Finalmente

Despite the saying “Never judge a book by its cover,” clearly both American and Italian men do judge but according to different degrees and standards.

As for which standard of judgment you want to apply or even the choice of book you want to snuggle up and read at night, well, I will let you decide that for yourself!

Read the full article:

Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!

Part 2: Formal

Part 3: Fitted

Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly

Part 5: Fashion-ability

Part 6: Fear “less”

Part 7: Fine Tuned

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (6) Fine Tuned

Last but not least, Italian men find great pleasure in co-ordinating the entire look.

Co-ordination entails the right choice of each garment and accompanying accessories, as well as matching colors not only to other colors but also to skin complexion and hair tones.

As a matter of fact, many Italian labels promote something called “total look” collections.

Total look is particularly helpful to men who are “fashion challenged”: all they have to do is purchase a complete outfit from any given collection, and they are ready to go from head to toe.

Read the full article:
Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!
Part 2: Formal
Part 3: Fitted
Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly
Part 5: Fashion-ability
Part 6: Fear “less”
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (5) Fear “less”

When it comes down to fashion, Italian men are not totally fearless; but they are definitely less afraid of new colors and innovative styles than American men. Virtually no color is taboo, while it is not uncommon for Italian men to adopt a radically different style from one season to the other.

In general, Americans tend to wait for a rare color or style to “catch on” before everyone can be seen wearing it. I recall the painstaking difficulty of selling the square-toe shoe to American men back in 2001. Now, eight years later, they seem like they will just not go away.

Read the full article:

Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!
Part 2: Formal
Part 3: Fitted
Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly
Part 5: Fashion-ability
Part 7: Fine Tuned
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (4) Fashion-ability

Italian fashion is in constant change and flux.

Although there may be two major fashion seasons in Italy as with other countries—namely, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter— throughout the course of each season, fashion houses release minor collections called “flashes.”

A flash entails roughly 15-20 new pieces, which are released about every 3-4 weeks throughout any given season. Each flash offers new shades on the color palette, as well as slight alterations in style.

Although American men find this hard to believe, many young men in Italy used to visit my showroom each week to inquire about new merchandise, often requesting to see a catalog to catch a sneak peek of the upcoming flash!

Read the full editorial:
Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!
Part 2: Formal
Part 3: Fitted
Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly
Part 6: Fear “less”
Part 7: Fine Tuned
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (3) Frilled but not Frilly

Another major difference in values between Italian and American male dress lies in the attention to detail.

Italian men, in general, tend to pay considerable attention to detail in their dress.

First, Italian brands incorporate assorted embellishments into their designs, such as asymmetrical pockets or necklines, double stitching, extra buttoning, playful belt hoops, and so on.

Secondly, Italian men love to accessorize. It is not uncommon for Italian men to crown their head with a pair of cool sunglasses or strap a small wallet-size bag across their shoulder. Wrist bands, ankle bracelets, and stylish scarves complete the cover!

Italian men, however, do not restrict their attention to detail solely to clothing or accessories but rather to their entire outer appearance.

Italian barbers and hairstylists, for example, exert much effort in ensuring that each “cut” corresponds to the general “look” of the male sitting in the chair. Accents of facial hair then accompany the cut to highlight the entire look.

Read the full editorial:
Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!
Part 2: Formal
Part 3: Fitted
Part 5: Fashion-ability
Part 6: Fear “less”
Part 7: Fine Tuned
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (2) Fit

Italian designer, Francesco Smalto, once declared “Fashion, in my opinion, is balance. It’s taking into account the shape of the head, the shoulders, or the stomach.”

Accordingly, the first concept behind fitted or tailored clothing in Italy is proportion: Italian men value proportion, equating it to seductive elegance.

For the most part, Italian brands accentuate the male physique, creating a silhouette of broad shoulders and a robust chest as the upper garment narrows down to a thin waist.

Correspondingly, the bottom wear picks up where the upper wear left off, accentuating the buttocks, thighs, and strong slim legs.

Contrary to current trends in the US, Italian men prefer to wear clothing that corresponds exactly to their size.

American men tend to “buy up,” not just one size but several sizes, creating a more baggy silhouette, to which they often refer as “casual.”

As for Italian men, “casual” has nothing to do with size.

Read the full editorial:
Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!
Part 2: Formal
Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly
Part 5: Fashion-ability
Part 6: Fear “less”
Part 7: Fine Tuned
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

7 Major Differences Between Italian and American Men: (1) Formality

The first of seven major differences between Italian and American men lies in the degree of formality within their dress.

In general, Italian men tend to be more formal in dress than American men, especially at the workplace.

Currently in some job settings, Italian businessmen can be seen in a jacket and tie with jeans and casual shoes—that is, as long as the jeans and shoes are stylish, meeting the standards and conditions outlined below.

Even in other social settings outside the workplace, Italian men think twice before leaving the house. For example, an Italian young man would not commonly go to school or attempt taking his girlfriend to a restaurant dressed in a plain undershirt, sweat pants, or gym shorts—much less in flip flops!

Read the full editorial:

Part 1: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!

Part 3: Fitted

Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly

Part 5: Fashion-ability

Part 6: Fear “less”

Part 7: Fine Tuned

Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, Unless It’s in Italian!

Although the phrase “Never judge a book by its cover” has a relatively short history, being widely popularized in 1947 by Cary Grant in the movie the Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, the concept actually dates back to the days of antiquity.

Consequently, in most languages and cultures there exists some way to express the admonition. Despite its widespread use and popularity, however, the fact of the matter is that most cultures do judge books by their covers!

What differs, however, are the values that each culture applies in judging any given book. When it comes down to the books of fashion, apparel, and dress, the irony cannot be truer!

Throughout my life, I have lived in eight assorted countries and I have worked in a dozen others. Time and time again, I have been confronted with the same question: “Why are Italian men so stylish?” The answer is quite simple.

The reason lies in the degree to which Italian society judges the covers of their “books.” When it comes down to the books of fashion, apparel, and clothing, Italians place a very high value on outer appearance as compared to other countries, such as the US.

Fortunately I am acquainted with the buying patterns of both Italian and American men. I worked in retail for some time in the US, while I ran my own showroom in Italy.

So, hopefully without transgressing into stereotypes, I will point out the major differences in values between Italian and US men and the degree to which each one judges outer appearance by its cover.

Read the full article:
Part 2: Formal
Part 3: Fitted
Part 4: Frilled but not Frilly
Part 5: Fashion-ability
Part 6: Fear “less”
Part 7: Fine Tuned
Part 8: Finalmente

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.