We love Tocca's elegant clothing, accessories and beauty products. (Even the containers are works of art on our bathroom shelves.) So when we met Edoardo Mantelli, Tocca's creative director, and Francesca Traldi, vice president of marketing and communication, we weren't surprised that the pair exuded that effortless beauty for which Italians are famous. Bene talks with them about fashion, style and the Great Flip-Flop Debate.
How would you describe your style?
Edoardo: Very simple. A white T-shirt and jeans is my favorite summer ensemble.
Francesca: Casual or elegant, but always with a twist.
Do you think Italians naturally have good style?
Edoardo: Tailoring has always been big. Italy is more fashion-conscious than other countries. Teenagers are label-conscious; when I was sixteen in Milan, it was the beginning of Armani.
When you look back, do you ever wonder what you were thinking then?
Edoardo: I have absolutely no regrets.
Francesca: When I was seventeen, I went to a birthday party at a nightclub. I was wearing a lilac set with shoulder pads and a high-waisted skirt, covered with silk flowers. They said I looked like confetti candy. It was too extreme for that party; I made a scene.
What's your most important accessory?
Edoardo: The knife I've been carrying since I was fourteen.
Really? Should we be careful?
Edoardo: I don't use it for self-defense; it's a tool.
What one item of clothing should every stylish person own?
Francesca: A watch. Everyone has a very specific opinion--gold or silver--so it reveals your personality.
Edoardo: I collect only Rolex sports watches.
When you meet someone, do you look straight at his or her watch?
Francesca: More often, I remember particular movements. Everyone smokes in Italy, and the way men smoke is very attractive. They light their cigarettes while looking at you--it's very sexy.
How did you get into fashion?
Francesca: I lived in a tiny town where everyone wore the same thing. I went on a trip to London and came back wearing black turtlenecks. The townspeople were like, "What's going on here?"
Where do you shop for accessories?
Francesca: All over the world. Not just fancy stores; it can be a flea market or Portobello Road. Jewelry is so important: a T-shirt, jeans and antique jewelry, and you look sophisticated.
What attracts you to the opposite sex?
Edoardo: How a woman carries herself. There's a difference between sexuality and sensuality; showing more cleavage or leg doesn't make a woman more attractive.
Francesca: I like a man who's buttoned up during the day but has individual style at night. Blue blazers and jeans--love it. I hate short-sleeved collared shirts. Out, out.
Like the golfing look.
Edoardo: So you're telling me that Sean Connery in his movies, with short-sleeved shirts, is like "eh."
Francesca: That's another story.
What's the biggest difference between Italian style and American style?
Francesca: Style.
Italians have it and Americans don't?
Francesca: On the street, I can always spot Italians. Clothing is ironed, colors match, dresses and suits are exactly the right size.
Edoardo: For Italians, you present yourself through your style; then comes everything else. For Americans, first comes what you say; style is secondary. I've been in meetings with big executives who are dressed sloppily, with their feet on the table. These are smart people, but they make a statement that style doesn't matter.
Are there any current trends that you can't stand?
Edoardo: Certain things are super ugly. Just impossible to look at. Like track suits.
Francesca: Tank tops on men. Even if you have the best body, tank tops are the ugliest thing ever. Then there is another accessory--that bag, uh, come si chiama marsupial?
Fanny pack?
Francesca: Horrifying.
How do you think people should approach style?
Edoardo: Simplicity is the basis of elegance.
Francesca: An ensemble has to make sense. I love it when someone's shoes match the flower on her blazer. On men, I adore that thoughtfulness. Edoardo wears hats. Not everyone can wear a Peter Pan hat, but on him, it's fantastic.
Most men don't wear those anymore.
Edoardo: Oh, I always do. Sometimes I wear a cape.
Do you fight crime?
Edoardo: On dark nights.
What would you splurge on?
Francesca: Beautiful, comfortable shoes.
Which kind of shoes?
Francesca: Very high heels. Usually Prada or Casadei.
Edoardo: Like my mother. She would climb mountains in high heels.
Francesca: Tennis shoes also have a nice shape. And I wore flip-flops in the Hamptons this weekend, but I would never wear flip-flops in New York.
You have them on, Edoardo.
Francesca: Not me! A nice pair of shoes is about you as a man. Men should classic made-to-measure shoes from their favorite shoemaker.
Edoardo, what would you spend money on?
Edoardo: Mostly jackets and shoes. If the quality matches the price, I will spend. I buy Hanes T-shirts--three for ten bucks. I would never spend a hundred dollars for a Dolce & Gabbana T-shirt.
Do you critique each other's style?
Edoardo: Francesca has an opinion on everything. I like her boldness.
Francesca: I tell him what I think. Either "Wow, you look amazing," or, "I don't like it."
Edoardo: [Laughs] Just like that.
Francesca: Sometimes he hates what I'm wearing, but he doesn't tell me.
Edoardo: That's not true. She predetermines what people are thinking, but often it's totally wrong.
If someone doesn't like your look, does it make you question your style?
Edoardo: Absolutely not. If you're affected by people's opinions--even if they're positive--it's bad, because you're not depending on yourself.
Francesca, what do you like about Edoardo's style?
Edoardo: My flip-flops.
Francesca: No! His funky clothes show his personality. Sometimes he's too casual, but it's clear that he thinks about what he wears.
Edoardo: Yes, I am thinking about which white T-shirt to put on.
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