For Italo Manca, going out without a bow tie and suit jacket would be unthinkable! An “aberration” that would make him, one of the most elegant men in Milan, feel naked, almost illegitimate. A true fashion archivist with his collections of watches, shoes and fascinating cufflinks, the owner of La Libera – a legendary establishment in the Brera district – is inexhaustible on the subject. In fact, he is the very illustration of the idea one has of the Lombard capital and its sense of style, and its oldest inhabitants seem to be the guardians. In the cobbled streets of the city, his silhouette (bicycle, immutable cigar and crazy moustache) is totally unmistakable. And if we ask him, he will even offer us some precious advice. We will learn, for example, that harmony is as important as elegance. That light is paramount; it is, in fact, we hear, what dictates the daily dress of the Milanese: “When the weather is fine, I choose colours for the sun. When the weather is grey, I choose colours to go with grey! ». But also that you must cultivate your imagination. Milan has is particularly good at that. Open to ideas and people, the capital of design is generous. It’s liberating! This Italian’s extraordinary home is a testament to that. An ode to his zest for life, to the love of travel and to humour, which can be found (really) anywhere. Once a sailor, a waiter, a boxer and then an entrepreneur, this lively character seems to have accumulated the memories of a thousand lives. Each one as hectic as the next, but with one common denominator: non-conformism.
Discover Italo Manca’s unique world in our first The Socialite Family self-published book, Retrospective. An anthology of the most interior glimpses throughout the history of our medium, available in our shop and on our e-shop.
Photography: Valerio Geraci – Text: Caroline Balvay @thesocialitefamily
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