My dear fashionistas, welcome to another autumn fashion story on the Mr.M blog. I hope you are well and ready for a new dose of fashion. Today I will introduce you to one of my favorite Italian designers, Mr. Giorgio Armani. Giorgio Armani S.p.A., better known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Mr. Giorgio Armani that designs, manufactures, distributes and sells haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories and home interiors.
In addition to the Armani Prive couture line, Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani are the company’s ready-to-wear lines that are shown at Milan Fashion Week. Armani Collezioni, Armani Exchange and Armani Jeans are sold at lower prices.
Giorgio Armani (full name of the brand line: Giorgio Armani Borgonuovo) is a top brand specializing in men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, glasses, cosmetics and perfumes. This line is available only in Giorgio Armani boutiques, specialized luxury multi-brand stores and selected high-end department stores worldwide. The logo is a curved “G” ending in a curved “A”, forming a circle. In 2001, Armani created a joint venture with Vestimento to produce the Borgonuovo men’s and women’s line.
How was the Armani fashion empire created? Mr. Armani and his partner, the architect Sergio Galeotti, founded Giorgio Armani SpA in 1975. After years of success, in 2001, Mr. Armani commissioned architect Tadao Anda to transform the old Nestle chocolate factory in Milan’s Savona/Tortona area into the company’s headquarters. Also, in the early 2000s, Armani opened five megastores, starting with the opening of the Armani/Manconi store in Milan in 2000, which houses all of the company’s brands. Other such spaces are in Hong Kong (Armani/Chater House, opened 2002), Munich (Armani/Funf Hof, opened 2003), Tokyo (Armani/Ginza Tower, opened 2007) and New York (Armani/Fifth Avenue, opened 2009).
The fashion house Giorgio Armani is recognizable for its refined and unobtrusive elegant creations that always evoke a kind of admiration and respect in all people, regardless of whether they are fashion lovers or not. My outfit today consists of two exceptional fashion pieces that, in my humble opinion, every man needs: a blue shirt and beige autumn pants.
I am one of those people who think that beige is a universal color for all seasons and that it refreshes every outfit, especially those autumn and winter outfits that can sometimes be gloomy, that’s why this neutral light beige color is ideal because it breaks the dark monotony and gives every styling one special note. On the other hand, blue color is an ideal color for any man who doesn’t like wearing white shirts all the time, so blue color is an ideal choice for any man, while remaining in the safety and fashion comfort zone.
If you want to know more about the Giorgio Armani brand, as well as other lines of brands from the Armani family, visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
OUTFIT
Shirt: Giorgio Armani
Watch: Schaefer & Companions
Trousers: Giorgio Armani
Belt: BIAGINI
Espadrilles: Loro Piana
We will continue today’s fashion adventure with new friends of the Mr.M blog, a new exclusive Swiss watch brand that I’m sure you’ll love at first sight! Schaefer & Companions (S&C) is a new luxury watch brand founded in 2024 in the Swiss cradle of watchmaking, Le Locle. The foundations of this brand are based on the philosophy of artistic freedom, as well as the fulfillment of human beings through liberating creative power and the purity of the craft gesture are just some of the main values cherished by the founders of this unusual brand.
Schaefer & Companions is a symbol of paying tribute to timeless poetry, creativity, that is why every Schaefer & Companions watch is a special masterpiece that has an unusual story. The essence of the brand is an artistic endeavor and a creative liberating form, an entire interconnected product landscape in the world that stands for creative craftsmanship, or as it is better known in French, “les metiers d’art”.
During the process of creating the first “Antarctica” collection, I had the great honor and pleasure of meeting the founder of this unusual luxury watch brand, Mr. Christophe Schaefer, who enthusiastically presented his ideas and drawings of the watch models he plans to create. This is not an ordinary collaboration but a new chapter that is part of my life’s journey and it is a wonderful feeling to be part of a project like Schaefer & Companions. I also have to make you happy that I am the first brand ambassador of this exceptional watch brand and that I will do my best to introduce you to some of the S&C brand watch models in the coming period through my fashion stories in which you are used to showing you various novelties.
