10 Italian Fashion must-have: tips to know what to wear

Style, extravagance, elegance: these are three words that each deserve a book. Knowing what to wear and how to combine an outfit with shoes and accessories to give our look a different impact is not trivial. I'm sure many of you have opened your wardrobe and stood there looking at its contents as if you were faced with an incomprehensible riddle: "What shall I wear now?". Machiavelli indeed! And yet, especially if you have a lot of clothes, you should always find something that fits, right? It depends. It depends on whether you have the right things or not, but the good news is that to have a wardrobe ready for anything, all you need are 10 must-have items that will change your life. So, ladies and gentlemen, perk your ears up. 

Having a well-stocked wardrobe is not for everyone, but being stylish is.
Here are the 10 must-have items of Italian Fashion to always know what to wear, for her and him.

A white shirt is like your best friend, ready to come to your rescue in any situation. You have no idea how many situations it can solve: indispensable for more formal looks, perfect for casual ones too. You can wear it with jacket-and-trouser suits, with jeans, shorts or a skirt. If you want to create a more unusual outfit, you can wear it under clothes with thin straps. In addition to the classic version with a collar and long sleeves, there are thousands of variations with different necklines, longer or shorter sleeves, and turned-up cuffs.

The little black dress is an evergreen that never goes out of fashion and is suitable for many occasions. It's best to keep it basic and then change it up with different accessories to give it a completely new style. The sheath dress version, short or below the knee, sleeveless or with straps, was invented by Coco Chanel in 1926 and became a style icon in the 1960s when Audrey Hepburn wore it in Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

The blazer looks good almost anytime: over a shirt, lace top with high-waisted trousers, skirt or jeans, heels or trainers. Certainly, if you choose black, navy, or a light solid colour, it will be easier to match than patterned prints, but you will find that this garment will serve you well in all seasons. 

The trench coat is a double-breasted mackintosh with more than a century of history, timeless in beige and camel shades. Perfect for autumn and spring, it can be long or short but is important that you choose the one that suits your physique. One small tip to bear in mind: if you wear it with a skirt, it should be at least the same length, not shorter.

Invented by the tailor Jacob Davis in 1871 and patented in 1873 by Levi Strauss, they are now present in every wardrobe in the world, and rightly so. Whatever model of jeans you choose, they must enhance your shape and are not uncomfortable. Then it's up to us to match it with the right top and accessories for a more casual or smarter look and, with the right heel and a jewel to effect, it will also be perfect for a glamorous evening.

The great thing about a skirt like this is that it's suitable for any type of physique, never vulgar and always sexy.The important is to choose the right length and model: pencil skirt, longuette, with a front zip or side slit, in stretch fabric or leather. However, you must always remember one thing: it must be worn with a heel, either low or high, but strictly with a heel.

What can I say... heels (and shoes in general) are a real craze for many women - including myself, I admit - also because the heel is a symbol of femininity par excellence. The right ones can give our outfit that extra touch that was missing to make us feel like Superwomen. Even if some women don't like them or don't know how to wear them, at least one pair of classic stiletto pumps is a must in every wardrobe.

Elegant, sensual and hyper-feminine, they make us look more slender than any other shoe and are equally at home in the office or with a casual look with jeans and a jacket, or even on a night out or at a ceremony. Of course, black or nude are more versatile and the evergreen model is the one with thin heel and tapered toe. But what about the allure of red?

To back up the thesis that heels change lives, here are the words of two women of excellence: a great Italian designer and a famous blogger

If you don't like heels, you'll certainly love these. They always manage to give us that girly look, of someone who wants to enjoy life in freedom, walking lightly on the world. If you choose white, they will go with everything, but in this case it's a shame to put a limit on your imagination. Trainers, especially in recent years, have crossed every style barrier, in fact they can now be seen paired with outfits that some time ago we would never have dreamed of wearing them with. If you don't want to be too daring, they are the perfect allies when it comes to casual looks.

Here we come to another obsessive-compulsive syndrome written in the female DNA: bags and clutches. You know when people ask you what you're doing with all those bags and you just can't understand the meaning of the question? That's it. Let's just say that it might if, amid so much abundance, you don't have a clutch for the evening and a maxi-bag for the day (but more on this in the next paragraph).

You need a clutch or a pochette for the evening because you can't match anything else with certain outfits, but also because they are the sophisticated and always fashionable accessory that turns your style upside down, giving it taste and character, even if you are wearing jeans, heels and a blouse tucked into trousers or a short top.

My advice is to have at least one of a shade that goes with everything and in a solid colour, to avoid getting into trouble.

A maxi-bag, preferably black, is useful in almost all circumstances, especially during the day. We can fill it up like Mary Poppins' bag and carry our whole world with us, and there are a thousand different models, practical, comfortable, and trendy. Alternatively, you can choose a medium-sized bag, so that you can fit your essentials in it, but it's not too big to be bulky.

A second must-have item is a Polo shirt or a cotton t-shirt, preferably plain and without flashy prints or bright colours. A sporty Polo shirt can be a good substitute for a shirt in your free time. 

Over the years, the spring trench coat has been worn by men of extreme class such as Humphrey Bogart, Alain Delon and Peter Sellers. I don't see why today's boys shouldn't wear it. For mid-season, I would also add a James Dean-style leather jacket, an informal and casual garment with a lot of style, especially if it is a simple black jacket with a zip and no-frills.

And for winter? Definitely the caban, with all its variations in terms of fabric, colour, lapels, length, cut and pockets. Designed to keep British sailors of the Royal Navy warm in the eighteenth century, it has passed through the hands of many Italian and foreign designers.

In terms of shoes, men too cannot do without trainers, which today are even worn with elegant suits. Among other footwear, lace-up shoes with a matching belt are a must-have accessory on our list. As they say: details make all the difference.