Photo courtesy of: Marie Claire

Whether you are looking for the perfect gift for a significant other or you want to make sure that you stand out no matter what kind of crowd you are in, you will find that it is time for you to take a look at Italian fashion.

Historically, the Italian city states of Florence and Venice have long led Europe in terms of fashion and style and now Italy leads the entire world! Take a moment to learn more about Italian style.

When it comes to high fashion, you will find most of the older fashion houses are in Rome. As well, the centers of progressive Italian fashion are Florence and Milan, where several of the influential fashions in Italy and in Europe are generally displayed.

Italian fashion is very focused on bringing out causal elegance, which can be compared with the more conservative fashions seen in France and England. There is a large importance put into luxurious fashions, not only on the traditional fabrics of cotton and linen, but also on the modern fabrics.

Italian fashion does not only focus on luxury, but also puts an importance on the styles that can be worn everyday.

Think of the fact that Italian designers have always been on the frontline of fashion and you will know why shops all over the world make it available to their customers. Take some time to learn about some of the biggest design houses and their contribution to the industry.

When looking into Italian fashion designers, it is hard to move forward without mentioning a fashion house like Versace. Founded by Gianni Versace in 1978, Versace is one of the world’s most foremost fashion houses. Not only does it produce luxury clothing, it also creates accessories, fragrances, makeup and even home furnishings.

Another famous Italian fashion house is Armani, which is known for its beautiful and stylish suits. This firm has done much work in clothing, makeup, fragrances and jewelry and their suits have appeared in many films all over the world.

American Gigolo and the Dark Knight are some of the notable movies that Armani suits have appeared in. Armani was the first designer to ban models with a body mass index of 18.

Valentino is another huge fashion couture house that works out of over 110 countries. It was founded in 1965 in Rome and since then has become the catch phrase for luxury, leading-edge style and creative fashion.

In 1967, this fashion house won the Neiman Marcus Award, with several famous clients such as Marella Angelli, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Margaret.

Whether you are actively shopping for that perfect piece of fashion or you are looking to change your entire look, you will discover that you cannot go wrong by taking a long look at Italian fashion.

In comparison to women’s fashion, the look of menswear barely changes from year to year, and even generation to generation. That’s a point of pride for some stylish men, like Fiat scion Lapo Elkann, who wears the expertly tailored suits he inherited from his immaculately dressed grandfather, Gianni Agnelli, with flair.

But well-dressed men who notice such details as the height of a lapel, the texture of a cashmere sweater or the polish strokes on a pair of shoes are aware that the best makers of menswear update their collections constantly.

Technical innovation leads to fabrics that regulate body head, repel water or power an Ipod. Eco-consciousness triggers the use of wood pulp, bamboo and organically grown fibers in clothing fabrics. A global demand for luxury fuels the addition of such decadent touches as fur, exotic skins and limited edition items in collections. And the ever-changing style tide brings new colors, patterns, silhouettes and ensembles to the forefront of every season.

The Italians remain the undisputed leaders in the luxury menswear arena, and our twice-a-year visit to their showrooms and trade show displays reveal what stylish men will want to wear in the months ahead.

In this guide, we preview the collections that men will be wearing next fall/winter. We saw the sample suits, outerwear, shoes and accessories this past January in Florence and Milan, alongside the menswear buyers from the world’s top department stores and specialty retailers as they selected what to carry in their own stores next fall.

On many occasions, prices were not yet established and designers could not yet say whether select items would indeed be carried in certain corners of the world. But well-defined style trends and key pieces worthy of pre-orders emerged, and this guide will make sure you are among the first to know about them.

Hot trends for men when the temperature drops will include the return of the three-piece suit, elbow patches on sport coats, knitwear as light as a cloud, Prince of Wales plaid, detachable fur collars and linings on outerwear, eco-friendly fabrics, high-tech performance fabrics, and exotic skins given a suede finish.

And as seen for several seasons now, small details that only come from old-fashioned hand-tailoring (working button holes, hand-stitched lapels, custom linings, brush strokes on shoes) are codes for quality.  Article by: Elite Traveler