From_Radio_Ga Ga_to_Lady_Gaga: performance Vs talent.

In her book, ‘The Clothed Body’ (2004: 117), Patrizia Cafelato defines, accurately the links between fashion and music as 'two intimately connected forms of worldliness, two social practices that go hand in hand, sustaining one another in the medium of mass communication and drawing into a common sensibility which translates into taste.' But what happens when fashion overshadows music? The questions which arise today are: do singers need more than just their talent by which to stand out and be recognized; or has the contemporary music industry laid down a new model of success, based on costumes, spectacle and performance? Looking at the role of the dress, body and gender in relation to the music performer, this post explores whether the use of extravagant clothing and the mobilization of other ‘performative’ practices can outshine talent. A comparative analysis between Queen’s I Want To Break Free (1984) and Lady Gaga’s Yoü And I (2011) music videos, will examine not only the relationship between fashion and music, but also the importance of employing ‘camp’ practices, in order to tell a particular story. This exploration is not intended to be a comparison between artists, but rather an overview on how the standards within the post-modern music industry have evolved towards a particular model of music performance, which undermines talent for the sake of spectacle and entertainment.

As Cafelato (2004:121) has argued ‘Fashion and music have always used citations, experiences, influences and suggestions taken from the past.’ and, in this sense, it would be almost disgraceful to talk about the role of costume in music performance without mentioning Elvis Presley’s stage costumes. Elvis not only wore innovative and provocative outfits, but he also managed to challenge the limits of the typical male suit. As Miller (2011:76) points out: ‘[Elvis’s costumes] represented a certain kind of decadence and a notion of the excessive possibilities of fame.’ The interesting thing with Elvis’s costumes is that, despite their excessive decoration, they ‘provided [him] both a frame on which all his stage costumes were built and a frame of core masculine embodiment.’ (Miller, 2011:76), without raising questions about his sexuality. Without getting overwhelmed by his stylistic choices, Elvis established a certain visual model of male music performance, in combination with an unquestionably talented voice. 

Another male performer who experimented with definitions of masculinity through his image and his fashion taste is David Bowie (Rojek, 2001; Miller, 2011). During the 1970s, Bowie meticulously built his image, not only through his performances, but also with his personal lifestyle. He presented himself as ‘the first bisexual rock star’ (David Bowie, 1972 cited in Watts, 2006), blurring and challenging the notions of gender and, although, wearing a dress on the cover of his album The Man Who Sold The World (1970) he didn’t subordinate his talent as a musician. The continuous experimentation with his personal looks and outfits, combined with his chameleonic scalability managed ‘to utilize [him] as an artwork’ and ‘to set up his commercial image’ (Firth, 1988 in Miller, 2011:138). Throughout the years that followed Bowie’s eccentric appearances, hundreds of young boys and girls emulated and copied his styles and, although, he became the inspiration for a number of fashion editorials and designers, his talent was never questioned. 

On April 02, 1984, the British rock band Queen released the music video for their song I Want To Break Free, which was written by the bassist of the group John Deacon. In the video, the four members of the male band were dressed up as women in a pastiche of the long-running British soap opera ‘Coronation Street’ (Tony Warren, 1960 - ). Playing with the ideas of gender, drag, and camp, the music video casted the bassist John Deacon as a conservative grandmother; the guitarist Brian May wearing hair-rollers and fluffy slippers; the drummer Roger Taylor as a blonde schoolgirl, and the front man of the band, Freddie Mercury, as a typical housewife, loosely based on ‘Coronation Street’s’ character Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear). 

Among the 4 transformations, Mercury’s ‘dragging-up’ (to paraphrase the act of ‘dressing-up as a drag’) is the one worth describing in detail. Mercury wears a black wig, pink earrings, a pink blouse with a pair of profound fake breasts underneath, a black leather miniskirt with suspenders and low-heeled shoes. Although the other three members of the band are costumed in order to impersonate their drag characters in the most accurate way, Mercury kept his thick trademark moustache for the drag act, but shaved it for the later sequence. 

