Upturned Collars Are Back! (Milan – October 23rd, 2009)
A couple of days ago I said I was done with this look. Then a funny thing happened. One of our readers sent me an email and said she really liked the way this looked. So who am I to judge? The whole point behind Look A Day was to show off what people are wearing, not to tell people what to wear, and since this definitely seems to be the look for Italian men I’m going to post up one more, but that’s it! After this we move to Denver to see some youth fashion.
And folks, if you see something you’d like to make a comment on, feel free to do so. No need to send me a private email 
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Jeans – Zara: 40.00 euro
- Shirt – Superdry: 30.00 euro
Best part about the outfit? “The shirt… when it’s up it makes me feel that I’m ready for the night, and if I need to look more serious, I can just let it down and wear it like one normal shirt polo.” Well, can’t argue with that, and it has been too long since I’ve seen a guy wear an upturned collar with confidence…
Sexier Than Any Photoshop (Milan – October 22nd, 2009)
A few days ago a friend of mine linked me the following article from the New York Times. It talks about a controversy surrounding digitally retouched photos and how they negatively impact the body image of women. Apperantly some governments now want to ban these photos or put a warning label on them. I happen to disagree. I think we have an easier solution. Just stop buying this crap. Stop buying the magazines that show it, stop buying the clothes it’s trying to sell and stop believing that the woman in that ad looks good. She doesn’t, not even close. There is not a planet on this universe in which that horribly retouched photo looks anywhere near as sexy as today’s look. That woman was thin to the point of being scary, our look is healthy. That woman had the body of an a horrible famine victim, our look has curves. And let me tell you, there is nothing sexier than curves, at least in my opinion. So thank you Italy for proving that natural beauty trumps photo shopped crap every single day of the year!
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Dress – DESIGUAL: 43.50 euro
- Leggings – ZARA: 14.90 euro
- Other items by CALZEDONIA, MARCOS and DUDU
Best part about the outfit? “The whole look is focused on one peace. All the other items are accessories that give the look a certain style but are still simple.” Love it!
I’m Done With This Italian Men’s Look!!! DONE!!!! (Milan – October 21st, 2009)
Alright, I’ve had it. This could be the alcohol talking but I’m just not liking this Milan look. This is the third time I’m seeing it and I tried to be nice the first time, I tried to be nice the second time but I just can’t do it anymore. Now don’t get me wrong, this is light years ahead of the average American guy, so please don’t misunderstand my little rant as some xenophobic anti metrosexual European rant. Not at all! I just don’t like this look. It looks too unkempt, too hastily tossed together, even thought it’s not. There’s a point at which an intentionally casual look becomes too casual and this is it! So my apologies to Italian men everywhere and better luck next year but we’re done with this look! DONE!!!
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Pants – Diesel : 80.00 euro
- Shirt – Diesel: 50.00 euro
- Sneakers – Puma: 40.00 euro
Best part about the outfit? “It’s the quality of the clothes that’s matter to me. A good cut and cloth can change everything, so I chose nice and elegant pieces that don’t needs accessories to complete my look.” BZZZT!!! WRONG! I fully admit the fact that you picked some great looking individual pieces but the overall look just doesn’t work for me. Am I wrong?
Pink Riding Hood (Milan – October 20th, 2009)
We’re back in Milan to finish our series on “party clothing” and we start this section out with a little look I like to call “Little Pink Riding Hood”. It’s odd, the first few pictures without the hood up feel like a completely different look than with the hood up. Am I right? Also, I’m know for a fact that I like her with the hood down, I’m not so sure with the hood up. Hood down feels classy, sexy and fun. Hood up feels forced somehow. Love the accessories though, regardless of the hood. The belt and bracelets really finish this look out.
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Dress – Puma : 25.00 euro
- Shoes – Shultz : 100.00 euro
- Belt- Berska: 25.00 euro
- Bag – Diesel: 30.00 euro
Her comment about the outfit: “All the pieces are important and together make the perfect look for me. If I just take away, for example, my belt, the rest would be no sense.” Couldn’t agree more. This is definitely a case where the outfit has to be taken as a whole and not just a collection of individual parts. Except that hood…
By the way, that little black top she’s wearing under the dress? That’s a subtle but incredibly effective trick. That little bit of skin it shows under the black band is an absolute attention getter without being too risque. Perfect for a night out.
Italian Fashion, I think! (Milan – October 12th, 2009)
This is our fourth day in Milan, checking out the kind of things that people wear when they’re going out and here’s our second Italian man. I’m not really sure what to say here. The Italian women looked so well put together, even when they were casual, but Italian men are confusing me. This certainly isn’t a bad outfit. He’s not wearing ill fitting jeans, a dirty t shirt and sneakers. On the other hand, is this really the height of Italian male fashion? Sure, he looks good but really? I don’t know, I just expected something more sophisticated I guess. Then again, the whole point of Look A Day was to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look good, so maybe this is the exact kind of look I should be encouraging. Grr! I just don’t know.
Ladies, please sound off. What do you think about this look?
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Jeans– Levi’s : 65.00 euro (interesting, Levi’s seem to a be a lot more popular in Europe than they are here in the US)
- Shirt – Levi’s : 34.00 euro
- Shoes – All Star: 64.00 euro
- Bag – Diesel: 30.00 euro
Best part about the outfit? “All accessories are in harmony with the “key piece” of my outfit, the shirt, and black and white is always in fashion.” Ok, I give up. He clearly has fashion sense. Maybe I just need to be an Italian woman to appreciate it.
