, especially if the outfit is fashionable like the one in the picture, it would be good to soften the ensemble with the use of fine yet manly and rough materials like natural croc or suede. Picture by Andrea Gandini for Io Donna, suit and glasses by Gucci, sweater by Hermes, shirt by Burberry bag by Tod’s.

Blue Snowdon it’s a photographic volume containing a selection of portraits by Lord Snowdon. Born in London in 1930, he married princess Margaret and separated from her in 1978. The publication starts with this line: “You don’t have a green shirt, white is too bright, black too funeral and I like blue” signed by the author; The subjects portrayed are people in the showbiz, fashion and art industry like Jeremy Irons, Calvin Klein, Joe Tilson and of course the British Royal Family feauturing a very young Harry from a photo taken in the year 2000. They are all wearing something blue. The book edited by Acne Studio Stockholm it’s an iconographic collection dedicated to the most classic color in menswear since the 1930s. The tecnique of simplicity ( which is a peculiarity of great photographers) and the use of natural locations, (as they are mostly studio and daylight shootings on location), increase the elegance of the pictures and also our personal perception of the color blue as part of our everyday life. Only one weird ecception: the Gainsbourg and Britt Ekland pictures are in Black and white. David Bowie on the cover of the book.