Widely accepted by the UK audience, the I Want To Break Free music video went straight to number 3 in the United Kingdom. As Roger Taylor later explained, ‘We [Queen] wanted people to know that we didn’t take ourselves too seriously’ (cited in Blake, 2010:285). Using the four basic features of camp: ‘irony, aestheticism, theatricality and humor’ (Babuscio, 1984 cited in Kleinhams, 1994:187), Queen managed to deliver their song’s message, by making a statement against the established social values and prejudices, challenging the concept of nature versus nurture and positioning themselves against sexual oppression. Through this particular music video Queen managed to fascinate the UK audience, which was familiar to the ideas of dragging-up and employing camp practices as part of a music performance.  In the United States, the I Want To Break Free music video did not receive the anticipated response. It only peaked at number 45 in the US charts and it was also banned by the MTV. According to May (cited in Blake, 2010:285-286), 'They [The US audience] hated the video, … It was received with horror in most of America. They just couldn’t get it. To them it was boys dressing up as girls and it was unthinkable, especially for a rock band … They were visibly embarrassed. Hence, the US audience failed to understand the video’s typical British humor and to see the soap-opera connections; instead they probably interpreted the drag action as ‘an open declaration of transvestitism and Mercury’s bisexuality’ (May, 2010 in a radio interview with Kerry Ellis in Weekend Wagan). Despite its ambiguity, Queen’s music video neither entrapped the band’s career, nor obliged them to produce only provocative and extreme videos, so as to remain at the forefront of the music industry.

Twenty-five years after Queen’s I Want To Break Free challenging music video, the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga, released the music video for her song Yoü And I (2011). Since her very first appearance in 2008, Lady Gaga has triggered various reactions both for her songs, but even more for her futuristic outfits and stylistic choices. Every single of her performances has been criticized, either in a positive or negative way, but has never been ignored. Having around her a numerous group of collaborators, consultants and, as Chris Rojek calls them, ‘cultural intermediaries’ (2001:10), she always manages to attract the media and to be ubiquitous. Excess and spectacle are two elements inextricably linked to Lady Gaga’s performances, in a way that, not only her devoted fans, but also a large number of spectators around the world expect, or even demand, to see whenever she appears. 

Lady Gaga’s Yoü And I song was part of her second studio album ‘Born This Way’ (2011) and it had a special sentimental value for her, as it was inspired by one of her former relationships. Influenced by Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ song, featuring also Queen’s guitarist Brian May, Yoü And I music video has a lot in common with Queen’s I Want To Break Free music clip. Departing from her usual pop songs, Lady Gaga used rock and country music influences and produced a song that shocked her fans. The video clip proved even more ambiguous. Probably not so obvious at the first glance, the Yoü And I music video draws a lot of comparisons with the I Want To Break Free video. So thematically, as well as stylistically, both videos are based on the idea of transformation, masquerading and changing genders. In the same way that Queen’s members decided to dress up as women, Lady Gaga, was not only disguised as a man, but she took it even further and, in collaboration with the photographer and director Nick Knight, created her fictional male alter-ego, Jo Calderone. Gaga is not afraid to kiss publicly her male counterpart, in order to prove not only, how gender can be performative, but also how the body can be interpreted in different ways within a wider cultural context. The only difference is that, Mercury used his bisexuality in a creative and humorous way, while Lady Gaga wanted so badly to be, what Sontag calls, ‘campy’ (1964:282), that she overshadowed her song. Furthermore, Lady Gaga’s transformation to Yuji, a mermaid -the mythological aquatic creature of undetermined sex- stretches the boundaries of binary sex even further, in the same way that David Bowie did when he appeared with long hair and wearing a dress on the cover of his album The Man Who Sold the World (1970).

Regarding the acceptance of Lady Gaga’s video by her fans, there were generally positive reactions, but the video also met some negative reviews, in the same way that a part of Queen’s audience criticized their drag act. According to The Guardian ‘there's growing evidence of fans starting to turn on her [Gaga] – many of whom feel she has no right to declare herself as the ambassador of queer culture.’ (Martin, 2011) Additionally, in his article Tim Jonze (2011) also mentioned that ‘…  dissapproving voices in the gay community complained that Gaga had hijacked their sexuality as a marketing tool.’ Even if Gaga does not have to try hard to reach the gay audience, and even if she uses her celebrity status, in order to fight for the gay community’s rights, this does not necessarily means that all of her acts are widely acceptable.

