A movie festival is nothing without films and I kicked off my first full day at Berlinale by watching Wes Anderson's animated treasure 'Isle of Dogs' featuring puppets like you've never seen them before, beloved actors giving voices to fantastical dogs and a message of humanity hidden within a film that is so darn entertaining to watch, I may have to go back for seconds. Or thirds even. I know you've heard me talk like this before, but this time I mean it in a whole new and different way: If I went home today, I'd be happy, after watching 'Isle of Dogs'.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 93 Diaries: M1992’s Paninaro Reinvented, Magliano’s Everyday Rockstar and ‘The Day The World Went Away’
My third and last day of Pitti Uomo 93, Fall/Winter 2018-19 collections held some surprises. Most were pleasant, welcomed discoveries of designers who hadn’t been on my radar, and now forever more will be. Yet one, at the very end of the day was a disturbing reminder that the #MeToo movement needs to evolve, and include models, young men and children. If we don’t protect every victims — not just the attractive women stars of Hollywood who are looking for a second wind in their career — we are failing allthe injured.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 93 Diaries: Eton’s Kyoto Anywhere, Concept Korea and Les Benjamins at the Pyramids
On my second full day of Pitti Uomo, I went on a journey eastward to Egypt, Korea and Japan, thanks to the vision and wit of four fashion brands.
I’ll start with Eton, because for me Pitti Uomo always begins with Eton. The Swedish shirt brand has become synonymous with fashion with a conscience, and a symbol of how great ethics and cool designs can make for a powerful, winning combination in today’s market. While some designers with attitudes, and their ungrateful PRs can create attention for almost anything for a season or two before disappearing into oblivion, these days it’s with principles and great artistic vision that fashion houses thrive, time and time again. The inclusive atmosphere I experienced at the Gucci Garden launch party here in Florence only confirmed my theory.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 93 Diaries: Light, Camera... Fashion!
Fashion has become the most affordable of art forms. We could all wear a piece of Christian Lacroix while he designed for Spanish brand Desigual and even typically untouchable Christian Dior features a few knick-knacks under $200 in their current collection, courtesy of artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri — whose streetwise styles have reinvigorated the Maison.
Read MoreThe Dubai Film Festival Diaries: Couldn’t Have Done It Without You, Madinat Jumeirah!
Anyone who has ever had to travel for work knows, deeply and personally, how important a hotel room can be.
For me, while I spent eight nights and nine days at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival, the Mina A’Salam hotel, in Madinat Jumeirah provided a home away from home, the perfect place to get away from it all and write, not to mention my very own soft place to fall. All rolled up into the perfectly glamorous package of a luxury 5-star plus hotel.
Read MoreThe Dubai Film Festival Diaries: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ and Why It Is a Fashionista’s Dream Come True
I wasn’t a huge fan of the last installment of ‘Star Wars’ titled ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, which closed the Dubai International Film Festival in 2016. I found the chemistry between Felicity Jones and Diego Luna like a couple of fingernails dragging on a blackboard. When they were — **spoiler alert!** — done away with, I was actually kind of happy. And that’s not how you should feel about intergalactic heroes, am I right?
Fast forward one year and I found inspiration and fun in another chapters of the ‘Star Wars’ saga which has been going on since I was a child!
Read MoreThe Dubai Film Festival Diaries: Superstar Bushra, Costume Diva Alexandra Byrne and the Power of Great Women
We need more women film writers. Repeat after me. We need more women film writers and when they are published, those few random times, we need to support them.
Read MoreThe Dubai Film Festival Diaries: Swarovski, Morgan Spurlock, ‘The Man Behind the Microphone’ and Cinemas in Saudi by 2018
What is heritage and how important is our connection to the past in shaping who we will be in the future? And if our ideals seem to clash with what our leaders are encouraging, or we simply can see beyond the chaos — are we right? Or does that make us just different... Those are all questions that have come up in the last 48 hours for me, at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: “Boom, Pitti Blooms” Comes to an End
As the fashion tribe is getting ready to leave Florence for Milan — Pitti Uomo for Milano Moda Uomo — amidst a 24-hour transportation strike throughout Italy, I reflect back on the great things I’ve seen in the last 36 hours. While this year’s Pitti Uomo has been truly fantastic and full of personal highlights, the last day also managed to be pretty mind blowing.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Federico Curradi’s Angelic Rockstar Cool Look
In the biography for Florentine-born designer Federico Curradi, his extensive experience at the helm of Ermanno Scervino, as head of menswear for Roberto Cavalli. as creative director for menswear at Iceberg and various consultancy jobs including one at Dunhill are collectively described as his “unique baggage of experiences”. I love to think of life as a journey and nowhere in Florence this year — where I find myself for the Pitti UomoSpring/Summer 2018 collections — was that concept more apparent than in Curradi’s line.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Why #iamHUGO This Year in Florence
It’s interesting how different people can view a space in different ways. I mean, this time last year at Pitti Uomo we were watching the Gosha Rubchinskiy show at the Manifattura Tabacchi — a Fascist era tobacco factory near the racetrack in Florence. Within that setting, the Russian designer presented a daytime vision of boys framed by the rundown buildings of the abandoned manufacturing plant. The look was very Pasolini, both in the style of the clothes and the spare feel of the surroundings.
Fast forward a year, almost to the date, and I found myself once again within the same tobacco factory grounds, this time at night, and for the HUGO show. But even if the address was the same, the venue had been transformed into a hauntingly theatrical setting, a place alit with fire circles burning, lanterns hanging from a tall tree and smoke spewing out of broken windows, at uneven intervals. I expected Tina Turner in her ‘Mad Max’ costume to peek out of one of the red lit windows at any time.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Christian Louboutin Brings Sport and Glamour to Florence
“Please excuse me if I will speak in English but my Italian is very tiny.” So shoe designer extraordinaire Christian Louboutin kicked off the Bike Polo tournament named after him in Florence. From early morning on Tuesday, June 13th, eight teams of three players from around the world battled for the win in the Piazza S. Maria Novella, in front of an iconic Florentine church.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 92 Diaries: Olivier Saillard Brings Fashion Magic to Florence
“Presented flat, on a hanger or on an artificial bust made of wood or wicker, the garment is silenced,” but also an orphan, according to the Director of the Paris fashion museum Palais Galliera, Olivier Saillard.
Read MoreThe Cannes Diaries: Agnès Varda & JR, Abel Ferrara and His Musicians and ‘Golden Years’
There have been many emotional moments for me at this year’s Festival de Cannes, like hearing Dustin Hoffman talk intimately about the death of his mother in law during a press junket, Thierry Frémaux giving his speech from the stage of the Sale Debussy during the evening in honor of French maestro André Téchiné, while pointing out of the legendary actresses and actors the filmmaker has worked with in his lengthy career, and catching up with favorite filmmaker Amos Gitai about his vision for peace in Israel.
Read MoreThe Pitti Uomo 93 Diaries: Finnish Design, the International Woolmark Prize and Be Still My Gucci Beating Heart
On the first official day of the 93rd edition of Pitti Uomo, and my second day on the ground in Florence, I found quite a lot of inspiration coming from Guest Nation Finland, the International Woolmark prize with its multicultural designers and the wonderful universe that has been created by Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci. I mean, any man confident enough to wear a golden tiara is A-alright in my book. Even I am weary of those things and find it difficult to incorporate them into my daily wardrobe, so I can’t even begin to imagine how he managed. The conversation alone with himself in the mirror, that I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for! Alessandro Michele is my fashion idol.
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