The 2011 Sanremo Festival saw the Italian showgirl duo of Elisabetta Canalis and Belen Rodriguez nearly steal the show, with the music contest turning into a who’s who of Italian fashion. In this gallery, you can see both the girls and the various creations they wore, and especially check out Elisabetta Canalis’ look if you want to know what it is that makes a man like George Clooney tick.

The first night saw a play on contrasting primary colours with Elisabetta Canalis in Donatella Versace (red) and Belen Rodriguez in royal blue, dressed by Alberta Ferretti. The second outing that same evening saw Belen wear a long, black flowing outfit while Canalis went sexy in pearl grey in a classic cut dress with Swarovski crystals.

The second night of the festival saw Belen Rodriguez dressed by Fendi with a black sparkly dress and round-neck cut. Her second dress was electric blue and the third, still from Fendi, was a powedery colour. Elisabetta Canalis was dressed by Emilio Pucci and her first number wowed the crowd - a wrap around white dress with cut-out back. She then passed to brown tones before finishing the evening in a one-shouldered gown of midnight blue. More after the jump:

Sanremo fashion: Elisabetta Canalis and Belen Rodriguez

Continue reading: Haute couture Italian fashion: Elisabetta Canalis and Belen Rodriguez at the Sanremo festival

Milan women’s fashion week autumn 2010 - PradaWhen it comes to trends in fashion, Prada looks have always been bellwethers for the industry at large, so this time be prepared to wear elegant and sophisticated clothes with audaciously sexy undertones.

Inspired by 1950s and 1960s, Miuccia Prada has created a collection of gorgeous a-line trapeze skirts, black or pale-brown double-faced cashmere and patent high-heel shoes which will make your look and feel irresistibly sexy and smart. For more looks from Milan women’s fashion week click here.

Source | Style.com

Continue reading: Milan women's fashion week autumn-winter 2010/11: Prada

Moschino never bores you; this is a truth that nobody can ever try to deny or confute, so when last week in Milan I saw the models walk down the runaway in those black leather ensembles - with fringes swaying in harmony with their elegant steps - I instantly knew I was in for a few (nice) surprises. From cowboy hats to Chanel-style jackets and Spanish frills, Moschino was indisputably at its best, delivering an unforgettable autumn collection.

Milano moda donna autunno-inverno 2010/11: Moschino

Continue reading: Milan women's fashion week autumn-winter 2010/11: Moschino

This video shows the new Italian commercial for underwear brand, Calzedonia, using a very patriotic and nationalistic theme with the Italian national anthem sung in a breathy style by singer Sushy. The advertising campaign has met with criticism, not only for the change of words from “brothers” to “sisters” (the anthem is usually “fratelli d’Italia”) but also for the use of the anthem for commercial purposes. The Italian television commercial includes visual references to the words of the anthem, and concludes with a sunset scene of Rome, and the slogan, “the future is pink”. There have been calls to ban the ad. Your thoughts?

Source | TVblog.it

Sovrana Eleganza is a most unique xhibition devoted to Fashion designer Roberto Capucci ‘s most beautiful creations. This is taking place at the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano and along with these legendary creations, which the critics have always regarded as true work of art, visitors will also have the unique opportunity to see 25 drawings by the famous designer himself and which have never seen before; the drawings will be accompanied by Luca Ronconi‘s short commentary in which the legendary theatre director says that if Roberto Capucci ’s creations could be realized on the stage, the audience would instantly fall under a beautiful but unsettling spell; a strange fascination slightly touched with a bit of perversion - just like the gowns on display at the castle.

According to the Global Language Monitor’s annual survey, Milan is the world’s new top fashion city, thus overshadowing such fashionable cities as New York, Paris and London. The survey was compiled by nonprofit trend-tracking group Global Language Monitor, and is based on how many times the name of the city has popped up in the media, on the Internet and in the blogsphere. The result has crowned Milan for the first time as the most fashionable city in the whole world, while New York’s reign seems to be over for good.

Photo | Flickr

Italians (especially Italian men) and their mums are famous the world over, in a stereotype that characterises the country as much as pizza, pasta and the mafia. We’ve already looked at Italian sayings regarding the word mother, including “mammone” and expressions such as “there’s only one mum” (”di mamma ce n’è una sola”).

Italy has taken this a step further with a beauty contest for Italian women who are mothers, with various age categories. In the photo is the winner of this year’s 46-55 age bracket, Donatella Galvani.

Donatella is 48 years old, 1.7 metres tall and is a size 44. Taking into consideration that in Italian fashion, a size 38-40 around the waist is quite small, it’s refreshing to see an attractive woman who isn’t tiny.

The Miss Mamma beauty contest is for women with children (Donatella has a 14 year-old son) and at this year’s contest, 38 mums took part.

Source | La Stampa

The general consensus is that Cristiano Ronaldo is not a footballer whose fashion tips are anything to follow. David Beckham, for example, beats him hands down in the fashion stakes. And if you needed more proof, this photo of Ronaldo might convince you.

Here he is dressed totally in Gucci, from head to foot, including the accessories. Ronaldo has matching Gucci bag, Gucci belt, and Gucci shoes. For a look at the whole outfit, take a peek after the jump.

Source | SocialiteLife

Continue reading: Cristiano Ronaldo likes Italian fashion label Gucci, a lot

This is video is part of a series of european travel tips from Expert Village, including cheap eats in Venice and Florence, and other tips for around Europe. The Italian fashion tips in this video include: always wearing leather shoes, wearing knee-length skirts, and avoiding bright colours and logos.

While the stereotypical image of Italian fashion is one of designer labels, dark colours and attractive, but high maintenance, people, there are other fashion trends in Italy. One of these is street fashion styles, which include baggy jeans and hooded jumpers (clearly not featured in this video).

Another fashion tip for Italy that could be included is the importance of the accessory. With everything from beads, to big earrings, belts and bags, the accessory is almost as significant as the thing you’ve actually got on. We don’t completely agree with the video, but it’s a good place to start. Your thoughts?

Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace had a beautiful villa on lake Como and now, several years after his tragic death, all its contents, which include antiques and extraordinary works of art (among them two masterpieces by Antonio Canova) will be put on the block at Sotheby’s on 18 March; the auction is expected to raise around two million pounds