How do younger men in Italy dress?

[cmrocks]

I was talking to a friend who just returned from a quick trip to Italy and she remarked at how well the younger men were dressed there. I asked her for more details but she wasn't really able to give me a good description of what they actually wear.

I'm curious, would anyone be able to explain their style a bit better to me? I've heard they are very well dressed but I've never known how. I'm looking for ways to improve my personal style and hopefully this will help.

 

[Britalian]

I assume by 'younger men' you don't mean late teens/early 20s who all seem to wear baggy, ill-fitting jeans, Tigers, and garish t-shirts with random English words printed on them.

If you're talking about mid-20s to mid-40s(?), I'd echo other comments variously made in other threads. Brown shoes are very popular with many men, twinned with grey, blue, brown, tan suits/trousers.
(Returning from bread buying this morning I saw a guy in a beautiful brown, two-piece Tagliatore (sp.?) from Napoli; it had a ticket pocket and above this an even smaller pocket (?). Paired it with a muted, solid orange silk tie.)
Casually, Polo Ts are very popular with jeans, typically Fred Perry, RLs, Lacoste, etc. Open-neck shirts with loafers and jeans and linen/cotton trousers are typical 'passegiata' wear in the warmer months.
Woolen neck-zip pullovers are very widely worn in the cooler months .
There's so much variety of style, like anywhere really. In my experiences, however, it's more difficult to find poorly dressed men/people. People tend to have a better idea of what suits them in terms of colour ranges, patterns, cuts etc. Whatever anyone wears they do it with confidence and flair (even if OCCASIONALLY it doesn't actually look very good..)
Recent Sartorialist photos of his visit to Milan should give you an idea.

 

[tiger02]

How much younger, and where in Italy? Last time I was in Italy was a week in Sardegna, so my impression was colored by staying on the beach. Most of the guys through probably their late 20s wore jeans and tshirts or button front shirts, with surprisingly nice (and expensive) leather sandals. By most I mean almost all.

On the other hand, the group of Napoletani I spent a few days with in Bangkok last month wore track pants and jeans with brightly-colored tshirts. Other than one guy who wore brightly-colored Capris with his brightly-colored tshirts. They were all in their 20s also.

Should have a trip report from Milan after Thanksgiving. I spent a long weekend there almost two years ago, but it was frigid so didn't get much of a sense of the local style.

Tom

 

[tiecollector]

You might be thinking they look like the stereotype, wearing armani and oozing sprezzatura.

I will comment on people under 40.

I didn't go to Milan, but from what I remember they all looked like **** wearing pink capris and those peep-toe leather slip-on sandals. Less gay italians were still seen touching each other's thighs over coffee with track pants and a t shirt. The only thing was that their clothes actually fit, so they didn't look like scrubs like they do here.

At night, many wore jeans and a collared shirt with like 2 buttons actually buttoned, prolly some really nice shoes too. This was my impression of them from what I remember, this is before I started caring about what I wore too.

 

[lasbar]

The Italians tend to like casual chic but once again it's a restricted picture on Italy....
They tend ,as a group,to be less individual than others Europeans even if it may come as a surprise to you...
They're extremely label conscious and want a look which can be recognized by others...
As youngsters,they're more fashion conscious than other countries but in a group orientated manner...
You're less likely to see extreme looks like in England or Germany...
I used to work in the biggest Museum in Paris dealing every day with thousands of tourists and i was able to recognize different nationalities with one glance...
At that time (15 years ago) ,the Italians were into perm for the girls with superga tennis shoes (more elegant than the sporty ones) ,white tee-shirts ,designer jeans and also the famous/infamous canvas jacket/ Barbour...
i went to Roma last year and Italian fashion tend to rely always on certain basics ...Simplicity and classicism in their suits with Brioni ,Kiton,Canali ,Corneliani or Zegna but a lack of creativity or spark sometimes...
Their shoes are superb with constant thirst for new tones...
They tend to like Burberry colours and tones such as browny/greeny ,khaki, beige but also suede shoes ...
For the most elegant ones ,black and brown in the winter and cream in the summer are must have....
Once again ,it is a global view on Italian fashion...
Everything depends on where you're going ,when and also what kind of people you're going to mix with...

 

[Calden]

Originally Posted by tiecollector

I didn't go to Milan, but from what I remember they all looked like **** wearing pink capris and those peep-toe leather slip-on sandals. Less gay italians were still seen touching each other's thighs over coffee with track pants and a t shirt.

To put it a way you'll understand, calling people **** is gayer than gay sex.

 

[Britalian]

Originally Posted by Calden

To put it a way you'll understand, calling people **** is gayer than gay sex.

beat me to it, Calden.