In 1984, Queen dressed up in one of the most unflattering and anti-fashion ways for the production of their I Want To Break Free video and they efficiently delivered their message against oppression across their audience. Brave enough to produce such a provocative video and having talent as their strongest weapon, Queen managed to keep their identity as a band, without getting trapped by the illusion of spectacle and the use of merely visual props, as a way of surviving within the competitive music industry. On the other hand, employing the same pattern of dragging-up and making extreme stylistic choices, in 2011, Lady Gaga created the clip for her song Yoü And I. The use of extravagant costumes and rambling spectacle was not something new for Gaga; the interesting thing is that in this particular video Gaga went one step further and, not only appeared in outrageous costumes, but switched genders, in order to provoke the anticipated reactions. Put differently, in this video she overdid it; she played her last card by basically reproducing herself and a series of her previous performances, editorials and appearances, in a way that, once again, she got lost into the spectacle that she created. Matthew Perpetua’s comment on Gaga’s video evidently reflects the former suggestion: ‘Yoü and I is a return to form that throws roughly eight million visual ideas at the viewer’ (Rolling Stone, 2011). 

left: Vanity Fair (September 2010) & right: Yoü And I (2011)

left: Vogue Hommes Japan (Autumn/Winter 2010-2011) & right: Yoü And I (2011)

Lady Gaga is not only there; she is almost everywhere, and her presence within the music industry and, more generally, within the visual and popular culture has suggested new rules for the other singers to follow. Lady Gaga, nowadays, directs what consists a successful performer and how the concept of dressing up to an outrageous degree and the use of spectacle ensures the success of a music video performance. She manages to be one step ahead and to impose the pace for the rest of the singers either to imitate, or to challenge her, but not to ignore her. In this point, it would be relevant to mention a few examples among the numerous music artists who employed Lady Gaga’s tactics, in order to reach wider audiences and especially the queer community. One of the most famous singers who follows the Lady Gaga's norm is Kylie Minogue. Not only through her music videos, but especially during her live appearances, Minogue performs wearing elaborate and extravagant costumes, which in combination with the spectacular sets and the dancing routines create a show that demonstrates all of her abilities as a performer, but leaves her talent as a musician and her voice in secondary importance (Aphrodite Les Folies Tour 2011). In the same pattern, Katy Perry’s California Gurls (2010) and E.T. (2011) exaggerated music videos are so captivating in terms of spectacle and costumes, that don’t let the spectator to pay the proper attention to the songs. 

Another example, which epitomized the use of camp aesthetics in a more Gaga-ish way, was Madonna’s impressive performance during the half hour show at the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game (February, 2011). Dressed up as Cleopatra and accompanied by a huge procession of Egyptian soldiers/dancers, Madonna performed a spectacular act, which draw many parallels to Lady Gaga’s live routine on American Idol (2011), performing the song The Edge of Glory.

left: Lady Gaga, American Idol (2011) & right: Madonna, NFL Super Bowl XLVI (Feb. 2012

On January 26, 2011 London’s Evening Standard newspaper published an article on page 3, revealing that the University of Cambridge had permitted one of its students to write his dissertation on Lady Gaga’s place in the history of pop art. According to the newspaper, the undergraduate student Amrou Al-Kadhi ‘finds parallels with Andy Warhol in Gaga’s shows and videos’ (Herrmann, 2012:3). Put differently, Al-Kadhi acknowledges Gaga as an artist; as a taste maker within 21^st century’s culture; not as a singer, not even as a musician. The question is whether Lady Gaga would like to be remembered as a singer or as an outrageous fashionable artist-performer? It would be premature to evaluate Gaga’s career, since it is only 4 years old, but it is undeniable that the image she has shaped plays a very important role in her success. It is hard to imagine that Lady Gaga continues to act when the spotlights and the cameras are turned off. The persona that she has created offers a degree of mystery, and it would be interesting to speculate what will happen if she decides to change her public profile within the coming years. Will her fans continue to follow and accept her if she abandons her extreme outfits? Or, is her established image inescapable and is she basically trapped by the image she has created?

