#italian-fashion

#italian-fashion

Studying abroad in Florence was one of the best decisions of my life for a multitude of reasons-I lived like a true local, ate some of the best meals I've ever had, deepened my appreciation for art and history, learned Italian, and was able to travel to five countries and two continents in just three and a half months. But most importantly, it immersed me in a culture where personal style is second nature, quickly teaching me how to dress in a sophisticated, timeless,

Even before he showed his first collection, in 1975, Armani had been challenging ideas about the male suit and overcoat as they had been constructed since the 1790s on a basis of stiff canvas, interlining, padding and special stitching, so as to reshape a man's torso to look as much as possible like a classical statue. He discarded this armature that helped hide imperfections.

It all began with the jacket. Giorgio Armani twisted and bruised the angular piece of clothing - tearing out the padding, adjusting the proportions, moving the buttons - until he was left with something supple as a cardigan, light as a shirt. "Removing all rigidity from the garment and discovering an unexpected naturalness," as he put it years later. "It was the starting point for everything that came after." His 1970s reimagining of the jacket - a study in nonchalance - was to be his statement of purpose as a fashion designer.

A stylish Italian never lets the heat slow them down; one can find them looking effortlessly cool in tailored separates, even on the hottest summer nights in Palermo.