By Ingrid Schmidt
From “The Sartorialist Milano,” Via Senato, 2023; photo by Scott Schuman.
“The Sartorialist Milano” (Taschen) is available at Books & Books.
“Milan is still kind of a mystery to people, even though it’s very important on the fashion and design map, and that mystery is beautiful,” says famed fashion blogger Scott Schuman, from Italy’s celebrated design capital—and his adopted home since 2022. “I like having a bit of a veil, being able to create my own story. Milan’s about all these really great intelligent eccentrics. It’s what Prada does better than anyone else. It’s fun to watch someone’s style evolve over time. The tricky part is when you don’t shoot them, because they’re wonderfully Italian and wonderfully vain!”
In the midst of a look at me social media–driven era, Schuman’s selective in-the-moment approach to his craft—which began with snapping street style in New York City in 2005 for his blog, The Sartorialist—feels old-school admirable. Overstudied selfie sticks and tripods be damned. He mentions quickly photographing two women in uniform standing outside the Prada-owned pasticceria Marchesi 1824, who he spied over the shoulder of his friend Giampaolo, without missing a beat of their conversation. Just like that.
“I’m proud of the fact that my Instagram and my books are not about me,” he explains. “It’s about celebrating other people with a well-defined style. And it’s not important who they are. Anyone at almost any economic level can look great by putting a little effort into it.”
Peppered among the mostly anonymous faces are a few notables in fashion circles, such as the late Beppe Modenese (unofficially crowned “Italy’s Prime Minister of Fashion”) and Italian menswear designer Luciano Barbera. While the late Maestro Giorgio Armani contributed a foreword to the book. “What fascinates me about Scott’s gaze is his clarity: he gets straight to the point, playing with light and framing,” writes Armani. “Like me, he is Milanese by adoption, which is why he sees things that others may overlook.”
Beppe Modenese, 2015; Photo by Scott Schuman.
Hailing from Indiana, Schuman grew up watching CNN’s Style with Elsa Klensch and recalls that Armani was the first designer with whom he felt a strong affinity. “He was a design genius—from his interiors to restaurants and hotels,” says Schuman. “It was his work and his work ethic. He meant a lot to me, so I kept a little distance, because I always wanted to see him in that way. They say, don’t meet your heroes.”
Prior to The Sartorialist, Schuman worked in wholesale fashion in Manhattan for another late Italian great, Valentino Garavani, and went on to launch an eponymous showroom with emerging labels Peter Som and James Coviello. “That was such a minimalist moment in fashion, while Valentino was a maximalist, so it was tough; yet he transcended fashion, as he was such a character,” recalls Schuman. “When I started shooting, I think the reason it worked so well is that I know how designers think, how they’ll see something in an abstract way. When I was working on ‘The Sartorialist India,’ I visited a market in Mumbai where the guys all come from one tribe and everything they wear is a different plaid, from the lungi to their shirt and head wrap. I could imagine any designer loving the idea of mixing plaids in different scales and colorways.”
Via Verri, 2022; photo by Scott Schuman.
His reverence for designers remains strong, and notes that he often spies his photos on mood boards—which he considers the ultimate compliment. “Bill Cunningham shot in a slightly different way; he found trends and put them together on a page,” he says, referring to the legendary New York Times street style photographer. “Whereas I just wanted to shoot really cool guys and really cool girls. I think the designers saw the image and were like, That’s the kind of girl or guy I want to dress, and that’s why it affected them so quickly.”
GET THE LOOK
We all know that fashion is cyclical, and what better way to capture that sentiment than by pairing some of the season’s current trends—lace, apron dressing, and scarves—with street fashion moments captured over the last 15 years? Below, Schuman shares the backstory of a few of the images from his new book, available now at Books & Books.
A CASE FOR LACE
LACE DRESSES, 2010.
“That was one season at Dolce and Gabbana when all the girls wanted to wear the same kind of lace dress. I don’t know many guys that want to dress similarly unless they’re going to a football match. It seems like a wonderful woman’s thing to do!”
APRON PATRONS
Sachiko, Viale Romage, 2023.
“She is a freelance florist who is pretty well-known, at least in fashion circles, and hired by lots of shops. She goes around to her appointments on this bike, overloaded with flowers. She’s always dressed like this. Her magic is in all the layers: An apron with a skirt, with another skirt, and always a head wrap.”
UP TO THEIR NECKS
Piazza Della Scala, 2017.
“These three guys do hair and makeup for Antonio Marras, who is based in Sardinia. They came up with this beautiful little triptych, the way they were standing. I still don’t know their names. I like that, especially in a day of social media, where everybody’s talking about themselves.”