* The above post is part of my Essay: 'From Radio Ga Ga to Lady Gaga: performance versus talent, under the discourse of 'camp' and other 'performative' practices.', written for my 'Contextual Studies' module. For your information this essay got an A (actually my first A!) and if would like to use any part of it, please do not hesitate to ask me (first!)

The_GQ_cover_face: It's a man's world._

I guess that it was about time for a post like this. The following post is part of my essay ‘1988 – 2012: Contextualizing GQ’s Cover Face; masculinity, representation and male celebrity culture.’ for my 'Cinema, Performativity and Gender: Globalisation, Celebrity Culture And The Fashionable Image' module; and if this enormous title does not make any sense to you, don't worry, it does not make any sense to my either! Let's keep it simple and call this module - just - 'Celebrity Culture'. As you have probably already understood my fascination with 'Masculinity' continuous, and since i realized that not only GQ's articles and themes interest me, but also its men's fashion editorials catch more and more of my attention, i decided to examine how the magazine's cover face developed through the years. I initially started reading the British GQ as part of my research for one of my former essays on Steve McQueen, and till then i have become a loyal reader. I will never forget the hours that i spent at the British Library carrying trolleys with loads of GQs, but i have to confess that it was a great research experience and a quite enjoyable one. For your information this essay got an A; and this is one more reason that i am proud of! Since a considerable part of my essay was dedicated to David Beckham, a special post will follow within the next few days. For those of you who are David's fans, please stay tuned!

Throughout the 1980s, a considerable number of writers, described the shifts in men’s lives and behavior as a ‘crisis’ in masculinity; a ‘crisis’ that, according to them, reflected the changes that happened in society in relation to: work, education, parental authority, sexuality and representation (Mort, 1988; Rutherford, 1988; Whannel, 2002). However, there is also a number of writers who support that ‘Masculinity is not in crisis, and it is actually quite secure’ (Whannel, 2002:26; see also Edwards, 2006). Based on Connell’s argument that ‘the term “crisis” presupposes a coherent system of some kind, which is destroyed or restored by the outcome of the crisis.’ (1995, cited in Edwards, 2006:17), this post will adopt the view that what constitutes a ‘crisis’ is not only unclear, but also that the word ‘crisis’ draws negative connotations and is generally related to a situation (a ‘crisis’ in economy for example), rather than a procedure of change, as with the case of masculinity.

Starting in the mid to late 1980s, a series of ‘apparently unprecedented and diverse developments’ (Edwards, 2011:48) took place in relation to men’s appearances and men’s relationship to fashion and consumption. Fashion designers showed a particular interest in designing fashionable clothes for men and started to include menswear in their catwalk shows. Moreover, the expansion of male-oriented products, particularly in the field of cosmetics and grooming, made men more conscious about themselves. Most importantly, the commercial success of lifestyle magazines aimed directly at men as consumers, along with the increase in the advertising of men’s products, promoted ‘new ways of seeing and, [perhaps], new ways of being a man.’ (Jackson et al., 2001:2) Among these magazines, GQ (originally Gentlemen's Quarterly) was launched in order to become ‘the essential reading for a particular kind of man – a lifestyle manual for the professional who has achieved success with style’ (Daily Telegraph, 1988 cited in Nixon, 2003:142) and managed within a few years to establish its position as one of the most successful men’s lifestyle magazines in the United Kingdom. 

GQ positioned itself as a magazine that wanted to attract a more mature audience (25-45 years old): ‘a more serious minded, conservative [audience]’ (Nixon, 2003:159). In order to make this distinction clear, GQ chose the businessman and politician Michael Heseltine to be its first cover face. According to Nixon (2003:159), ‘Heseltine represented for GQ both a conservative version of “style” and – [most] importantly – the centrality of success and the making of money.’ Under the first issue’s titles: ‘Degrees of Style’ and ‘Speed and Danger in St Moritz’, and especially under the cover’s story ‘Heseltine: On the Road Back to Power with Britain’s Beautiful Bad Boy’, several correlations can be drawn. The use of Heseltine made it clear that GQ will be addressing men that could embody both taste and achievement.

