Fashion – It’s Fashion Week in Milan, and the foreign press is shining the spotlight on the city’s runways; this year, the event – writes Le Monde – was “in pursuit of eccentricity” (25 September – Milan tentée par l’excentricité*).
As is usually the case, the various newspapers focused their attention on the collections presented by Italian-made brands: Dolce & Gabbana, with its appeal to the “dawn” of Italian fashion (Financial Times, 27 September – Dolce & Gabbana SS16 show report Milan Fashion Week*; The Times, 28 September – Dolce & Gabbana models stroll down memory lane*); Financial Times, 30 September – King Giorgio Armani: 40 years on the throne; The New York Times, 25 September – Emporio Armani Presents Breezy Line for Next Spring*; Reuters, 28 September – ‘King Giorgio’ Armani wraps Milan Fashion Week with play on red); Donatella Versace’s creations (Washington Post, 25 September – Versace launches camo-glam looks for next summer); and Peter Dundas’s debut as creative director at Roberto Cavalli (Washington Post, 26 September – Peter Dundas underlines brand’s ease in Cavalli debut).
But the event also has room for celebrity guests, from a legend like Sophia Loren, in the front row for Armani (Washington Post, 28 September – Sophia Loren graces Armani front row at Milan Fashion Week), to the newly-minted US Open women’s tennis champion Flavia Pennetta, welcomed with applause at the Ferragamo show (Washington Post, 27 September – Fashion crowd applauds US open winner Pennetta at Ferragamo). At any rate, “Italian-style elegance,” Le Monde explains, has a long tradition – a tradition whose story is told in a documentary, Jean Lauritano’s Made in Italy, reviewed by the French newspaper before its television broadcast (26 September – Elégances à l’italienne).
In addition to women’s clothing for spring/summer 2016, there’s also room for accessories: The New York Times even proposes Milan as the starting point for a new “Grand Tour” in search of shoes and purses from which to “find inspiration” (27 September – From Milan, the Accessory Grand Tour*), while The Times devotes itself to eyewear, thanks to the “dolce vita” relaunched by Italian Independent and its founder Lapo Elkann (27 September – Welcome to Lapo land*).
Between one runway and the next, some find the time to savour the pastries at Cova and Marchesi, historic establishments bought out by luxury brands like LVMH and Prada, and now a “new stop on the Milan style circuit” (The New York Times, 27 September – In Milan, the Pastry Wars*); others speak of the close bond between the Lombard city and design (and not only fashion design): the American paper’s style magazine shares Arthur Arbesser’s experience, recounting why the Viennese designer has chosen to move there (25 September – In Milan, a Designer Aims for ‘The Edge of Good Taste’*). The New York Times also examines and describes the synergies created from the combination of fashion shows and the Milan Expo (25 September – Will There Be an Expo Effect?*)
Economy – While fashion is the big news this week, there are also plenty of business-related stories about Italy. Reuters explains how Banca d’Italia has agreed with upwardly revised economic growth rates (29 September – Bank of Italy agrees with upwardly revised GDP targets) and reports on Banca Imi’s valuation of Poste Italiane – in excess of € 11 billion – leading up to its listing on the stock exchange (28 September – Italy’s post office valued at up to 11.4 bln euros by IPO coordinator); this news is also covered by Les Echos (29 September – IPO: La Poste italienne pourrait valoir 11,4 milliards d’euros*).
Eataly is also being readied for listing and has turned to former Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra for this purpose, explains Financial Times (28 September – Andrea Guerra takes role at Italian food retailer Eataly*; 29 September – Ex-Luxottica chief Guerra’s remit is to prime Eataly for listing*)
Reuters also reports on the acquisition completed in China by the Italian brake brand Brembo (29 September – Italy’s Brembo to buy control of Chinese brake disc producer), while the French business newspaper details the strategies with which Federico Ghizzoni intends to open “a new era” for UniCredit (Les Echos, 30 September – Federico Ghizzoni ouvre une nouvelle ère pour UniCredit*).
The Spanish press, on the other hand, is concentrating on the attempted relaunch of a group – Volkswagen – that has named the Italian Luca De Meo to lead the Spanish brand SEAT (El Mundo, 25 September – Luca Di Meo, nuevo presidente de Seat; Expansion, 25 September – Luca De Meo, presidente de Seat).
Culture – In the culture area, a number of reviews have come out this week: Financial Times talks about Giancarlo De Cataldo’s Romanzo Criminale’ (25 September – Romanzo Criminale’, by Giancarlo De Cataldo) and Nanni Moretti’s “inspired tragicomedy” Mia Madre (25 September – Mia Madre — film review). The Wall Street Journal reports on tenor Andrea Bocelli’s pop adventure and his new album Cinema (25 September – Andrea Bocelli’s New Album*).
While El Mundo commemorates Italo Calvino 30 years after his death (1 October – Italo Calvino: el escritor rampante), the comics are also covered, with the “rebirth” of Corto Maltese (Les Echos, 25 September – Corto Maltese : les vrais héros ne meurent jamais*). Lastly, there is also a focus on “culinary culture”: The New York Times, in fact, tells its readers how to drink a “real cappuccino” – even in the Big Apple (29 September – Is That Cappuccino You’re Drinking Really a Cappuccino?).
Tourism – Some travel-related reporting this week covers paths less beaten by the foreign tourist: The New York Times takes its cue from the real estate market to discuss the fine palaces of an Italian city still little-known to the American public: Bergamo (24 September – Living the High Life in an ‘Undiscovered’ Italian City*), and spends 36 hours in Bologna (30 September – 36 Hours in Bologna, Italy). Lastly, The Times goes off to discover the “hidden heart of Italy”, Abruzzo (27 September – The hidden heart of Italy*).
* marked articles viewable online upon payment or registration