80s’ class. In spite of the recession, in the last few years new magazines of image, art, design and fashion have been created. Lots of them are autofinanced, others are supported by small businessmen. It means that the generation of the late 80s/90s feels like expressing itself, and aims at the paper magazines: this is, actually, the most surprising feature. They have studied to be art directors, journalists, fashion editors and they do just fine even out of the publishing giants. For the new fashion-designers, life is even harder: making (and supplying) a collection has very high costs. But, in the world of italian designers, the emerging brands are creations of men who are between 35 and 40 years old. Today I present the cover of the first issue of the very refined magazine c.a.p.74024. And four looks of menswear successful brands.

Deep V. Amedeo Modigliani: the picture is from the early years of the 1900s, but it looks like current. Yes, this is a timeless style, that can’t be placed in a particular era. This is the style of simplicity: bare but fascinating, incorruptible, beyond the trends. To sum up, this is always a trendy style. How to give it a more stylish and creative taste? It’s easy: keep the V neck of the pullover, opting for a plunging one, and play with contrasts between plain colours/prints. Invert them for the shirt: one colour if the sweater is printed and vice-versa. Wear the pullover inside the trousers, that have to be baggy: this will keep the retro mood of the look. Trousers must be plain and the fabric has to be thick and woven, like the cotton canvas or coarse-grained wool. The bohemian artist Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920)

In double-breasted. This week’s picture is a frame of the movie I believe in you, set in London during the postwar period. The main character wears with self-confidence the double-breasted jacket, that way of dress of the gangsters typical of the late 40s, that oriented the fashion of great designers such as Armani and Versace. The gangster figure – from Scarface (the original one, directed by Howard Hawks in 1932) to Borsalino, Chinatown and dozens of other popular movies – has a particular appeal that in the collective consciousness refers to a specific style. Today the double-breasted lasts and is the guarantor of an elegant and refined, not necessarily too formal, attire. The lapels are shawl or peak, but narrower than then. To respect the proportions, the shirt has to have a little collar. The same for the tie. A frame from the movie I believe in you, 1952

Spa Code. When you stay in a big hotel, a 5-star with excellent cookery and a beautiful spa like the Relilax Miramonti in Montegrotto Terme, even if the atmosphere invites to relax, it doesn’t mean that you can have breakfast half-naked wearing slippers. Be careful about lapses of style. It’s possible to dress with taste without carrying a heavy luggage. You can wear a tracksuit with sneakers for breakfast; at lunch opt for a pair of dark jeans or velvet trousers, with a polo shirt or a plain colour shirt. In the evening, a simple but stylish, preferibly single-colour, look: round-neck sweater, shirt and gabardine trousers, to match with classic and comfortable desert boots. And in the spa or at the pool? First of all, turn off the mobile phone (or rather leave it in the room); then opt for swimming trunks and bathrobe. Finally, in the water, avoid the butterfly stroke: these are places where silence is the rule. The pool of the Relilax Miramonti Hotel, in Montegrotto Terme.

Imperial holes. The brogue’s upper was originally drilled for “technical” reasons. Holes helped to keep the shoe dry in case of rain or, vice versa, cool in summer. Today there are completely different devices: leather is processed in order to become actually waterproof. However, that early device is now a distinctive and ornamental sign. The brogue, born three centuries ago, lost quickly its original purpose, utilitarian and sporty, becoming an iconic accessory. Legend has it that Edward VII – King of Great Britain, Ireland and Emperor of India (for only one year, in 1936) – was the first one, as a prince, to sanction the swallowtail lace up shoes, wearing them during a formal event. Custom-made brogues by Paul Smith Personal Service.