Today we will learn a new term that I will often use during the presentation of this brand – companion. Schafer & Companions is a lifetime journey in which Mr. Schaefer and his companions have invested all their passion, the beauty of life, as well as the hopes that passionate watch lovers will recognize the uniqueness and love of art.
The Schaefer & Companions team decided to “break the ice” by marking the launch of its first watch collection at Geneva Watch Days (GWD) 2024 called “Antarctica“, which brings to life two watch models: Solune Medallion and Solune Grand Art. The Antarctica collection, available in limited editions, encapsulates the frozen vastness, quiet isolation and resilience of Antarctica. In today’s post you have the opportunity to see one of the Solune Grand Art variation of models. They are windows into this vast, icy expanse and represent a subtle artisanal intuition. Enamel is a precious material used to make S&C dials where artists have the opportunity to express their skills.
What is Enamel? Enamel is a glass mixture made of silicon dioxide and various metal oxides added to create different shades. Before any color can be applied, the craftsman must create a good basis for further artistic work. The enamel is crushed, ground and purified, first in distilled water and then in nitric acid. Then the copper, silver or gold plate is cleaned and coated with a layer of white enamel on both sides. The end result is a perfectly clean “canvas” for painting without the fear that the copper will bend when exposed to extreme temperatures.
After the process of making an enamelled dial, we come to the most complex part of making an enamelled watch, and that is making the dial. Because the colors of the enamel react differently and change in the oven, the designer must know exactly in advance how the material will react in order to create a work of art that can be faithfully reproduced.
Once the dial is properly constructed with the coated dial plate, the painting process can begin! The artist prepares a palette of colors with the nuances needed to create a predetermined image. The image must be carefully applied in several layers and baked in an oven up to 800ºC between painting processes. First, harder, more elastic colors are applied that can withstand multiple cracking, while gentle shades are kept in the final stages. With just a small misjudgment, the dial can warp, burst, or explode. Since the colors react to the heat both individually and collectively, a small mistake in the order can lead to unwanted results and force the masters to start re-making the enamelled dial.
Owning a dial, that little enamel masterpiece in my personal collection is exceptional. Due to the cost and complexity associated with its creation, the vast majority of enameled works are in museums. The rarity of skilled craftsmen is another factor, as the craft almost became extinct in the early twentieth century.
Proof that miracles are possible is Mrs. Françoise Remmonay of the Donzé Cadran Atelier based in Le Locle and she is a member of the S&C team and she is in charge of enamelled medallions and dials. In today’s fashion story, you will have the opportunity to see the dial that she made – a model of a frozen ocean that offers a view of the coldest continent in the world – Antarctica.
The Solune Grand Art watch model that you have the opportunity to see in today’s post represents a captured moment of an eternally living landscape of frozen waves of a turbulent ocean. The dial enameling process of this watch model begins with the sculpting of fine sheets of silver that are shaped into a realistic wave structure that provides personality and depth. Several layers of rare and limited enamel derived from antique enamel ateliers were then applied to the silver relief. This composition of enamel relief combined with vibrant colors creates a unique watch with a strong and distinctive character.
Technical Information:
Case Diameter: 43 mm
Case Thickness: 11,4 mm
Case Material Variations: Steel 904 or Steel IP 6 and equal material for indices and hands
Dial: Metiers d’art artistic interpretation ø 36.20 mm
Movement: ETA 2892 decorated, Top assortment, with customized rotor
Movement Details: Automatic with 42h of power reserve at 20,000 Hz
Bracelet material: Apple Suede Leather
Price: CHF 7,000 (approx. EUR 8,000) – tax excluded
You will soon have the opportunity to see other watch models in the Schaefer & Companions brand offer. If you want to stay updated and find out what novelties the watch brand Schaefer & Companions has to offer us, follow them on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.
