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| Corneliani |
As you know, over the last few years my personal style for the office has been gravitating ever so slowly to a more Italian model. This is in large part due to the lighter cloths offered by the Italian houses, fabrics that are more suitable for the Mediterranean climate of Southern California. It's just absurd to go around in 14-15 oz. suiting in 85 degree weather; only on the chilliest days here can one wear flannel, Tweed, and thicker cloths, and fortunately there aren't many of those. But my growing preference also comes from the fact the Italians simply
get it right. They know the form. To show you what I mean, the image (above) of the gents from Corneliani depicts what I consider the ideal template. Here is Boyer on Italian style:
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The Italian sense of style is hardly to be argued. Whether it's furniture, sports cars, architecture, kitchen utensils, or clothing, the Italians have made their mark. And it has, interestingly enough, often been said that style is what Italy is all about. Italians nurture it, and cultivate it, wallow in it, and of course export it. It is, to press the point, their stock in trade and it flowers so magnificently in Italy because no other country is so fiercely individualistic."
G. Bruce Boyer,
Elegance (1985)
So true LBF. When I was trapped in Paris in 2010 due to the Icelandic volcano we ended up taking a coach bus to Rome to catch a flight back to Toronto. The bus driver was an Italian fellow wearing the most gorgeous suit, it fit him perfectly and he was the epitome of style. He was far better dressed than the first-class North American passengers he was driving.
ReplyDeleteSo it's not about money for these Italian men, they have a natural style and an eye for fabric and fit.
Marcello Mastroianni is one of my sartorial heroes; the Italians rarely disappoint. You're so right about the weight issue. My heavy tweeds languish in the closet-at the tender mercies of Tineola Bisselliela.
ReplyDeleteBest place for style in Italy is by far Vicenza. Never seen something remotely close to what I have witnessed there.
ReplyDeleteYears ago I arrived in NYC for a morning appointment, only to find myself victim of a wardrobe malfunction. My brother-in-law, an actor on the stage, suggested I try a suit he had been given for a play and when I put it on I looked so elegant that I felt as if I had been spiritually elevated. Brother-in-law usually played leading men or villains, and I felt up for either of these. The suit, of course, was Italian.
ReplyDelete