 

[Degendorff]

I was in Sicily this Summer and I had the impression that most of the Sicilian Italians wore well fitting clothes, but without classic style. It seems to me that dark blue jeans, black pinstripe sportjackets, shirts with big collars and black ties with even bigger knots were the common style of the "young" Italians, who dressed up. They mostly wore tan shoes, sometimes black, but I didn't see any goodyear welted. Even in Milan I hardly saw another style in the mid 20s.

 

[marc237]

Originally Posted by tiecollector

You might be thinking they look like the stereotype, wearing armani and oozing sprezzatura.

I will comment on people under 40.

I didn't go to Milan, but from what I remember they all looked like **** wearing pink capris and those peep-toe leather slip-on sandals. Less gay italians were still seen touching each other's thighs over coffee with track pants and a t shirt. The only thing was that their clothes actually fit, so they didn't look like scrubs like they do here.

At night, many wore jeans and a collared shirt with like 2 buttons actually buttoned, prolly some really nice shoes too. This was my impression of them from what I remember, this is before I started caring about what I wore too.

Wow. Mass generalizations, rampant homophobia and poor writing all in one post. A trifecta of dumb.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by marc237

Wow. Mass generalizations, rampant homophobia and poor writing all in one post. A trifecta of dumb.

I am in full agreement. I would think that the poster would have thought about cultural differences such as the differences in body language and personal space between the more tight-wound angloamerican/northwestern europeans and people from the Mediterrannean region before coming to such conclusions. Plus the homophobia shtick (sp?) is tired, leave that to arguments over tight jeans in Streetwear. I really don't see why so many people get threatened by the mere existence of homosexuality, anyway, but that is a whole different can of worms.

 

[marc237]

Skalagore-

As to the differences in body language and personal space - could not agree more. One of the things I appreciate about Europeans and many other non-Anglo cultures is the much more relaxed relation to physical touching and personal space. Far less uptight, far more welcoming and warm. A friend is Pakistani; he is very touchy-feely among men (hugging, touching on arm, etc.), very much not so with women, except his wife (but not in public). An issue of sexuality, no. Just an issue of culture.

 

[alflauren]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

I was talking to a friend who just returned from a quick trip to Italy and she remarked at how well the younger men were dressed there. I asked her for more details but she wasn't really able to give me a good description of what they actually wear.

This could also be a case of her simply being in Italy and having the opportunity to look at Italian men. She couldn't give you a good description because she wasn't really looking at their clothing...

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by marc237

Skalagore- As to the differences in body language and personal space - could not agree more. One of the things I appreciate about Europeans and many other non-Anglo cultures is the much more relaxed relation to physical touching and personal space. Far less uptight, far more welcoming and warm. A friend is Pakistani; he is very touchy-feely among men (hugging, touching on arm, etc.), very much not so with women, except his wife (but not in public). An issue of sexuality, no. Just an issue of culture.
Same thing for me. I very often talk to people up close and touch them when conversing. That is usual for me, even though after being in this country for almost 9 years I have been doing it less. On a sidenote, I used to have fun at bus stops when I was going at the university here just by sitting next to people, actually. They are so used to no one sitting down if there is not a lot of space that people would start getting uncomfortable and fidgety. Back home on the other hand it almost looked sometimes like a contest of "how many people can you fit on a bus stop bench"

Originally Posted by alflauren

This could also be a case of her simply being in Italy and having the opportunity to look at Italian men. She couldn't give you a good description because she wasn't really looking at their clothing...

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by skalogre

I am in full agreement. I would think that the poster would have thought about cultural differences such as the differences in body language and personal space between the more tight-wound angloamerican/northwestern europeans and people from the Mediterrannean region before coming to such conclusions. Plus the homophobia shtick (sp?) is tired, leave that to arguments over tight jeans in Streetwear. I really don't see why so many people get threatened by the mere existence of homosexuality, anyway, but that is a whole different can of worms.
Since you kinda asked, I believe it's "schtick".
But well-said, regardless.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by alflauren

This could also be a case of her simply being in Italy and having the opportunity to look at Italian men. She couldn't give you a good description because she wasn't really looking at their clothing...
Lol, good point. I'm imagining myself returning from a business trip to Italy and being quizzed by the Mrs.
Her: "Did you get to get out and see people?"
Me: "Yes, a bit when I wasn't stuck in meetings."
Her: "Did you get to see what women were wearing?"
Me: "Sure, there were lots of women out and about, dressed very nicely."
Her: "What were their purses like?"
Me: "Um, err, um, really nice?"