Loro Piana is an Italian company specialised in clothing and textile products. This fashion house is considered the largest producer of cashmere and also the world’s largest artisanal company processing the luxury fiber.
The Loro Piana company has three divisions (textile divisions): a division that deals with the production of high-quality materials using precious fibers such as cashmere and baby cashmere, vicuna, linen and merino wool, a division that deals with the creation of luxury fashion items(production and distribution of men’s, women’s clothing, footwear and fashion accessories) and the interior design department – production and distribution of interior design products.
In today’s post you have the opportunity to see espadrilles from the men’s Loro Piano collection, which are just a small fraction of my favorites this season due to their distinctive elegance and my love for neutral colors. I have to admit that I have always shied away from espadrilles thinking they are uncomfortable and impractical, but the Loro Piana team proved me wrong once again and I’m glad they reassured me that anything is possible after all.
If you want to stay updated and find out which pieces the Loro Piana brand has in its offer, visit their official online store and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Biagini is one of those traditional Italian artisanal brands that has managed to easily develop and become recognizable throughout Europe and the world without losing its authenticity. Founded in 1968, it is a real family project in which everyone has a part of the credit for the great success because the soul of this brand is made up of people, starting with the founder Alberto Amidei, who takes care of production supervision, his wife Enza, who is in charge of quality control, and both have passed their passion on to their three children: daughter Elisa, who takes care of the company and commercial management, and Valentina, who is responsible for the development of the women’s collection, while son Luca, takes care of the management of the small leather goods department and the development of the men’s collection.
The Biagini brand is rooted in the tradition of leather craftsmanship and continues to constantly conduct thorough research into materials, which are locally produced and specially hand-painted according to the brand’s conceptual designs. In addition to respecting the heritage, the brand carries a truly contemporary creative soul. Biagini’s creative team play with geometries, such as the iconic curved lines inspired by waves, experiment with textures, be it soft hood, raw canvas, python or crocodile leather, have fun with color, exploring a palette of neutral tones as well as a palette of bright hues .
What is the story of this unusual prestigious brand of leather goods? Biagini, a brand born in Bologna in 1968, originally called “Silvano Biagini”, was acquired in 1999 by the Modenese Amidei family.
Eclectic, vibrant and timeless, this brand is evolving, introducing a men’s collection in 2009 and 2013, changing headquarters, expanding its production facilities and creating a showroom, inspired by Italian design in the 60s and 70s, a period in which the spirit of the Biagini brand received its true and true form.
In today’s fashion story, I present to you a belt from the BIAGINI brand, the Wave model made of the finest crocodile skin in a beautiful shade of cognac. The strap is a handmade “Made in Italy” piece. This exquisite belt is adorned with an unusual metal buckle that has the brand’s logo embossed on the underside.
If you want to stay updated and find out what all the novelties BIAGINI has to offer us this fashion season, follow this unusual Italian brand of luxury leather goods on Facebook and Instagram.
My dear fashionistas, we have come to the end of another autumn fashion story, where together we discovered the beauty and splendor of sporty, timeless elegance and prestige with the famous Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani, the beauty of the new revolutionary and special Swiss watch brand Schaefer & Companions, as well as the unique the quality of Italian craftsmanship with the iconic leather goods brand BIAGINI, as well as the beauty of urban elegance and timeless classics with Loro Piana, partners with whom fashion stories are a real adventure. I sincerely hope you got some inspiration for your ideal fall outfit!
See you soon and continue our fashion adventures on the Mr.M blog! How did you like my outfit today? I really tried my best to prepare today’s post with lots of love and I hope you like it!
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or any message for me, you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social media channels, which you can find on the CONTACT page. I’ll see you soon!
With Love,
Mr.M
This post is sponsored by Giorgio Armani, Schaefer & Companions, BIAGINI and Loro Piana brands. This post is my personal and honest review of their products.
