Italy Holiday News & Features
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What we love about... Italian fashion
Looking good in Italy is a national obsession. Forget football, fast cars and food. This nation’s favourite pastime is style.
Italians grow up in a culture of ‘bella figura’. This translates literally as ‘beautiful figure’ but is more specifically understood as ‘a good image’. This is not only related to what you wear but involves how you ‘appear’: etiquette, reputation, style are all equally important. The way you present yourself to the world matters hugely. In a country where, even the police uniforms are designed by Valentino and footballers are kitted out by Mr Armani, Italians consider it essential to look good pretty much from birth.
This is not a new phenomenon and is in no way related to individual finances. Indeed, a little bit of style in Italy can take you a very long way. For Italians style is cultural democracy; in the words of Italy’s most famous journalist, Luigi Barzini, ‘where poverty can be worn with dignity…
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