“I was really amused when someone called Balotelli “ometto”, little man. I wish I could see his face at certain menswear shows, where we definitely spotted tons of “little men”.

Today I’m flying to New York and before that I’ll stop in Paris, where the entire fashion crowd is heading out to for the French menswear shows. Can I just say it without anyone, as usual, getting annoyed, calling me bossy or impolite or, worse, saying I’m not open to individual choices and tastes? Those colored bags carried on hairy arms, those cropped pants and polo shirts, so tight they showed through, depending on the body’s shape, toned-up biceps or curved bellies, were not a nice sight for anyone.

As I was queuing up I spoke to an English young man who laughed off such a multicolored world. “It’s not a matter of sexual choices, I am gay- he said – it’s just a matter of taste.” That’s what he said, and I can only confirm that very few people in fashion actually know about fashion. By insisting on being a fashionista one loses the sense of reality and accessories and clothes become like an identification code for the same way of thinking.

A small ghetto of outdated trend-followers. Yes, because fashion goes faster than trends. We’ve seen this already, last season! Let’s not start pointless controversies, I am referring to fashionistas and not to gays, just like when I talk about women. I have never considered their sexuality, but their appearance. I know that someone will say we talk too much about aesthetics and not about our inner qualities. Yes, but I’m dealing with fashion and runways shows. I cannot take care of people’s souls, too. Give me a break!

Today at Giorgio Armani as I watched the models come out sporting summer suits and blazers and shirts in tones of gray or houndstooth checks, and then duster coats, sweaters and jackets, imagining the men who will be wearing the clothes was almost like a breath of fresh air. Trends come and go. We want to go back to normality, we want beautiful textiles, even classic fabrics, without fearing to look dull, because dullness is a state of mind, and you don’t get it with a suit.

Giorgio Armani revisited the garments’ cuts and volumes, but did not “upset” his style. He updated it. In a world that fears to be called “passé” and for this reason gives us absurd shows, I must admit that this collection has been a true demonstration of strength. “Armani style vs. the fashion world”. And he did really well. But, please, don’t ask me again: “What about creativity?” Revisiting a style, today, after 40 years and looking modern is also a great demonstration of creativity.

I always attend fashion schools’ final-year shows and very few dare to propose wearable collections, but it is not by chance that they are the ones who will become part of the fashion world, from Christopher Kane to Erdem. Creative and real. They are not obsessed with impressing the press, but determined to be successful following their passion. And if some may think it’s banal, they should look inside themselves with a little objectivity and they will understand. Simplicity is harder to create than extravagance with an end in itself.”

via Vogue Italia