Lorenzo Salamone

Amid the many troubling news stories stirring up this summer, the sale of Villa Certosato the Qatari sheikh a few weeks ago felt more than ever like the end of an era. The Porto Rotondo villa was indeed one of the principal symbolic sites of the mythology Silvio Berlusconi built around himself over his long decades at the top of Italian politics — somewhere between a pleasure garden and a royal palace.

Every fashion season has its it-shoes. These are the shoes that attract the most attention and that, in some ways, define the period and the culture of the moment. In the past, there were Balenciaga's Triple S, Out Legacy's Camion Boots, New Balance x Miu Miu, adidas x Wales Bonner's Samba, Birkenstock x Dior. All different models, children of their own times, yet sharing the fact that they combine a classic and recognizable silhouette with a certain dose of freakiness that makes them special.

After the great reset of 2025 two creative directors have emerged as the new champions of fashion: Matthieu Blazy and Jonathan Anderson. Same age (class of ‘84), same long experience within the system, same top position in brands that generate billions of euros in revenue and that, above all, represent the core of French fashion identity: Chanel and Dior. Precisely for this reason, the two are often compared and considered each other’s benchmark.