Which gentleman tribe are you?
Bare ankles may be banned at Royal Ascot this year, but in Italy well-dressed men prefer their style with a modern flourish, says Stephen Doig
If you’ve ever sipped an espresso macchiato and settled in for a peoplewatch on any piazza across Italy, you’ll be aware that the Italian gent is a different breed to his British brother in garms. He’s generally sleeker, more polished and focused on the finer points – the turn-up of his trousers, the cotton of his shirt. There’s nothing like a Marcello Mastroianni type to make you feel ever so dowdy in your trussed-up British suit (believe me, I should know: I’m in the country with alarming frequency and these men never fail to show me up).
What’s clear is that, depending on their particular locale, Italian men subscribe to different sartorial codes, as became evident at the Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence and Milan Men’s Fashion Week.
The Florentine fellow
As visitors at Pitti Uomo – the trade fair that began in the Sixties as a textiles showcase and has become one of the most important and influential points in the men’s style calendar – proved, Florence calls for a touch of flamboyance. From the Ponte Vecchio to the Uffizi, you’ll spot men who’ve added an element of dandy flair to their wardrobe. This is in part thanks to the effect of the “Pitti Peacocks”, a curious breed of bello uomo that dresses up in his most fanciful, decorous show-stoppers to capture the lens of street style photographers as he postures in his fedora.
But slowly, with the rise of streetwear and a more casual mode of dressing, this rare breed is dying out, which is why in Florence it’s more about incorporating elements of dandyism in a more low-key look: a patterned scarf in lieu of a tie (hardly anyone one wears a tie anymore, it’s almost as taboo as boot-cut jeans), a bold pochette, or slippers in plush brocade.
Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside have a wealth of history in textile production, which is why silks and richly decorated scarves are so prominent in dress up here, but the key is to not look overly done; loose, slouchy silhouettes are the order of the day, with a soft structured jacket and fluid palazzo trousers. Opt for a loose blazer from Brunello Cucinelli, which the designer debuted in the city, and pair with wildly colourful scarves from Zegna.
The machismo Milanese
Stepping off the train from Firenze into the throng of Milan’s Stazione Centrale, I noticed a dramatic gear shift from sipping a Spritz as the sun sets over the Arno to on-the-go dynamism. This is a city built on the fast pace of the fashion world, and a sportier type of man zips the vias on his Vespa; narrow trousers, sneakers – always sneakers, preferably the sock-sneaker variety as seen at Versace – and a tight T-shirt to showcase those hours put in at Dsquared2’s Ceresio 7 gym. This is a guy who isn’t afraid to flaunt what he’s got, preferably topped off with some A-grade grooming and designer stubble.
Black is the prevailing colour in Milan – see Fendi’s all-black ensembles or the noir nylons at Prada – and the look can
seem quite impenetrable, like the city itself, which only unfolds its riches once you peek behind closed doors. If the Milanese man dresses up for dinner at hot spot Bice (their telefono pasta is a thing of utter joy), he does so in a very discreet: a lightly built jacket in a neutral tone or that inky black again.
The noble Neapolitan
Naples has been a hub of its own particular style of tailoring since the fabulously titled Brotherhood of Jacket Makers and Tailors set up shop in the 14th century, with its ramshackle streets filling up with the likes of Rubinacci and Kiton over the years. What makes the cut of this principe’s dash so unique? The construction and silhouette: the jackets are deliberately unlined or at least half lined in lightweight fabrics to combat the searing Salerno heat, but with a very masculine, solid form; this isn’t a cut of airy blousiness. The (always notched) lapel is strong and high, and the trousers cut to perfection, but it’s the shoulder that is the trickiest part; it’s created with a tiny rolled effect for a soft, fluid fold. This is a man who likes to keep his polish and sense of presence, but doesn’t want to broil in the midday sun, and for whom tailoring is a show of respect: always appropriate, never showy. It’s also a style of dress that has influenced designers; you can see that balance of ease and smartness in the handsome suiting of Canali as well as the fluidity of Giorgio Armani’s tailoring.
The Sicilian swain
There are two things that put Sicilian style on the map: The Godfather’s pinstriped suiting and peasant attire and Dolce & Gabbana – Domenico Dolce is from Sicily, where his father was a tailor. The brooding neo-realist cinema that so beautifully depicted the landscape – the black lace, of-the-earth primitivity and dark glamour – has always been part of the house’s story, which is why at their show they celebrated that history with black and white pinstriped suits (on Naomi Campbell and Monica Bellucci) and rustic tops in sack-like hessian and paper-bag waisted trousers (treated to the Dolce sprinkling of embroidery and sparkles).
It’s style of dress is defined by opposites; heavy pinstripe suits that are imposing enough to do serious business in and that easy, rustic style of toiling-in-the-olive-fields dress, cropped, blousy trousers and airy cotton shirts. The former calls for a classic, almost boxy shape, never tight; tailors in Sicily actually cut the suit to sit away from the body slightly, to allow more breathability. The reason things take a little longer on Sicilian time? The men need to move at a snail’s pace to make sure they don’t break a sweat in their pristine suits.