Master of style. John Cassavetes: a rare mix of beauty and talent. Between the 50s and the 80s he acted in about thirty movies and directed a dozen of independent movies. They were “special” movies, often filmed in interiors, like theatrical pieces. Conceptual films and intellectual scripts. Cassavetes, indeed, is not so famous, mainly among young people. The only movie that reached the public approval and made him popular as an actor at the end of the 70s was Rosemary’s Baby, by Roman Polanski. And the only well-known one he directed was Gloria. A summer night, interpreted by his wife Gena Rowlands. She had the same destiny. she is little known even if she’s as talented and beautiful as others more famous colleagues. Cassavetes has always been in the shadows, like all the greats of the show business and he was (in my opinion) unconsciously sensual. He had an innate and discreet style, he was confident wearing a suit as well as a classic/informal outfit. John Cassavetes (on the right) with Peter Falk. Picture from the book John Cassavetes by Jim Healy and Emanuela Martini (Il Castoro Publishing)

The knot is tied. The art of knotting a tie (or a bow-tie, or an ascot): a leit-motif which has been handed down for decades on men’s magazines. Vintage illustrations, picture of models tying a knot in front of a mirror, and the list goes on. One thing is sure and indisputable: a beautiful tie badly knotted becomes an ugly tie. What’s more, there’s to be careful about measures. The tie’s width, that mustn’t be more than 6 cms, and its lenght. The end must touch the upper edge of the belt, it musn’t be longer nor shorter. I prefer the tight knot, thin, with that little cleft that in jargon has a bit scandalous definition, so I don’t mention it on this page! Choose prints, bright colours, knitting than the usual silk; give up, at least for this season, the classic regimental and prefer the micro-prints. Finally, match the tie with suits in the same colour or – on the contrary – break with contrasting colours.

Grey-blue. The nostalgia for one-time Milano is a generation vice, doomed to be handed down forever. Today’s twentysomething will say the same thing repeated by nostalgics now. Who was twenty between Seventies and Eighties regret a Milan that doesn’t exist anymore (“how fine we felt, how nice it was”). Actually, they regret having lost their youth; Milan’s energy was a projection of adolescence, it was not true. There was both cultural and political unrest, but dont’ forget that they were the so-called “Years of lead”. Today it’s more beautiful and liveable than once even if it remains a hard city: you can love or hate it, there’s nothing in the middle. Maybe “it doesn’t laugh and have fun anymore”, as Lucio Dalla sang in his ’79 piece, but it’s almost ready for Expo, peripheral areas have become beautiful and new glass buildings look like shining rockets pointed towards the future. The new Milan is grey-blue. Fast and glossy more than ever. Work in progress for Milan Expo.

Da ieri, a Milano, i brand più noti hanno presentato le collezioni per il prossimo autunno inverno.
Nelle foto che vedete c’è una prima selezione, fotografata in questo primo giorno di press day da Luca Roscini, Andrea Porro e Angelica Pianarosa, dalla quale emerge anzitutto il ritorno del chiodo in pelle; mentre le maison di abbigliamento sport e casual sembrano prediligere i colori fluorescenti e decisi, anche per gli accessori che spesso mischiano la pelle al tessuto. I brand più conservativi, invece, puntano su tessuti, fantasie e accessori di consolidata tradizione anglosassone come il Galles, lo spinato e il cashmere a coste.

In Milan yesterday started the “Press Day week”: during these days, the most important brand present next F/W collections.
Here below you can find a selection from the first day, that has been shot by Luca Roscini, Andrea Porro e Angelica Pianarosa, that makes appear over all that studded leather jacket  is back. The leisure and sport brands seem to prefer fluo and strong colors even for accessories creating – sometimes – a mix of leather and fabric. The most conservative brands focus on the most timeless english fabrics and accessories, like the Prince of Wales, herringbone and ribbed cashmere.

Chiodo di pelle in versione classica, Tommy Hilfiger

Chido-gilet di pelle con collo di pelo, Yves Saint Laurent

Brogue blu, Salvatore Ferragamo

Cardigan di Cashmere con piuma d’oca all’interno, Brunello Cucinelli

Palette colori, Duvetica

Cravatte in maglia colori autunnali, Gallo

Borsoni weekend, Andrea Incontri

Tessuti fantasia, Luigi Bianchi Mantova

Camicie in flanella, Lee

Bomber, G-Star

Sneakers in pelle e lana, Vans

Camicie e bomber, Wrangler

Adidas by Jeremy Scott