Hot Pink Men’s Style! (Milan – October 7th, 2009)
This is our third day in Milan, checking out the kind of things that people wear when they’re going out. Today, we have our first Italian man. I’m conflicted here. On the one hand, he just doesn’t look as sophisticated as I had imagined European men. On the other hand, HOT PINK! No American man would be caught dead in this shirt, which is part of the reason I like it so much. For me, part of looking good is about confidence and this guy has plenty of that. He wants the attention that comes with that shirt. He’s not shy. He’s totally confident and that looks good. Take note men, pink can look manly when you wear it like a man. (And the beret? BONUS!!!)
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Jeans – Levi’s: 45.00 euro
- Shirt: 12,00 euro
- Beret – zara: 15.00 euro
Best part of the outfit? “Is a casual look, good for all times. And the beret is my new personal characteristic.” Hey, got to some personal style.
Hot Purple Bag! (Milan – October 6th, 2009)
This is our second day in Milan, checking out the kind of things that people wear when they’re going out. Today, we have this lovely black dress. On its own, I think it might have been too dark and it’s just not skimpy enough to qualify as a “little black dress”. Toss in a black scarf and it becomes really too dark. No worries, add in a hot purple bag and the outfit totally pops. Great example of a loud bag which actually adds to the outfit instead of detracting from it. As for the ear phones, I could do without but I suppose that’s a modern accessory we’re all guilty of overdoing.
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Dress – Stefanel: 52.00 euro
- Scarf – Zara: 29.00 euro
- Bag: 75.00 euro
- Shoes – Zara: 65.00 euro
Best part about the outfit? ” The black draws more attention and contrasts with the color of my bag, which is part of the look. It all combines to draw even more attention”. I’m telling you, I should move to Italy, we think alike!
Elegant Simplicity (Milan – October 5th, 2009)
We’re back to Milan this week to see some Italian style and we asked our photographers to find people who are going out for a night on the town. In other words, something a bit more than just casual but a bit less than totally formal. Today’s look is the first of what we got.
It’s a simple enough dress, with nice clean lines. Great matching color on the purse and the shoes, with a little bit of silver, pop out but in a very subtle way. Nothing too mind blowing, just simple elegance that’s more than enough. Looks like a great outfit to go out in, especially in the Italian heat and humidity.
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Dress – Mango: 57.00 euro
- Bag – Accessorize: 32.00 euro
- Shoes – Unknown: 49.00 euro
I loved her quote about why she likes the outfit; “All the clothes are in the same color scheme, so the attention is all on my dress.” The girl knows her fashion, and she’s absolutely right. Too many nice outfits are ruined by accessories that detract from the whole. Glad to see this one wasn’t.
3rd Day of the Milan “cute skirt” Parade
One day is neat, two is coincidence but four is a trend. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a trend! Cute skirts with a bit more style than the usual and simple tops with a bit of color, that’s your casual Italian trend for the week. In a way, I wish this was the trend in the US too, it just seems to effortless and fun.
Take today’s look. It’s nothing fancy, a short skirt with a bit of extra pizazz plus a simple white baby doll T with a fancy print. Nothing big, nothing amazing, just simple and fun, and for once, she’s not hiding herself behind huge sunglasses or a giant hand bag (applause!!!) Check out the cute little flower accents on the sandals by the way. I’m liking these way more than the strappy sandals you see everywhere in the US.
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Shirt – Moschino Jeans : 30.00 euro
- Skirt – Zara : 25.00 euro
- Sandals – She didn’t remember where she bought them but they were about 20.00 euro
Best part about the outfit? “A comfortable and clean look to go out and shop in.”
2nd Day of Milan “Look Cute In Skirts” week (Milan – September 11th, 2009)
It’s funny, as much as I’ve always been led to believe that European fashion is more sophisticated and complex than its American counterpart, I’m starting to get the feeling that it’s actually much simpler, and that’s not a bad thing. For example, most of the pictures of Italian women going out in a more casual style these days seem to consist of a simple but pretty skirt paired with a simple shirt. Sure, it’s always a bit unique with things like hemlines or prints but the look itself is rather simple.
Case in point, today’s look. Cute but plain white skirt with an interesting hemline, simple black tank top and a few interesting little accessories like the tasseled belt and pretty bracelet. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated and yet it really works well. It’s clean, it’s simple and it’s very pretty. Maybe the key to complicated fashion is to keep it simple…
This look comes to us from Milan courtesy of Defree Design.
- Glasses – Rayban : 90.00 euro (and again I say, spend less on things that hide your face and spend more on things that look good!)
- Watch – Dolce & Gabanna : 58.00 euro
- Bag – Louis Vuitton: 285.00 euro (which is probably more than the whole rest of the outfit combined. Seriously, I don’t understand the trend towards big, chunky and really expensive bags. This outfit doesn’t need it).
Best part about the outfit? “In sunny and hot days like today I prefer skirts and fresh shirts, and to complete my look I like the accessories.” Well, she has me there, but she really doesn’t need the bag and glasses to look good.