Michael Heseltine (GQ, Dec/Jan 1988)

 From 1988 to July 1993, GQ remained loyal to its initial position, featuring only males on its front cover and having a certain preference to British actors, businessmen and politicians. Up to the 1990s, it had become clear that the emergence of the UK men’s magazine market not only offered new role models for the men to follow and emulate, but also made it legitimate for men to look at other men in a different, ‘homosocial’ way (Sedwick, 1985 and 1993). What was for years, almost exclusively, a privilege for women started to attract men’s interest too. The timing was right. On the one hand, men’s interest in their appearance had become one of the most important issues for them, and, on the other hand, there was a market full of products that wanted to ‘target men as the wealthier gender and … to make money out of men’s concerns with their appearance alongside women’s.’ (Edwards, 2011:50)

In August 1993, Michael VerMeuler (GQ’s creative director from April 1992 to December 1995) placed Sharon Stone, the American actress and Basic Instinct’s (Paul Verhoeven, 1992) leading star, on the cover of GQ and, since then, a new era for the magazine started. By using the title ‘Sharon Stone: Seriously Sexy’ and featuring Stone in a rather sexy pose, wearing only a nude color gabardine that deliberately revealed her shoulder, her breast heart-line and her leg, it became clear that the magazine was moving towards a new direction, leaving behind its established and secure practices.

left: Alan Rickam (GQ, July 1992) & right: Sharon Stone  (GQ, August 1993)

Until this issue, GQ’s tradition was to include men and only men on its front cover and to focus on their face, in order to subconsciously emphasize the idea of thought and to privilege the male mind, without paying much attention to men’s bodies and clothes. Up to 1995, not only more and more women started to appear on GQ’s cover, but also American actors outnumbered the British ones, adding an international prestige to the magazine. Amongst them, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Michelle Pfeiffer, Drew Barrymore, Johhny Depp, Uma Therman and Meg Ryan clearly demonstrated that Hollywood started to play an important role in shaping overseas celebrity culture. It is also interesting to point out that during that period the first models started to appear on GQ’s cover. Away from its original placement within the marketplace, GQ repositioned itself. In April 1997, James Brown moved to GQ and his drastic influence became immediately obvious on the magazine’s covers that were released under his guidance. Not only more and more females, particularly models, started to appear on GQ’s front cover, but most noticeably the poses that these female adopted fetishized the female body in an almost pornographic way. 

left: Caprice (GQ, May 1997) & right: Emma Noble (GQ, December 1998)

From November 1999 to March 2002, and this time under Dylan Jones editorship, only women were featured on GQ’s front page. For 30 consecutive issues, exclusively female stars from several fields were placed on the magazine’s cover. It was during that period that GQ’s coverage clearly showed its preference to popular models, and especially the Victoria’s Secret ones. What Stephen Gundle calls, ‘the phenomenon of the supermodels’ (2008:362), which was particularly enhanced during the 1990s by Gianni Versace, was evidently reflected on GQ’s front cover. Liz Hurley, Eva Herzigova, Naomi Campbell, Heidy Klum and Claudia Schiffer became the idols of that era, not only in the United Kingdom, but on a global scale. Not so obvious from the first sight, this fascination with the female body and the fetishization of women as the object of the male desire conceals the deeper anxieties that haunt men’s psyche.

left: Naomi Campbell (GQ, Dec 1994) & right: Eva Hergicova (GQ, Dec 1995)

Until 2005 it had been pretty clear that GQ was trying to redefine men’s style and to become Vogue’s equivalent for menswear (Jones, 2000:6). From 2005 to 2008, men started gradually to appear again on GQ’s cover and, it was about that time that GQ established one of the its most high-esteemed traditions: the GQ Men of the Year Awards, which added a further prestige to the magazine’s status. Since then, a whole new attitude occurred in order to emphasize GQ’s role and significance in reconstructing modern Britain’s male imagery. Furthermore, from 2005 and onwards, female actresses started to replace models’ roles, not only on the front covers of men’s magazines, but also in fashion editorials and catwalk shows. Proving that they are not only good-looking, but they are talented too, Rachel Weisz, Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Alba are only among the numerous actresses that posed for GQ during that period, adopting not so provokingly sexy, but rather relaxed and unconventional postures.

