Over my skin. The heavy jumper, or the cool wool pullover. Worn on the naked skin they evoke erotic recalls, dear to the costume designers of the movies by Visconti, Rossellini, Bertolucci, Zurlini up to more recent movies like Call me by your name by Guadagnino. Timeless, and genderless, sensuality, inspiring the styling of fashion shows and fashion shootings. The lack of the shirt allows the sweater’s fabric to caress the shapes, following and enhancing softly chest, breasts, shoulders; depending on body and personality, the pullover, when thin, is nice to be worn inside the trousers. But beware of the cleavage: the tolerance about its depth is very fleeting, don’t exaggerate.

Sportswear: handle with care. Essential? I don’t know, but of course they’re unmissable: sweatshirts, workout pants, T-shirts, white socks, and obviously sneakers. Sportswear became popular during the 80s, also thanks to movies like American Gigolò or the bad remake of Breathless, both starring Richard Gere. At the beginning sportswear remains confined exclusively to the sport context, where the branded gymsuit becomes a must-have and going to the gym is a duty. And then it expands to everyday’s life, becoming the first reason of flattening and loss of sense of style that, in general, was natural even among men. On the other hand it’s so comfortable and practical that even I (partially) gave in to temptation. But I avoid those garments completely lacking in charme, that are often made of synthetic fabric: if it has to be a gymsuit, opt for natural fibres, and choose socks made of mercerized cotton.

The Good Taste. There are rules to be respected, and mainly some basic behaviours to be considered in order to be defined as “good taste person”.  The Galateo of Monsignor Della Casa has been written almost five centuries ago, and there is no need to review the key points, because the rules of good taste have been handed down from one generation to another. Today there’s a kind of intellectual creativity – only for very few people- that makes the flaws and the “intentional oversights” an added value. But this is valid only for clothing. We can’t excape from kindness, elegance of speaking and good manners. Standing up to shake the hand of a woman even if she’s young, don’t kiss on the hand if outside, taking off the sunglasses while talking with anyone. Well, we can forgive a smiling and kind person if he/she is not properly dressed, but if the attire is elegant, much better. And of you are worried of making mistakes, don’t add details and details trying to look like a dandy from old times. Simple is better.

The bridge dedicated to PPP. Ariola is a district of Gerocarne, in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria, with 500 inhabitants in 1960. That year, a certain writer and director that made history arrived thereabouts: Pier Paolo Pasolini. He started the research for the location of “The Gospel according to St. Matthew”, 4 years before the first action. At that time, Ariola could be reached only with a mule track: Pasolini promised to contribute to the building of a bridge, in order to make the life of the inhabitants easier (today they’re around two hundred). The bridge was built and the director kept in touch with a family living there through letters: that, unfortunately, were lost during the emigrations in the following years. In that small town there are four workshops of ceramists that, probably, wouldn’t have existed without that bridge. 57 years later- maybe a little too late- in march, the bridge was dedicated to Pier Paolo Pasolini.

That rétro touch. Without harking back to the same movies, those sporty-stylish cult-movies like the much-mentioned Chariots of Fire that made our Milena Canonero win the Academy Award for Costume Design, today we can reinterpret that college/preppy vintage taste with a modern aesthetic language. It’s possible thanks to the prompts coming from many designers, able to mix an actual feeling with a retro mood loved by anyone, less and very young. The basis to reach a pleasant and convincing styling, consists in knowing how to match with the right balance the Old with the New. How? For example using accessories bought in second-hand shops. That’s the secret. Be cool and modern but softening the potential overstatement of the clothes with linen socks, watches, rings and shoes in The Great Gatsby‘s style. Just to mention another much-mentioned movie, sometimes improperly. But not this time.