Men’s fashion, from Pitti to Milan – The foreign press turned its attention to the reflectors on the Florence and Milan catwalks, and two events: Pitti Uomo and the men’s fashion shows in Milan. The first articles ran on June 19 and covered events in the area of Palazzo Vecchio where, as the New York Times stated that it is impossible to avoid fashion (June 19 giungo – Fashion Is Unavoidable at Pitti Uomo*). Bloomberg Businessweek added that the the best dressed event of the year was an occasion for a direct lesson in (June 19 – Nine Style Lessons From the Best-Dressed Event of the Year).
Along with high end collections such as Moschino (New York Times, June 20 – At Moschino, Jeremy Scott Lightens Things Up*), there were other fashion and cultural events, from the exhibit “Il Signor Nino” dedicated to Nino Cerruti (New York Times, June 19 – Nino Cerruti’s Stylish Life, Told Through His Clothing*) to the new hours of the Uffizi and other museums in the city (Washington Post, June 20 – Uffizi and other Florence museums to be open late Saturdays*).
And as Pitti closed and the attention moved to Milan, papers like the New York Times wrote about the trip on the special Frecciarossa, conceived to unite the two capitals of fashion, carrying operators, buyers and the international press. (June 19 – A Train Links Fashion Capitals, but Divides Passengers*).
The stories from the Milan runways, where the papers reviewed the recent collections, were more classic (Washington Post, June 21 giguno – Tim Robbins takes in Emporio Armani as Fashion Week opens*; New York Times, June 21 giguno – Versace, Bottega Veneta, Zegna: Conjuring a Consumer’s Style*; New York Times, June 23 – From Ralph Lauren to Giorgio Armani, a World View*), commenting on men’s fashion overstepping the gendre boundaries (New York Times, June 22 – Prada and Gucci Advance the Gender Blur*; Washington Post, June 23 – De Niro lights up Armani front row as menswear goes feminine*; El Pais, June 23 – Jaque a la hombría (y otros desafíos de la pasarela de Milán) and attraccting big stars like Robert De Niro (Washington Post, June 23 – De Niro lights up Armani front row as menswear goes feminine*).
The runways also gave the foreign press the chance to visit Milan. Both Les Echos (June 22 – Milan: où sortir pendant la Fashion Week ? *) and Bloomberg Businessweek (June 19 – Milan Guide: Highlights for the Hungry Business Traveler) published guides for fashion lovers and hungry business travelers who reached the Madonnina spire of the Milan cathedral. Businessweek also published a photo spread on Milan’s happy hour (June 14 – It’s 5 O’Clock Everywhere: Milan Street Style ).
Lifestyle: design, culture and travel – As always, the foreign press cast an eye on Italian lifestyle. There was great interest in the design of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia luxury sedan that the house of the biscione is about to relaunch in the U.S. (June 24 on Financial Times – Alfa strives for beauty and profitability*, Wall Street Journal – With New Luxury Sedan, Fiat Chrysler Looks for Rebirth of a Brand*; New York Times, – Alfa Romeo Unveils Flagship Sedan as It Eyes US Market*; Les Echos – Alfa Romeo veut faire son retour avec la Giulia; Expansion, June 24 – Alfa Romeo Giulia: “meccanica delle emozioni”) and the special Maserati designed by Ermenegildo Zegna (Expansion, June 18 – Maserati Quattroporte y Ghibli by Ermenegildo Zegna).
There was also interest in the Italian cultural scene with the New York Times introducing the Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds (June 24 – Italy’s Annual Spoleto Festival Gets a Boost From Botero*), and tourist destinations in the Belpaese, with The Times’ rediscovery of Basilicata as a new destination for real estate investments in villas and country homes (June 19 – Why smart money is heading to Basilicata*). Finally, Le Nouvel Observateur (June 19 – Italie: des phares bientôt transformés en hôtels) reported on the project presented by the state real estate office to transform 150 lighthouses along the Italian coast into hotels.
Wining and dining – Italian cuisine always takes pride of place in the foreign press. Some articles covered the Guiness Records pizza at Expo, over 1.5 km long km (Liberation, June 21 – Une pizza de 1,5 km couronnée par le «Guinness» en Italie; New York Times, June 20 – 60 Pizza-Makers Create Nearly Mile-Long ‘Pie’ in Milan*), and others reported on the combination of food and fashion, with Fendi, the fashion, about to open its first hamburgheria in Spain (El Mundo, June 22 – Llega la hamburguesa Fendi).
The agrifood business is also news, as seen in the Reuters and Les Echos reports on the offer of Ferrero for the English group Thortons (June 22 – Ferrero to buy UK chocolate maker Thorntons for $178 mln), The Times (June 22 – Thorntons licking lips at £112m Ferrero approach* and June 23 – Chocolat : Ferrero jette son dévolu sur le britannique Thorntons*)
In England, Italian food goes arm in arm with cinema and – thanks to the initiative CinemaItaliaUk (Wall Street Journal, June 22 – Italian Cinema in London: The Focaccia & Movie Combo Gains Ground) – the British press also wrote about Italian wines and the documentary Natural Resistence by American filmmaker Jonathan Nossiter (The Times, June 19 – Natural Resistance*; Financial Times, June 18 – Natural Resistance — film review*).
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