Continuing GQ’s cover historical overview, there has been only three and a half years left till the circulation of its most recent issue in April 2012. Throughout these years, several comments can be made in order to demonstrate the magazine’s current profile. First of all, an apparent balance between males and females has occurred (either 6 male/6 female, or 5 male/7 female). Moreover, a certain tendency towards hosting actors and actresses on the magazine’s cover can be observed, underscoring, once again, the significance of cinema in shaping modern celebrity culture and fashion taste. It is also worth noticing that on July 2009, the fictional film character Brüno and not the original actor of the homonymous film (Brüno, Larry Charles, 2009), Sacha Baron Cohen, appeared on GQ’s cover. Representing, what Chris Rojek calls, a ‘celeactor’, and defines him as ‘a fictional character who … becomes an institutionalised feature of popular culture.’ (2000:23), GQ’s cover showed not only how a film character can become more important than the actor himself, but also how rational has become such a queer personality to appear on the front cover of a straight men’s magazine.

left: Brüno (GQ, July 2009) & right: Jeniffer Aniston (GQ, December 2008) 

In a total of 274 GQ issues, more than 130 actors and actresses have been placed on the magazine’s cover. Especially after 2009, the percentage corresponding to the actors and actresses who appeared on GQ’s covers is equal to 60% and demonstrates clearly how significant is the contribution of cinema in shaping contemporary celebrity culture. More importantly, international male movie stars, such as Johhny Depp, Russel Crowe, Robert Downey Junior, Michael Fassbender and Daniel Craig have been employed, by the magazine’s editors, in order to attract the much coveted ‘straight’ and ‘upmarket’ male audience (18 – 45 years old). It is no coincidence that ‘[these] cinematic celebrities can currently generate intense media interest and function as fashion icons [and role models] quite independently of their on-screen roles’ (Church Gibson, 2011:53). Hence, modern men not only try to emulate the styles of these celebrities, but they also identify, on their faces and meticulously structured bodies, the kind of man they want to become.

Throughout GQ’s front cover overview several conclusions can be drawn, considering not only how the face of the male celebrity has evolved from 1988 to the present day, but, most importantly, how different patterns of masculinity have developed during the last 24 years and how this progress has been reflected on the magazine’s front page. Taking into account only the men that appeared on GQ’s cover, this post will conclude by making the following points. Starting from the beginning, Michael Heseltine, GQ’s first cover face, gave its place to David Bowie, who was replaced by John Travolta, who few years later appeared on the same cover with David Beckham, who was subsequently substituted by Brüno. So close and, at the same time, so distant these random examples illustrate how ‘Masculinity is not an eternal and static object; masculinities change over time and the boundaries of masculinity are almost always the subject of redrawing, policing and contestation’ (Whannel, 2002:29). From Heseltine, the businessman, to Brüno, the gay fictional movie character, there is a big distance and it is precisely because of this that celebrity culture can wield such power which blurs boundaries and brings these so different and diverse personalities to the same level.

Give_that_White_Suit_an_Oscar.

Despite London's awful weather... All-right, you all know how much i love London, so let's try something else.. Despite London's (and the rest of Europe's) rainy weather (rainy to the point of getting bored and having nothing else to do than praying for the rain to stop!), we are in the middle of Spring and Summer is technically 40 days + 1 night away. Since menswear collections for spring/summer 2012 showed the trends that will reign during the summer (ages ago..!) and considering that almost every shopping window is getting more and more summer-ish, i wouldn't say that it is neither too early, nor to late for a post like this. Once again, masculinity (!) but this time masculinity comes dressed with 'a' suit. No, not an ordinary suit, but 'the white suit'; this white suit where a large number of designers included in their collections; this white suit that is a piece statement by itself; this white suit that gives an extra point or an elegant element, if you prefer, to its wearer; this white suit which perfectly matches a tanned masculine body.

Before starting my overview, i want to quote a phrase that not only reflects my personal opinion regarding the male suit, but i think that it expresses most women, and why not also men, perspective on how a suit should be considered: 

'A well-tailored suit is to women what lingerie is to men.' (I would really like to know who said this, but unfortunately it looks pretty hard to name him/her. Instead of putting 'unknown', i will just put 'a wise man said'!)

