Esquire speaks Italian proficiently, not fluently

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a release party for Esquire’s The Spring 09 version of Esquire’s Big Black Book. The event was held at B&B ITALIA, makers of modernist home furnishings and featured a look at the Spring 09 Canali collection. Like the Italocentric get together, the book in question also stressed the importance of the boot on men’s style. In a spread entitled, “How to Speak Italian on the Weekends” the editors at Esquire demonstrated that they almost get it through highlighting a few of the style principles that set Italian men apart from the rest. Most of their points are spot on (ie - the art of layering and the shock of color) and it was a valiant effort to use of a multinational cast to model the looks but they failed to mention the singular most important aspect of Sprezzatura – ATTITUDE! All the short white jeans, purple driving mocs and pink jackets in the world won’t mean a thing without it. They also show Brad Fisher in a pointed collar dress shirt. Well dressed Italians (and Americans for that matter) know that pointed collars should always have buttons through them…