Zoot suit. The “Zoot suit” was a suit with exaggerated proportions, with very high waist trousers, often matched with Borsalino hats, that in the 40s became popular in the Afro-American, Chicane and Italian communities in the States. It was prohibited during the Second World War because it required much more fabric to be made than a normal suit. Well, this kind of suit is actually too much. But the current season offers suggestions that are similar to that baggy and soft silhouette: look at the collections of Armani, Pilati for Zegna Couture, Elbaz/Ossendrijver for Lanvin, Andrea Pompilio, Sergio Colantuoni for Caruso and Andrea Incontri. This trend is successful, is elegant, is charming. If you’re a bit short, opt for only a wide and enveloping piece. And the rest of the look has to be regular-fitting and not -viceversa-  very slim. Man wearing a zoot suit in Chicago, Illinois, in the Fourties.

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.

Friendly Classic. Living fashion with an easier approach. In other words: integrating a male aesthetic that mixes everyday clothes with more informal garments we wear only at home. I’ve always been annoyed by this kind of mix, in fact I’ve always looked askance at my colleagues that wear sneakers with the suit. But – partly – I have to change idea. Homewear mixed in the right amount with more classic garments suits me a little bit more now: maybe because I’m a fashion victim too and I’ve got used to such a young trend even if I’m a conservative at heart. It’s true that today lots of designers offer a kind of clothing that lies between sportswear and comfort. Basically, the strong effect of the techno/classic (the shiny blue lycra trousers with the blue coat: what a horror!) is softened, to advantage of a more friendly american style translated in contemporary taste. Ok, I like it.

Eclecticisms. The dressing gown. Worn in the 18th century in cafes and bistrot, then used only at home, and finally snubbed as a dismal and “ancient” garment in the second half of the 20th century, today it has been reevaluated, becoming a strating point for some collections. The robe de chambre and other recalls to a certain noble home-menswear, like the pajamas’ stripes, are infact on the catwalks: some designers suggest an idea of comfort and beauty linked to the main exponents of dandyism in the past, from Cecil Beaton to Oscar Wilde. This is a trend dedicated to “special” men, with a leading personality and an eclectic and creative cultural depth, that places intimism in consumer fashion. On the right, the cover of the UK magazine “Man and his Clothes” (1936).