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Logan's Style Watch
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MEN'S FASHIONS, UNIFORMS AND OSCAR WILDE
by Logan Bentley Lessona
ROME, January 13, 2001 --It's time to talk about men's fashions again. The most important fashion shows in the world take place twice a year, in January and in June, first in Florence and then in Milan. (Don't ask me why.) Meanwhile, Italians are hitting the stores for the sales of winter clothes , which just started in some regions and are about to start in others. Again, don't ask me why, store hours and sales are regulated by laws which are pointless.
So not only are consumers checking out bargains in winter outfits, the monthly and weekly fashion magazines are showing us the spring-summer fashions we'll see in the stores in late February, and the men's fashion shows are featuring next winter's outfits which are widely publicized in Italy on TV and in the printed press.
At least if you read that some color or fabric featured this winter is OUT for the next season you won't buy it on sale no matter how low the price! For this column we'll concentrate on what's coming next winter and save this spring-summer for the future. 2001 marks fifty years that Florence has presented Italian fashion to the world. Gala dinners and events such as this season's special exhibit dedicated to uniforms have always surrounded collections presented in Florence.
The exhibit called "Uniforms, Order and Disorder" shows current Italian uniforms from the different services, photographs of men wearing uniforms in combat, and morphs into collages of photos and drawings from pop culture with movie stars like Marlon Brando or Richard Gere compared with contemporary outfits from designers such as Giorgio Armani inspired by uniforms. (Stazione Leopoldo, Florence, open until February 18)
If the uniform is a symbol of the establishment and conservatism, young people who by nature are anti-establishment use parts of it like baggy camouflage pants and combat boots with thick rubber soles.
As Italian journalist Ilaria Ciuti of La Repubblica pointed out, "Uniforms are the precursor of men's fashions, and the first example of ready-to-wear, identical outfits manufactured in different sizes. (The uniform) is functional and formal, cut by tailors who are experts in virility."
The trench coat that originated during World War I where battles were fought from trenches morphs through Humphrey Bogart in World War II's film "Casablanca" to its current luxurious version for next winter's dandy presented by Allegri, famous for its raincoats. Shades of Oscar Wilde, who gave us the dandy over a century ago.
Luxury is the word from Italian designers, and cashmere is king. It's found in overcoats, blazers, soft thick sweaters, scarves often lined with silk, and even lightweight polo shirts. For rock stars and those who want to go over the top Stefano Ricci lines overcoats with ermine and Versace uses gold leather for trench coats. For classic elegance Ferragamo offers jackets, pants and coats in various shades of camel in cashmere, vicuna, and wool, many worn with pristine white shirts and subdued neckties in tiny chic prints.
The country gentleman in tweed is proposed by Corneliani, complete with contrasting vest and fringed cashmere scarf. Many designers featured the classic double-breasted suit, but clothes for casual wear were just as prominent, as were the latest super-tech offerings, such as Invicta's jacket with three different linings, Dolomite's cold-weather gear with a thermal interlining containing air to isolate from the cold, and a jacket from Corpo Nove that can be heated inside from a scooter's exhaust. (Not so sure about that last one!)
Jeans are forever, the true to the current trends, the latest from Rifle are gold.
Although a super-macho contestant named Pietro Taricone almost won the Italian version of "Big Brother" and has dazzled women with his biceps, the designers in Florence and Milan want no part of this image and have requested slender, elegant-looking eighteen-year olds. "I don't even want to hear about men with muscles," said Donatella Versace, who looks to evenings in London where she has a house for inspiration. "Today's men want to dress to please themselves."
Even Werner Baldessarini, president of Hugo Boss, one of the biggest sellers of menswear in the world, confirms the march to luxury. "Luxury triumphs, especially with young men," he declared in Florence. "They also want color, but they want quality. With they new economy they are earning good money, and they want to spend it on themselves and enjoy it."
© 2001 Logan Bentley Lessona
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