DOMENICO TALKS ABOUT ITALIAN MEN'S FASHION

People tell me they love the way Italian men dress.  I’m going to try to tell you how I see men’s fashion from an Italian man’s perspective and will give some tips on how to dress like an Italian.  

Since I was a child I knew that the clothes I wore needed to be chosen carefully. So I would look at store windows and magazines to learn how others combined fabrics and colors.  As a teenager, I wore the newest trends but now I stick with the time-honored styles. I buy the highest quality that I can afford and hope it will last for many years (as long as I keep my weight steady, I should be fine).

A man doesn’t need to have a huge wardrobe, he just needs the right clothes.  They need to be classic and well-thought-out.  Not like you just woke up and threw anything on.

Italian men pride themselves on their appearance and on the attention to detail. They watch fashion trends to see what’s new.  They think about what colors look good with their complexion and which styles go well with their body. Keep it simple but chic.

Italian men almost always wear a jacket and elegant trousers that are usually tailored so that it fits you like a glove. I never wear anything baggy.  Our clothes are meant to show the shape of our body.
A jacket is good in summer or winter.  Linen jackets are such a major part of Italian style.  Rolled up sleeves bring a casual look to the jacket. 

Italians normally wear slim-fit trousers and always have the hem of my pants tailored because they are never the right length when you buy them! I like them to just touch the top of my shoes.  Some men like them even a bit shorter especially in summer, but that’s not for me.  Bare ankles are the style for the young guys but I do it too when I’m going out for the evening.

My dress shirts are fitted.  I sometimes turn back the shirt cuffs over the jacket’s sleeves. Shirts of cotton or linen are my favorites.  I rarely wear a short-sleeved dress shirt.

Colors? Italian men are not afraid of color, though I tend to stick with shades of sand and stone or navy for pants, with pale-blue or white shirts. T-shirts with a printed message are popular too.  

I wear leather bracelets, usually more than one at a time and have several watches that I change depending on the shirts. Make sure your watch fits where the wrist meets the hand.  Don’t wear it too big so that it spins around the wrist. And yes, I wear a gold chain with a cross. I guess that’s pretty typical but don’t wear one that’s oversized.  Some cool sunglasses, a scarf and the right belt can upgrade your look to dapper.

And finally, you need at least two pairs of shoes: lace-up ones for elegant evenings out and then for casual wear a leather loafer or tennis shoe.  Soft leather loafers come in lots of colors and shades and they are almost always worn without socks, and with slim-fit trousers.  If you are going to wear sneakers out for the evening make sure they are not the sporty kind but the fashion ones.  You can be comfortable in a stylish way. 

If you'd like to go out shopping with me in the Peligna Valley.  Bring an empty suitcase and meet me in Abruzzo!