On the Street....Old World Retail, Florence

When I walked by this shop in the blazing, late-afternoon sun of Florence, I thought "why does this seem so romantic to me?" I realized that it looks so different to my eyes because, as Americans, we would never see a retailer cover up the merchandise.

We would put some ugly orange gel in the window before we ever covered up the product.

I know it is such a cliche, but it is refreshing to see some things still done the old fashion way, even though I'm sure this place isn't air conditioned, which is not refreshing at all.

On the Street....Biffi, Milano

When I was in Milan last time I made my usual trek/pilgrimage to Al Bazar.

On the way I stopped into Biffi, a great old pasticceria, for a very cold sparkling water. While I was there I was struck by just how professional the gentleman behind the bar looked in his perfectly tailored uniform. Actually, the afternoon that I shot this image was the same day that I posted the young lady in Florence wearing a cleaning uniform. Maybe I had uniforms-on-the-brain that day.

If you compare the two images, I think both are great expressions of self.

I think that the young lady is expressing her self-image at the expense of her uniform: an "I'm more than this job" kind of expression. This gentleman, by contrast, seems to take great pride and respect in the profession he has chosen and expresses that pride in the exactitude of his uniform.

To me, this is also a great example of the difference between fashion and style.

This guy has STYLE. He has mastered the "refinement of detail."

He stood out dramatically from all the other bartenders, even though they were all dressed exactly the same, simply because he understood the implied dignity of the uniform. I mean, wouldn't you be surprised if this guy did a sloppy job on your cocktail? His style tells you "Trust me, I take my performance personally."

I would love to see a return of pride in wearing a uniform, not only from the people wearing the uniforms, but also from the companies providing the uniforms.

Many years ago my Mom use to work for American Airlines. They flew her from Chicago to New York just to have her uniform fitted. Who does that these days? Hardly anyone and our culture is poorer for that.

On the Street....Summer Suited, Milano

I love that he has put a new spin on seersucker.

On the Street....Eighth Ave., New York City

The Mystery of the V-Neck Tee, Milano

Why is it that some guys look so cool in a V-neck tee, such as Milan V. in this photo, and some guys look like total sleazeballs?

Usually a good chest helps to fill out a tee, but with a V-neck I think a well defined collarbone is a huge help. This is similar to the idea of never wearing a tank-top unless you have well defined shoulders.

On the Street...Heat Wave, New York City

On the Street....Viale Piave, Milano

Looking Forward.....Baggy Jeans, Florence

On the Street... Summer Denim p.2, Florence

On the Street... Summer Denim p.1, Florence

On the Street... Outside of the Principe Di Savoia, Milano

I swear I'm not obsessed with bikes, but it's so nice to see, in our very casual modernity, someone doing something physical in a suit.

Being physical in a suit that fits well can look so graceful.

I mean, would Fred Astaire have looked so cool dancing in cargo shorts?

On the Street....Summer in the City, Paris

What a great way to look this summer: so simple and yet so refined.

I love that her shorts aren't too short and that her top isn't too tight. Nothing screams in this look and yet the presentation is very strong.

This is a great example of elegance successfully achieved through understatement and flawless execution.

On the Street... Pocket Square & Tee Shirt, Florence

I really love the overall feel of this look, but the element that really caught my eye was the idea of a pocket square worn with a tee shirt.

On paper I would say it never works, but when you see it done like this it's quite reasonable.

On the Street... The Sexy Gamine, Milano

I love that she can pull off the black sock/brown shoe look in summer.

On the Street....Sarah R. in Black, White & Gold, Paris

On the Street....The Hat That Makes the Suit, Paris

I love the less structured, relaxed nature of his suit, but the whole look rests on the coordinated slouch of his hat.

This is also one of those looks that, if worn exactly the same way as this gentleman, would look great on the right girl.

At Dries Van Noten....All White, Paris

On the Street...via Valfonda, Florence

On the Street...Color Story, Milano

On the Street... via Sant'Andrea, Milano

This young lady looks like a classic Italian film goddess of the 50's and 60's: a modern, sharpened Sophia Loren.

The tattoos take her look to a entirely different place. Honestly, I can't decide if they add or distract from her natural beauty but, with that added edge, it's hard to take your eyes off her.