The elegance of mixing. Softness, romance and disorder, three keywords that depict a man that’s inclined to handle his own look, and to take the risk of not being completely in line with the codes of traditional menswear. In this column I’ve already written about what I think in terms of a more contemporary attitude, but I understand that mixing genres could be not so accepted by the Italian general public. Elsewhere this mix has been legitimized for quite a long time. But, you know: we’re one of the most conservative countries in Europe. But don’t say that Tony Musante doesn’t embody a universal and traditional masculine aesthetics. And yet, the “frilly” accessory doesn’t jar. This week’s picture portrays him in the backstage of Anonimo Veneziano, directed by Enrico Maria Salerno, out in 1970, one of the first (Italian) movies that focused on the hypocrisies of traditional family. Upstream and nonconformist, indeed.

Marcello, that liar. Cannes, May 1987: 31 years ago Oci Ciornie won the Palme d’Or. The movie by Nikita Michalkov, inspired by some novels by Anton Cechov, is not so well known: it is never broadcasted on TV and it is hard to still find a copy. I’m lucky to have one, and I had the great fortune of being that year at the Festival, watching the premiere of the movie and participating at the award ceremony. The story is interpreted by Mastroianni and Elena Safonova, with the special appearance by an extraordinary Silvana Mangano that, even if she was already gravely ill, accepted to join the cast of the Michalkov masterpiece. It was her last movie, she died in Madrid two years later, only 59 years old. I remember one line of Elisa, her character, that she says to her husband in one of the last scenes: “Romano, once in your life, tell the truth”. Yes, because the role played by the great Marcello is that of an incurable liar, looking for a new woman that he finally finds in Russia. The movie is set at the beginning of the 20th century, many scenes are filmed on a cruise ship where Mastroianni shows off several suits designed by the costumers Larisa Lebedeva and Carlo Diappi and made by Sartoria Tirelli.

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.

Hotel Mioni Pezzato & S.p.a. – Abano Terme (PD) Italy