Hey readers! How have you guys been? Well, I am back. I have been spending my time traveling and studying, learning and growing. What have you guys been up to? I have been spending my time reading and exploring the lost world of poetry. Rilke, the famous Austrian poet and the one with all the answers to your questions, worries and insecurities and love and your future, has opened up a new way of thinking. He preaches that life is actually very simple, and that the worries you have today will be answered tomorrow. Enough about Rilke for now. I am planning to write an entry about him in the near future. I have also been reading a lot recently. I am nearly completed with the book "Sex, Love and Fashion", a memoir by male model Bruce Hulse. Certainly would recommend! Great, light, easy read.
To continue on what I want to write about, the differences and similarities between France and Italy is my obsession at the moment. It is the thought in my head that will never go away. It is the devil and the angel arguing with each other on my shoulders. However, I'm not sure who would be the devil and who would be the angel. Perhaps we will, or will not ever find out. Perhaps this question will go unanswered. I am not sure.
My thoughts cannot be organized. I am simply questioning everything. The difference in .clothing and couture and design, food, weather, language, the people, the art, the life, the sex, the music, the night life, celebrities, American influence and everything. I want to explore the two worlds, the two romanticized countries.
Let's get started!
Italy. A beautiful country with a laid back and seemingly happy country. The history of Italy lives on in the cobble stone streets and in the freshly made eggplant parmigiana. The Italians have always been attentive towards their appearance and towards dressing up. They spend a great amount of time preparing their look. Men, women, kids. Even grandma. Everyone gets dressed up. The Italian designers have been so unbelievably important in the development and the growth of the world of Fashion. Italy is and has always been a hearth of fashion. On to actual fashion.
I quickly prepared questions to ask during an interview with an Italian friend of mine (Grazie Amico!). I wanted to get an inside view of what the Italian lifestyle actually is. I asked Roberto a set of questions:
Q) What are three words you would use to describe Italian Fashion? What do you think Fashion is?
A) Style, elegance and sensuality. We love to show ourselves in the best way. Since all the people observe us, fashion is very important. Everyone cares about fashion. Maybe not everyone, but nearly. The importance is not the mark, like Armani for example. The importance is to use the clothes in a perfect way.
Q) Do you think most people want to look perfect?
A) Sure, everybody would. But some people might interpret their perfect in a wrong way. For example, one might think that crazy gelled hair is perfect, but to another, it is shit. For me, Fuxia jeans on men are horrible.
Q) Ok. Do you like many colors? Do Italians like colorful clothing?
A) Yes. For example, this season is full of color. Orange, light green, blue, fluorescent.
Q) Have you been to France?
A) Yes I have. They have beautiful stores and shopping centers.
Q) What is the difference between Italians and the French, fashion wise?
A) The French do not wear beautiful clothes. They always wear dark colors. Only some French people dress cool.
Q) Do you like the French?
A) Fashion wise, no.
Q) Do Italians like to look at the new clothing? Fashion shows?
A) Not everyone.
Q) Okay. Tell me about your thoughts on love and sex.
A) We are the most passionate and romantic. Nearly everyone is like me. Ha!
Q) Tell me about the saying, Bella Figura.
A) To be perfect is important to everyone. Everyone cares about this saying.
Q) Do you care what others think about you or how you dress?
A) Sure, I care. But well, some people care while others just care about him or herself, regardless of what people say. It is important to dress well but I do not care if someone says something about me.
So, as I was conducting this interview, I started to realize that the Italians do care about their appearance. They do take into account what they look like. Interesting, right? So the stereotype is true. Italians, nearly all, care about their appearance. I am also very interested by how he said that Italians are very willing to wear bright, expressive colors, meanwhile the French hide in black. Are the Italians more daring? Are the Italians more open to experiment? Does experimentation allow for new ideas? Or does it allow for failure to happen, for criticism. For those who have read the Chanel entry, you know what I am talking about. If Chanel was to change their logo or throw in a splash of color in their Fall/Winter collection, what would happen? Would Lagerfeld be crucified or praised. It depends on the fashion-er/ista. For me, change is always good. One should always change, grow, experiment, even if it means messing up once in a while. This same principle is applied to my Italian friends' words. I give the Italians credit for expressing themselves in a colorful way, and experimenting with color. The only way to see great change or success is to take great risks.
