Men's Fashions by Francesco

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• Ischia: Roots on a Rim
• Sulcis—the Why to it All
• Paolo Midolo: the Pride of Orani
• Antonio Marras—the Designer from Alghero
• Alghero—Sardina’s Little Catalonia

Ischia: Roots on a Rim Posted: 11 Sep 2009 04:19 PM PDT What most people fail to realize is that Italy is a relatively new country—before unification in 1861, the peninsula and its surrounding islands had been carved up by a host of empires, republics, and foreign dominations from the fall of the Roman Empire. Since the Southern half of the peninsula and its islands share slightly more history in common, we are going to explore these similarities by focusing on the place I know best—Ischia. Dating back to prehistoric times, my family's native heath rejoices in the byname, the Emerald Island—Isola Verde in Italian. With its crater submerged beneath the sky-blue ripples of the Mediterranean Sea, what exists today is merely a rim—the remnants of an extinct volcano, which has been dormant only since the 14th century, constituting the largest island in the Bay of Naples. Because of its strategic position, our green island has sustained a troublesome history. Recurrently colonized, punished, dominated, and sacked by a succession of ruthless invaders, the island has been infused with unique features that greatly distinguish it from areas on the mainland north of Naples whose language, culture, and social customs have only recently converged with ours. To that effect, we are a peculiar breed. A simple glance at the Neapolitan language and its insular dialects reveals the lengthy history in a nutshell: paccaro ('slap') comes from ancient Greek; pretrusino ('parsley)', from Latin; spasso ('fun'), from German; buatta ('barrel') originates from French; semmana ('week'), from Spanish; tavuto ('coffin'), Arabic; and maccaturo ('hanky'), Catalan. Like the language, the Neapolitan variety of music is enriched by its turbulent past and equally diverges from other regions of the peninsula. Folk songs, which date back as far as the 1200's, are sung in an oriental, arabesque melody. Musical contributions include the romantic guitar, the mandolin, and several forms of opera. O Sole Mio and Enrico Caruso both originate in Naples. With roots in the Greek and Roman periods, gastronomy is out of this world! Naples is the birthplace of pizza, which is about 200 years old. The Neapolitan coffee pot ('a cuccumella) was the forerunner of the modern-day espresso pot, which, when the water boiled, was turned upside down. In the next several articles, we are going to take a walk through approximately 3,000 years of history, as well as the evolution of menswear in the Bay of Naples, focusing on the island of Ischia. Photo top left, Naples, Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco. Photo middle right, 'o pizzaiuolo, Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco. Slideshow Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

Sulcis—the Why to it All Posted: 11 Sep 2009 04:20 PM PDT My last day in Sardinia was spent exploring Sulcis Iglesiente—the southwestern area of the island, which originally drew the attention of the Phoenicians for its abundance of minerals, coal, and metals. Now the region is home to abbandoned mines, nuraghi, a temple to the Punic (Carthaginian) deity Sid near Fluminimaggiore, a Phoenician acropolis on Mt. Sirai, necropolises, and a Phoenician-Punic tophet, which was a burial ground for children. My attention was mostly directed to the Phoenician acropolis, which is situated on a hill that rises 191 meters high and dates back to 730 BC. One of the most impressive remaining structures is the temple to Astarte (photo above). Slightly down the hill is a necropolis, which consists of underground rooms. Just below are the foundations of a tophet. Well, I hope you have enjoyed the first part of the trip! The next time I write, it will be from the romantically wild metropolis of Naples, which I consider the second fashion capital of Italy. Photo & slideshow Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

Paolo Midolo: the Pride of Orani Posted: 11 Sep 2009 02:07 AM PDT Surrounded by hills in a lush green valley of central Sardinia, the inhabitants of Orani cannot boast a large population, which number about 3,100 inhabitants, but they can celebrate a long history of artisans, craftsmen, painters, and designers. One notable "master of apparel"—mastru 'e pannos—is Paolo Midolo, who not only inherited but also revived the tradition of the 3-piece pastoral suit. For years, while jeans in the sixties and seventies overcame traditional styles, Paolo worked in the talc mines of Orani; but his boutique was never closed. Then, something happened in the 1980's: the new generation of youth started to yearn for the classic fabrics of their grandparents. The corduroy and coarse woolen material called orbace (pronounced "orbache" in English), which constituted the traditional garb, began undergirding the pastoral ethnicity of inland Sardinia once again. Paolo swiflty fused contemporary styles with the traditional tailoring of his sartoria into an new "ethno-chic" look. Photos Copyright Paolo Midolo.

Antonio Marras—the Designer from Alghero Posted: 11 Sep 2009 02:06 AM PDT My prime reason in going to Alghero was to visit the showroom of the internationally renowned Sardinian designer, Antonio Marras. Antonio's showroom is located in the center of historical Alghero. Born 1961 in Alghero, Antonio grew up in his father's clothing store where he conceived a passion for fabrics and materials. His first ready-to-wear collection entailed a line of white t-shirts that he produced in 1998; whereas he completed his first menswear collection in 2002. Far from the fashion meccas of Europe, Antonio remains attached to his roots. Working in the scenic workshop of his own home, which overlooks the Mediterranean sea, Antonio mixes tradition Sardinian dress with additional styles like Russian constructivism, film noir of the 30's and 40's, and illustrators of the early 1900's. Antonio's collections narrate local and global tales of tradition and innovation, nostalgic memories, and exciting things to come, as they are manufactured by the hands of local Sardinian artisans. Identifying with his roots, Antonio reaches beyond the creative confines of his island, intertwining opposite expressions of vintage and modernity as he experiments with art, music, and literature. Photo top left & slideshow Copyright Antonio Marras. Photo bottom right Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

Alghero—Sardina’s Little Catalonia Posted: 11 Sep 2009 02:05 AM PDT Also known as Barceloneta—'little Barcelona'—Alghero is a small town of roughly 42,000 inhabitants, 22% of whom speak a variant of the Catalan language. While the name Alghero derives from the word algae, because of the quantity of this marine vegetation that is deposited onto the coast, the native population derives its origine from Catalonia, Spain. Traces of civilization date back as far as the 4th century BC. Monuments from the Nuraghic civilization have been unearthed, as well as Phoenician buildings near the city. The city of Alghero, however, traces its modern beginnings to the Republic of Genoa in the 11th century, which built the fortifications of the city. The Genovese were completely removed from the city in 1353 by the Kingdom of Aragon, which began populating Alghero stricly with Catalonians. Although Alghero became part of the Kingdom of Savoy in 1720 and, then, the Republic of Italy in 1861, Alghero has remained predominantly a Catalan city. I dare to say that Alghero is the most picturesque city that I visited in Sardinia, boasting nearby grottos, white beaches and emerald waters, red coral reefs, and a warm mild climate all year. Photo & slideshow Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.

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