Between art and style. “Artisan” and “artist”. Both come from the latin “Ars” (art) even if they have different meanings. The artist is the person that handles fine arts like painting, sculpture, music, acting. The artisan is the person that mechanically adopt one of the arts or that practices crafts that require experience and manual skills. Fashion designers are artisans of art and they’re not artists in the strict sense: they often take inspiration from art for their collections. Bear in mind this slight difference, even if there are (a few) fashion creations with a very high lever of artistic taste. Reworked version of a Self-Portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti, from a print of the 19th century by Alphonse Francois.

The colour of leather. It was 1971 when a cult-movie came out in cinemas: Shaft. Actually, the main part of this movie’s success is due to its fantastic soundtrack composed by Isaac Hayes (Theme from Shaft). But the protagonist, Richard Roundtree, sheathed in black leather clothes, brought to international fame the afro-american style, inaugurating a current that has lots of addicted still today. Roundtree was even described as “sexier than James Bond and tougher than Bullitt”. If you don’t belong to the large group of the imitators of this mood, the common sense suggests to avoid the total look made of black leather. Opt for black only if you’re able to downplay it. Otherwise, if it has to be leather, choose the shades of brown/beige and remember that there are garments made of suede. That’s finer and lighter than leather. The poster of the movie Shaft by Gordon Parks (1971).

Start-up. Self-confident: being aware of who we are and how we look like. Unconventional: unusual, different. Memorizing, putting together and mixing garments from our closet that instinctively seem compatible to us but not necessarily complementary. In other words, apply on yourself a style procedure that is often the start-up for fashion designers. They, travelling, go in search of new ideas, original inspirations, that they usually find – strangely enough – on the stalls of vintage markets. Look at your wardrobe like it’s the first time, eliminating the habits, trying not to wear the same things: mix up the cards, improvise, invent. Start the season with the will of being “new”. A look of Comme des Garcons in a picture of Peter Lindbergh (1994)

Sneakers, Paul Smith s/s 2016

Una delle stampe iconiche della prossima estate, secondo Paul Smith, è la formica, che diventa animale-simbolo della collezione, protagonista anche delle vetrine delle boutique. Compare su zaini, T-shirt, pullover e sulle sneakers. Sia in versione singola che all over. A cura di Angelica Pianarosa, Foto Michele Gastl.

One of the iconic prints

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Far and wide. Giorgio Armani, 1982. Ph. Aldo Fallai for L’uomo Vogue. Look at the baggy shapes you see today in the shops’ windows: lots of them show suits, raincoats, coats, shirts, sweaters and trousers that remind the lines of this Armani collection, that dates back to 33 years ago. No, I don’t want to write the nth tribute to Giorgio Armani, but it’s instinctive to say: “Everything started from there and there we come back!”. An ultimate back to the roots? No. In two seasons this trend will be replaced by others. But let’s stick to the present; today we’ve recovered the pleasure of wearing large clothes, that are more comfortable and elegant than the too fitted menswear that has been in fashion for years. But pay attention to baggy trousers; when you sit down your ankles show up looking like breadsticks, and give a disproportionate appearance: the risk is to give this impression also when we stand up; so avoid loafers and pointed shoes and prefer monkstraps or brogues with wide and round shape.