As I have been analyzing the Italian couture, of which being Versace, Prada, Gucci and Ferragamo and Frankie Morello most closely, I have seen that the sex is the basis of design. For the Italians, sex is everything.
"You can be too boring, but you can never be too seductive."
"Sometimes big designers are afraid that people won't recognize them if they change that much."
"It would be very easy for us to do a collection that everybody would like and not criticize. But criticism is a part of life. You have to take it."
-Donatella Versace
All of the quotes above are stated from Donatella Versace and all answer the questions above. These quotes capture the essence of the Italian fashion and style, as well as their lifestyle. Donatella has always been a creative inspiration of mine and well, an idol. I really admire her courage to aspire for change. This is why Versace is one of the most desired brands in the world. As a result, the Italian fashion is propelled further to perfection and brilliance.
Well, it is clear that the Italians are all about sex. And as I have hear Donatella said, Fashion is all about sex. So, we are beginning to come to a conclusion about the Italians. They are proud of their lifestyle and their clothing, and how others perceive them is very important to them. Sex, too, is the ultimate source of inspiration.
 |
| Chanel dresses. Notice the bright colors? How French. |
The Italians are close nit. They love their family and it is not uncommon for Italian men to stay at home in their twenties. This is similar to the French way of life. The French are also close nit. The French want a balanced life. The French family values are based on family, hard work and a career and love. However, they should all be in moderation and routine. As opposed to the Italians, the French seem very steady in their approach to life. I have been reading a blog from a student living in France for over a year and has been documented her observations. As I do not have any French friends (not yet atleast!) cu have based this off on her writings. I hope that after this entry is published, a French reader could become my friend haha. Continuing on, the French seem to walk around with their head held high. Perhaps a bit too high. They are very proud to say the least. And, as you and I have heard already, the French do not seem to be too found of the Americans. Well, unfortunately for me, this article is between the French and the Italians.
The French are proud to say that their couture exudes elegance and timeless charm and beauty. From an early age, children are dressed fashionably by their parents. Therefor they develoop a sense of fashion at an early age. They say that their fashion is elegant and sophisticated. Well, let's see if they are right. I have some questions I want to ask but unfortunately, I have no one to answer them. So, instead of questioning myself only, I want to question you. Do you think that the French are of bad nature towards the Italians? Do the French not care about sex appeal and are only concerned with their "elegance"? Are the French content with their status? Why are the French less hesitant to experiment with colors and extreme patterns as the Italians. In my opinion, they, the fashion houses, feel no need to make change. Change would be simply unnecessary. Why would Chanel change their looks or popular designs if they know that there is already a huge demand and desire for them? They would not. There would be no need to. And finally, elegance may be nice during the day, but the elegance won't exude the sex appeal of that of sexy cuts and colors that enhance a woman's body, as the Italian designers do.
The French sex and relationships might seem a bit more romantic than the Italian in general, or do they? Certainly a passionate couple kissing with the Eiffel Tower in the background seems to be the most romantic image, but what about a young man in an Armani suit kissing a beautiful woman dressed in a sexy Valentino dress? Well, this is left as a tie. Romance is romance.
Perhaps there really is no rivalry between the French and the Italians. Perhaps they respect each other. Or, perhaps not. Well, I guess we will really never know. I have some questions for you before I finish up, edit and then publish this article. Which language do you like better, French or Italian? Do you prefer Italian or French cuisine? Do you prefer sex appeal or elegance? As for me, I stick with the Italians. I prefer the laid back lifestyle and change. The French seem to be a bit stiff, reluctant to change. I applaud the French for their straightforward opinion toward fashion. One should continue to care about their appearance because whether liked or not, people are judged based on their appearance, their attitude and their lifestyle. As for the French, perhaps as I become further familiar myself with the French culture and lifestyle, my questions will be able to be answered. But until then, the Italians, the beautiful country and loving people, cause me to side with them.