White on White always looks chic. (Additional tip by Dolce & Gabbana: Please gentlemen be brave and stylish enough to roll up your pants hems!)

The double-breasted one_Dolce & Gabbana_menswear s/s 2012

Tone on tone in white shades is always flattering and safe.

The single-buttoned one_Dolce & Gabbana_menswear s/s 2012

Why make it complicated? Wear white from head to toe.

The three-buttoned one_Dolce & Gabbana_menswear s/s 2012

A white suit doesn't mean that it is plain. Textures give a point of interest to a sharp silhouette.

The slighlty-baggy one_Calvin Klein_menswear s/s 2012

A lightweight two-piece white suit can be a man's perfect partner in the heat.

The really-baggy one_Calvin Klein_menswear s/s 2012

Elegant linen in a summer classic is always a safe choice.

The slightly off-white one_Salvtore Ferragamo_menswear s/s 2012

Take the 'navy' look to the next level. Stripes can give a more 'Riviera' touch.

The 'navy' one_Tommy Hilfiger_menswear s/s 2012

Play with the dimensions: cropped trousers and slim lapels.

The boyish one_Dior Homme_menswear s/s 2012

Pastel grey, cream or pink are an elegant match; add a pop of colour with a pocket square.

The more relaxed one_Giorgio Armani_menswear s/s 2012

Without ever loosing its elegance, the white suit will always be a timeless piece in a man's wardrobe.

The grunge one_Givency_menswear s/s 2012

Formalwear can also come with prints. Match your white suit with a 'hawaiian' print shirt for total summer look.

The 'brave' one_Bottega Veneta_menswear s/s 2012

And i will close this post with a Greek designer who works in New York and whose name is synonymous with stylish menswear style: For a more bohemian look match your white suit with a loose white t-shirt and a white foulard or scarf.

The 'boho' one_John Varvatos_menswear s/s 2012

Miracolo_A_Milano: an experience with a lot of onion!

In Greece we call it ‘the evil eye’ and since I don’t know if there is an English equivalent, let’s say that this phrase addresses a light type of a ‘curse’! Due to a number of unfortunate events, my current trip to Milan was far from what I expected. To begin with, Alitalia lost my luggage. Thus the night that followed and in order to forget my ‘pain’, I drunk a bit more than usual. The problem was not the quantity of the drinks, but the fact that I mixed them a bit – or more than a bit! After throwing up that night, the following day’s 3-hour trip to a rather picturesque and mountainous location outside Milan had the same result: me, throwing up, twice. Arriving to a typical ski resort, we finally faced the ‘naked truth’: our apartment. Three identical and quite isolated blocks of apartments appeared from nowhere and made the 4 of us feel that we are not any more in Italy, but somewhere in the former Soviet Union. In combination with the cold, the snow and the fog, we felt like players in the ‘Call of Duty’ game and since we couldn’t do much to alter the situation, we decided to enjoy it. 

Despite the cold weather, we took our chances to one of the several peaks..

..2250 mt higher the cold was bitter, but least the view was rewarding.

And then the 'miracolo' happened! The two and a half days that followed made me realize one of the most amazing things that can happen in a person’s life: the ultimate experience which proves that when the company is good, pleasant and relaxed nothing else matters. It was amazing how four people, coming from different backgrounds and cultures, speaking 4 different languages, having disparate interests and hobbies could not only have some great, and why not quality, time together, but moreover, and at least through my personal experience, communicate and laugh as if they were friends for years.  But let’s take the things right from the beginning.

Apart from the amazing things that I had heard for Milan, and despite the wonderful pictures that I had seen, the reason that I decided to visit Milan was Marios; one of my closest friends who lives and works in Milan, and one of the few persons that I really appreciate and respect for a number of reasons (and I am not writing this because I know that Marios will read it!). Having the opportunity to stay in Marios’ apartment, I took the chance and booked my flight. During the months that followed I literally constructed into my mind how my trip could be evolved. Unfortunately, and once again as we say in Greece, ‘when people make plans, God laughs’. 

