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The geography of fashion
The capitals of fashion In the contemporary world, there is no longer a single absolute capital of fashion. Whereas in previous centuries supremacy shifted from one city to another according to the political, economic, and cultural power of nations, fashion has now become a global system revolving primarily around four cities. Milan, Paris, London, and New York are regarded as the great capitals of fashion, although cities such as Rome and Tokyo are also steadily increasing their international influence. Each of these cities possesses a unique stylistic identity, shaped by its history, local industries, luxury maisons, prestigious social events, and even by the everyday way in which people dress. …
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Elvis Presley: between aesthetics and political message
The story of Elvis Presley, whom I did not initially know in depth, led me towards a broader reflection on the meaning of our lives. I had already touched upon similar ideas while reading Napoleon Hill and his book Think and Grow Rich, namely the impression that there exists a kind of design, an invisible destiny guiding the events of our lives and leading us precisely to where we are meant to arrive. Reflecting on the life of Elvis Presley, it is difficult not to perceive a sequence of coincidences so perfect that they seem almost impossible to attribute to chance. His natural talent, the difficult environment in which he…
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European and English literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries compared
Between the second half of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, in various countries including Italy, England, and Russia, many writers began to portray the crisis of society and of the ruling classes. The protagonists of novels from this period are often highly perceptive individuals, capable of observing the reality surrounding them with detachment, yet at the same time unable to truly feel part of it. The novels I have compared are those I have read over the past two years and belong to the canon of Italian literature (“Malombra” by Antonio Fogazzaro (1881), “Il piacere” by Gabriele d’Annunzio (1889), “L’innocente” by Gabriele d’Annunzio (1892),…
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Marzotto and Saint Laurent’s Marrakech
During the Easter holidays of 2026, I asked my family to take me to visit Marrakech. For me, it was not just any trip: I wanted to find the answer to a question I had been asking myself for a long time, namely why so many people connected to the worlds of fashion, art, cinema, and culture, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Marta Marzotto, and Alain Delon, have been so deeply drawn to this city that they chose to buy riads there. I thought I would find a simple answer. In reality, I found much more, but it took me a few hours before I could truly…
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The grammar of fashion
At first glance, grammar and fashion appear to belong to two very different worlds: the former is grounded in rules, syntax, and logical analysis, while the latter revolves around fabrics, colours, and styles. And yet, they share a fundamental common ground: both are systems of communication. Just as grammar allows letters to be structured into words and words into meaningful sentences, fashion enables garments to become messages that can be understood by individuals and within society. In the same way that, without grammar, language would dissolve into a chaotic collection of sounds, fashion too possesses its own “visual grammar”: a set of implicit social norms that determine which clothes are…
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When Algebra Becomes Fabric
An analysis of the relationship between mathematics, art, and fashion in the work of Ada K. Dietz, exploring logical structure, variation, and aesthetic construction (based on the article: “Algebraic Expressions in Handwoven Textiles” – Ada K. Dietz) https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/monographs/dak_alge.pdf At first glance, a textile appears to be nothing more than an orderly interlacing of threads—perhaps elegant, perhaps refined, yet firmly belonging to the realm of craftsmanship or design. Nothing that would immediately suggest a connection to mathematics. And yet, it is precisely here that an unexpected perspective emerges.In the work of Ada K. Dietz, the textile is no longer merely a practical or decorative object, but the visible outcome of a…
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The True Cost of Fast Fashion
A global journey through waste and exploitation In the driest desert on Earth, in northern Chile, the wind moves dunes that are not made of sand, but of clothing. Sweaters, jeans, shoes—some of them even new. It is an unreal landscape: mountains of discarded garments, visible even from satellites. Here, in the Atacama Desert, part of the clothing consumed in the world’s wealthiest countries comes to rest. Every year, tens of thousands of tonnes of used or unsold garments arrive in Chilean ports, primarily from Europe, the United States, and Asia. Only a fraction is resold in local or neighbouring markets. The remainder is abandoned or illegally burned, releasing toxic…
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Louis Armstrong: Jazz, Racial Segregation and Fashion
A Story of Music, Freedom and Style Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), nicknamed “Satchmo”, was one of the most important musicians in the history of jazz and, more broadly, of twentieth-century music. An extraordinary trumpeter, a singer with a raspy and instantly recognizable voice, and a charismatic and innovative performer, he transformed jazz from a collective form of music into an art centered on improvisation and the personality of the individual musician. His life, which began in the extreme poverty of New Orleans, became an exemplary story of redemption through talent. Armstrong was born in a very poor and violent neighborhood of New Orleans. His father abandoned the family early on, and…
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Paratissima 2026: my project proposal
ART AS A WAY TO REPRESENT FASHION AS A SECRET LANGUAGE AMONG PEERS IN ADOLESCENCE How adolescents have communicated with one another through clothing from the 1980s to today. If we observe teenagers carefully in the street or at school, we notice something interesting: even before they speak, they are already communicating something about themselves through their clothes. A jacket, a pair of sneakers, an oversized hoodie or an elegant coat are not merely objects. They are signs and words within a silent language. Adolescents have always used fashion to tell others who they are, which group they belong to, and what image of themselves they wish to present. For…
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The Luxury of Uselessness
The Luxury of Uselessness How European Fashion Built Power, from the Renaissance to Instagram. There was a time when elegance was not meant to please, but to draw clear boundaries. A time when a garment could prevent you from walking, sitting, or even breathing — and precisely in doing so proved that you did not need to. From the towering platforms of Venetian noblewomen to crinolines capable of accidentally setting a drawing room on fire, European fashion between the Renaissance and the nineteenth century was not an aesthetic whim but a sophisticated system of social control. A silent language used to determine who belonged to the world of labor and…
Diamante is a young Italian student and this is her blog!
