Blue Snowdon it’s a photographic volume containing a selection of portraits by Lord Snowdon. Born in London in 1930, he married princess Margaret and separated from her in 1978. The publication starts with this line: “You don’t have a green shirt, white is too bright, black too funeral and I like blue” signed by the author; The subjects portrayed are people in the showbiz, fashion and art industry like Jeremy Irons, Calvin Klein, Joe Tilson and of course the British Royal Family feauturing a very young Harry from a photo taken in the year 2000. They are all wearing something blue. The book edited by Acne Studio Stockholm it’s an iconographic collection dedicated to the most classic color in menswear since the 1930s. The tecnique of simplicity ( which is a peculiarity of great photographers) and the use of natural locations, (as they are mostly studio and daylight shootings on location), increase the elegance of the pictures and also our personal perception of the color blue as part of our everyday life. Only one weird ecception: the Gainsbourg and Britt Ekland pictures are in Black and white. David Bowie on the cover of the book.

His physical attributes remind us of Marc Porel and Mark Frechette, the main carachter in “Zabriskie Point” : I am talking about Marco Bocci, better known as police commissioner Scialoja (from the tv serie Romanzo Criminale) or deputy police superintendent Calcaterra ( from Squadra Antimafia). He’s from Umbria like Filippo Timi, good looking like Alain Delon and versatile like Giancarlo Giannini. He’s also very polite, empathetic and professional on photographic sets. He’s not very tall and that makes it easier for us to “dress him up” in the biggest brands as they never make samples for the lanky ones. He’s gifted with natural charm. He has that look, long hair and a little bit of beard, which remind us of a 70s aesthetic that is coming back into fashion, more for the look itself than for the clothing. He looks very good in jacket and tie but he does prefere a more casual outfit in everyday life, choosing easy and wearable clothing in order not to draw much attention to his figure. Although, he does, have a nice figure.

Let’s pretend I don’t know who the man in the picture is. I wouldn’t find him handsome or particularly interesting either.Then I find out he’s Anthony Hopkins and I change my mind: the VIP persuasive power. Be careful though, it’s a damn thin line between comfort and scruffiness, one’s got to be aware of that even walking the dog on a sunday morning, imagine for other occasions. Everyone is free to wear whatever they feel like, just remember that a cartain casual way of dressing, which has been deceiving us for years with the illusion of appearing younger, could be persuading a distracted passer-by to leave you some spare change: “here, good man have a coffee!”.
In any case I am talking to the twenty year olds too, they also cannot escape the clochard effect. Dowdiness it’s not good for them either. In the picture on the right , Anthony Hopkins on set in Rome, by Rino Barillari.

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