Leaving behind the luggage event, and as I have already mentioned, among our plans was ‘spending the weekend at a house in the mountains’; or at least that was how Marios’ described it! Marios’ friends was a couple; the Italian Mario De Luca and the Belgian Olivia Nicaise, whose mentality and attitude was so positive, warm and cool right from the very first moment that we met. It would be unnecessary to describe hour by hour that weekend, however, what I would like to do is to share with you what I kept from that weekend, what I remember and what I will possibly never forget. For those of you who expect that this will be a typical ‘guide-to-Milan’ post, I have to say that i will disappoint you. This post is especially dedicated to Mario and Olivia, not only for their hospitality and kindness, but most importantly for the experience that provided me in presenting me the ‘Italian way’ of doing things and for making me appreciate the pleasure of enjoying what I will call ‘the simple, ordinary things’.

Mario & Olivia: a couple where the one completes the other.

First and foremost, I will never forget the 1961’s vintage Italian Monopoli games that we played. I have to confess that I had to play Momopoli maybe more than 10-12 years and that it had never been my game. Evidently, and after our two 4-hours long games where I lost or gave up trying, Monopoli is still not my game! It is a kind of a ‘dirty’ game and possibly this is the reason why Mario’s ‘mafia’ origins not only made him win twice, but he also managed to become the ultimate Monopoli-st! The outcome from my personal experience is: never play against a couple, the power of love always wins, or Monopoli is a game for sentimental people; sentimental to the point that one card, that particular orange card (and this is for you my dear friend Marios! NB that I will never forget that you didn’t give me that orange card!) can alternate and fix the entire game. 

The 'real thing': 1961's Vintage Italian Monopoli.

Another Italian game which not only caught my attention and interest, but also made me buy the 'Napoletane' cards was 'Scopone Scientifico'; a rather smart game of observation and possibilities. Considering that I never enjoyed playing games with cards, this is a further example of how simple things can be proved entertaining and enjoyable!

'Napoletane' cards by Modiano.

After throwing up three consequent times, my stomach wasn’t in its best performance, but thanks to Olivia’s cooking not only I found my appetite, but I literally enjoyed the mix of Italian – Belgian cuisine. Honestly, it wouldn’t be overstated to say that I have never tasted better pasta in my whole life. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was hungry (and not ‘angry’!) or simply the fact that pasta always tastes good, but what I felt was that Olivia cooked ‘simple’ pasta in her very own way; a way that reflected her kind, calm and cool personality; a way that gave food an amazing taste. Another thing that made Olivia’s recipes unique was the amount of onion that she used! ‘The onion’: an ingredient for which Olivia and Mario always argue about and, even after their long relationship, Mario still criticizes the use of onion in Olivia’s cooking. To use Mario's words: 'Even when Olivia has to put garlic, she puts onion!' 


I forgot to mention that during our short excursion we were not only the 4 of us. We had company; the company of two sheep made from marzipan. In Greece we use to skewer the lamp in order to celebrate Easter and although the Italian-Belgian tradition of the marzipan sheep looks rather ‘innocent’, both of them end up in our belly! 

On our way back to Milan, we made a quick stop to Ponte di Legno, a popular and rather picturesque winter site, where we walked throughout the traditional paths. Covered with fleece blankets, we drunk a last ‘aperitivo’ at the central square, finally enjoying the Italian sun. 

Italian people know how to enjoy life and this is not an observation, it is a fact. Whatever happened in Milan, will stay in Milan: the experience of the lost luggage, the vomitting events, the beyond every expectation appartment, the closed, due to Easter holiday, shops and the two days of unstopable rain that didn’t allow me to complete my sightseeing. But, what comes with me back to London and what will follow me -thanks to my friend Marios of course- are these two amazing guys that i met: Mario, the most Italian of the Italians i have never met, and Olivia, the most kind, warm, calm and, most importantly, hospitable woman that i have ever encountered. Thanks to the three of you i got a pretty good lesson; the lesson of appreciating the simple things that life generously offer us and we, especially I, usually overlook. And if things in Milan didn’t work as planned and even if it was not a 10/10 vacation trip (to use Marios' words);it was undoubtably a 10/10 life experience!

Milan will always be there, and as i usually say after every one of my trips: ‘You always have to leave something unseen, in order to have a reason to return.’

Till then, i will close this post with the first Italian word that comes into my mind:

Tranquillo..