Luxury & Fashion – In a week marked by Pitti Uomo and various catwalk shows in Milan dedicated to men’s fashion, the foreign press had much to say about luxury – Italian style. El País turned its eye to Pitti Uomo declaring that it is “the most relevant fashion fair in the sector”(January 12 – El difícil equilibrio de la moda masculina), and then the Wall Street Journal wrote about the carnival that comes to Florence when “men come from around the world not to conduct business, but to be photographed in extravagant outfits”(January 14 – Inside the Bizarre Life of a Male Street-Style Star*).
Other papers focused on men’s fashion week in Milan to check out this year’s collections concluding that they had an inherent “feminine touch” (New York Times, January 14 – Milan Designers Send Signal With Feminine Touch on Menswear*) and several noted how some of the big labels, like Zegna, Versace and Prada seemed to be battling it out on the catwalks. (in New York Times, January 13 – Prada Eyes Strong Military Silhouette, With Whimsy*; January 14 – Milan’s Titans — Zegna, Versace, Prada — Do Men’s Wear Battle*). However, The Guardian chose to write about the “sporty by urban style” that characterized this year’s offering from Emporio Armani (January 14 – Emporio Armani caters to the intrepid urban explorer).
Some of the foreign papers took the opportunity to write about other aspects of a few of the major fashion brands. The Financial Times described Versace’s plans for the future (January 12 – Veni, vidi, Versace: Donatella’s next act*) and then it published its interview with Bulgari’s new CEO Jean-Cristophe Baben who explained how it is traditional goldsmith techniques that will ensure that made in Italy jewelry has a future (January 14 – Bulgari’s Roman empire refuses to be disrupted). Meantime, Les Echos called in at Milan’s Armani Caffè to try its “very simple quality” for itself (January 11 – Armani Caffè, la qualité simplissime*) and the New York Times wrote about the luxury quality of the craftsmanship that characterizes Lorenzi Milano, a family owned business that is about to open its first store (January 11 – In Milan, a Store With a Back Story*).
Culture, tourism, food & wine – the New York Times reviewed the new Broadway musical dedicated to Arturo Toscanini (January 14 – Review: In ‘Maestro,’ a Downbeat Look at the Great Toscanini*) whilst Le Monde wrote about Matera, this year’s European Capital of Culture (January 15 – Matera et Plovdiv, Capitales européennes de la culture 2019) and Der Standard gave readers the story behind Italy’s famous “Fettuccine Alfredo”, the dish – made with butter and parmesan cheese – invented almost 2 centuries ago in Rome by innkeeper Alfredo di Lelio (January 15 – Eine simple und stärkende Pasta).
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