Back to reality. Objective beauty exists, indeed, even in fashion photography. Quality and beauty live despite of the clothes: a look can be average or can be too much, but if the picture that depicts it is beautiful, the value of that image will remain untouched during the years. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to explain why today we still appreciate the pictures of the great photographers of the past. Wind of change is blowing, encouraging a photographic realism inspired by the masters and, as like as in many other fields, fashion notices the change and often anticipates it.

“Too much” is trendy. What we considered “too much” in the past, now reviewed, modified and updated, is trendy. Maybe it’s not chic, but it’s fashionable. That’s why even an old picture of the frontman of the Albatros, a very young, big-haired and furry Toto Cutugno, looks like a modern one. This pic is from 1976, the period of committed songwriters on one side, and on the other the period of heartbreaking, half-spoken songs just like Volo AZ 504 by the Albatros, that the band presented at Sanremo Music Festival featuring the beautiful singer Silvia Dionisio. The highest top of this genre was reached by Patti Pravo with Incontro. But the same success was achieved by Claudia Mori with the unforgotten Buonasera dottore. Really pop.

Sportswear: handle with care. Essential? I don’t know, but of course they’re unmissable: sweatshirts, workout pants, T-shirts, white socks, and obviously sneakers. Sportswear became popular during the 80s, also thanks to movies like American Gigolò or the bad remake of Breathless, both starring Richard Gere. At the beginning sportswear remains confined exclusively to the sport context, where the branded gymsuit becomes a must-have and going to the gym is a duty. And then it expands to everyday’s life, becoming the first reason of flattening and loss of sense of style that, in general, was natural even among men. On the other hand it’s so comfortable and practical that even I (partially) gave in to temptation. But I avoid those garments completely lacking in charme, that are often made of synthetic fabric: if it has to be a gymsuit, opt for natural fibres, and choose socks made of mercerized cotton.

The rules of formal wear 2.0 – If it’s true that rules are made to be changed, it’s also true that maintaining the basis is a duty. Does everybody agree? So, to be consistent, we can’t neglect the importance of the suit, intended as jacket and trousers of the same color and made of the same fabric. Said that, matching colors and accessories is all about personal taste. If the suit is eccentric, the best choice is to adopt a clean styling, and vice versa. In other words, if the suit is made of charcoal grey or blue navy wool, you can be more creative with the matchings, opting, for example, for a powder pink shirt. But be careful, because if you’re looking for something more modern, the choice of the suit, even if traditional, requires some expedients: the jacket’s lapels should be regular, not too wide or too narrow, as well as the trousers. So avoid skinny fit and avoid pleats.

(Un)dressed to work. Countries more conscious than USA and Europe about environment and energy saving, Japan on top, impose that even in the middle of summer the temperature in offices mustn’t be lower than 26°C. What does it mean in terms of clothing? Considering the amount of men that use to wear suit and tie in offices, I’ll suggest an equally decent dress code without jacket, that allows gentlemen not to suffer for heat during working time. Let’s start from the top: no jacket, so no tie; opt for a shirt, made of popeline (better than linen), or for a (beautiful) polo shirt – please don’t lift the collar – blue, white or green. Elegant loafers with matching socks and light wool trousers. The belt is important to complete the look: avoid black leather (same thing for shoes) and prefer natural crocodile or brown napa leather. The buckle has to be discreet, otherwise without jacket it’ll be noticed for sure.