Blue on Blue

We're back from our travels in France and Switzerland, and are again working through the chores and cleaning that two weeks away demand.  But today is Sunday, and the church bells were calling us all to mass.  A special mass indeed, because today was the San Nicola parish first communion service.
This was the second first communion we've been to this year and it was nice to see how the services compared to each other.  But one thing was a constant: the fashion parade that accompanies this very important family day.

The tradition now is that all the children dress the same, in white robes and simple flowers.  That's so much nicer than how it used to be, where girls vied to outdo each other in the elaborateness of their dresses and floral arrangements.  But now it's the parents who make sure to be dressed to the nines, in all their Sunday finery.

The women are always elegant; shoes that challenge gravity, fine fabrics and the latest fashions.  How they manage to stay on their feet in spike heels that are at least 3 inches high as they teeter across the cobble stones is beyond me, but again, this is the woman who fell and fractured her knee cap while wearing sneakers crossing a well paved street!  Maybe I'd be better off in a pair of those platforms!  Dresses of brocade, tulle, and polished cotton were all in evidence today, and for the most part they looked great.  No one can say that Italians don't have a fine sense of fashion!

Strangely enough, it was the men I noticed the most.  There is a strange style that has been showing up the past couple of years, that of the high water/size too small pants and jackets.  Why?  Why do grown men wear slacks two inches above their ankles?  Why do their suit coats look like they should be handed down to their younger brothers?  Usually Italian men look pretty spiffy, so I'm not sure why this look is so popular now.



But the look that was most prominent was the blue.  Not navy, not cobalt, but a sort of deep, royal blue that looks good on just about everyone.  We had noticed a preponderance of blue in the store windows during our travels, including some very neat blue suede shoes.  Indeed, quite a few of the men in church today, both parents and spectators alike, were sporting these blue suede shoes.  Those who didn't have on those moccasins were wearing blue leather slip-ons or even blue sneakers.  The effect is quite nice, the blue footwear coupled with blue suits and lighter blue shirts.  I'm sure that this blue on blue will make its appearance in the US soon, if it hasn't already.  I'm certainly not always up on the latest trends.  In the meantime, I look forward to analyzing how American gentlemen will adopt/adapt this Italian style to our more casual appearance.