Ciao bella! I have officially arrived in my new home, Florence, Italy or as the locals call it, Firenze, Italia. Amongst all the excitement and sightseeing of my new city, I have noticed one especially fabulous thing about this city and Europe in general: the Fashionistos here WORK IT.
In the states, menswear is typically pretty basic, versatile and universal. In other words, it is predictable and bland. Sure, a guy can look great in a crisp button-down shirt and a pair of jeans, but Italian men are in a whole new league. They wear statement pieces. They take risks. They accessorize. They change it up. And their outfits are just as fun to observe as their female counterparts.
A common theme so far in Italian male wardrobes seems to be tight clothing; they like to show off their figure. Their wardrobe color palette is extremely neutral, featuring mostly gray, black and other dark tones. They are also much more metrosexual than guys you could find in Columbia, Missouri (so surprising, I know.) Consequently, this leads to seemingly more feminine clothing. Men here will roll their skinny jeans up to be ankle length, wear a tight V-neck and a scarf. Most Mizzou guys would rather die than be caught in that, but Italian men own it and make it work. It’s a whole new level of confidence and comfort within their wardrobes, which is so refreshing.
The American men’s ready-to-wear market is extremely underrated and gets very little attention or evolution within it. This is mostly due to the fact that such a large chunk of the population is so mainstream (especially in the Midwest.) After spending time observing male fashion trends here, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to incorporate them in the United States. In moderation, I firmly believe it would be warmly welcomed and strongly embraced. You don’t see any women here shying away from a well dressed Italian man, trust me. So American Fashionistos, I encourage you to try it!
Dark jeans with a black fitted T-shirt, a plaid scarf, a pea coat and neutral suede shoes would be considered the classic, everyday Italian man’s outfit. This is completely doable in the American setting. The biggest key is that Italian men are always looking put together. They have a coordinated outfit with accessories and their hair is done. Overall, if American Fashionistos put in this consistent effort, the Italian inspired look would be fully achieved, and the ladies definitely wouldn’t be mad about it.
Captured: I found this Fashionisto on Borgo Ognissanti in Florence, Italy right on the Arno River.
