Three steps towards the future. A summer ago we were free to travel, have fun, go shopping. Today we are halfway (hopefully) from nightmare and the day after, (still) stuck in a bubble of uncertainty. We’re living our first summer in black and white after years of (naive) inconsciousness, at the mercy of false values, clouded by appearance and far from the essence. The cover of Style Magazine – a magazine about style, especially twice a year and this is one of those times – sends a message for the future: the location chosen by the photographer, an inspired Max Vadukul, represents the past to be demolished and contrasts with the volitive attitude of the three young actors: Laura Adriani, Matteo Oscar Giuggioli and Alberto Boubakar Malanchino. The mood of the fashion – simple, basic – suggests a timeless “menstyle”: a step back, towards a discreet, but not nostalgic, elegance. A step back to make three steps forward: towards a better future that, by now, we can only imagine. And that we have to regain and deserve.

Feminine Masculine. Feminine/Masculine, Masculine/Feminine. Magazines have talked about this for years, fashion and show biz have represented it for decades. Art for centuries. The most discussed and bickered Sanremo Music Festival of the century bet a lot on the character/artist Achille Lauro: his look and his musical touch (the fact that he mantained the feminine version singing the cover of Mia Martini didn’t go unnoticed) entered the houses provoking dizzy spells on one side and jubilation on the other. If a message needs to be perceived and felt, it has to be screamed. The exploit of the Roman rapper won’t change the popular mind. Good job, anyway: it was a good message of change; we’ve really entered the era of the years to come. Like it or not, let’s take note. We’ve to metabolize the change or we’ll bound to get old prematurely.

His Vanity. Until the 60s, the only jewels allowed for men were cufflinks and the wedding ring. At most the tie clip, some used to wear the gold chain received for the first Holy Communion. Jewels became a trend for men in the 70s: young people drew inspiration from the rockstars, so the first silver bracelets started to peek out. Later there were the yellow gold bracelets, in form of rectangular plates matched with leather strings. From the years of minimalism on, the inspiration was punk and its symbologies. And from Slimane for Dior Homme and Margiela, to the funny creations by Paul Smith, and the jewelry collection by Dolce&Gabbana, many designers have indulged the most hidden side of men’s vanity.

Tartan Mania. Tartan is the typical checked fabric born in Scottish Highlands. Americans call it “plaid” (that for us is the blanket we use at home, on the knees, laying on the sofa, that, indeed, – often – has a checked pattern…). Whatever its origin may be, though Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor wear the kilt in official events, differently to Peter Sellers that wore it even out of the etiquette, after its coming and going on the catwalks, now it’s one of this season’s most fashionable fabrics. In other words, whether in form of a shirt or a jacket, this winter tartan is a must. It is not by chance that it’s one of the eight trends selected for Style Dress Code (above, on the left) the new Style Magazine’s spin-off.

An unusual black and white for a designer that made the color (and colored stripes, even only for details) his distinguishing feature; a b/w that represents that line called, in the early Nineties, “Suit”: formal, tailored, but with that touch of extravagance emphasized by the pose and the point of view.