White Wash: The massive DKNY advertising mural turned Soho icon at Manhattan’s Houston and Broadway is, like all the other signs of the neighborhood’s 80s heyday, not long for this world. [WWD]

NFL Lock Out: Football may ban excessive hair use, putting an end to those Thors and rastas of the gridiron. [Styledash]

Chaste Bunnies: The Philippine version of Playboy will be a fully-clothed, demure affair with, “maybe one nipple,” here and there. No fun. [Canadian Press]

Forever in Blue Jeans: Mike “Muffin Top” Albo searches for recession-proof denim. [NYTimes]

Panic at The Mexico: Emo kids are facing systematic beat downs south of the border and uniting to defend their rights and feathered hair. March on, wasted youth. March on. [The Daily Swarm]

Forged Signature: Refusing to let a little thing like legal permission hold it back, an Italian clothes maker bravely strikes out on its own to create the George Clooney collection. [WWD]

The Holy Grail: Bring on the male birth-control pill. [Altpenis]

Our Girl Friday: We don’t know if Eva Mendes posed for these shots before going into rehab and, frankly, we don’t care. [Maxim]

The Queen and The Princess: Carla Bruni visits England, making every first lady in history look downright homely in the process. [Telegraph UK]

San Francisco Treat: A brief and stylish tour of Fog City. [Refinery29]

Brotherly Love: We’re not sure if we believe in “bromance,” but we are sure we love ya, dude. [Men.Style]

“What’s In Your Manbag?”: Excuse me, it’s a European men’s carryall, okay? [Guardian UK]

Buying in Bulk: Shoppers snatch up Tim Hamilton shirts 20 at a time. Look for them soon on superfuture and eBay. [Racked]

Love All: One of the few eligible bachelors with a 155 mph serve is engaged to S.I. swimsuit model, Brooklyn Decker, which is a solid excuse for us to run pictures of her. Thanks, Andy. [ESPN]

Tailgate Party: In other sporting news, this is how 24-year-old, Heisman-winning, multimillionaire starting NFL quarterback Matt Leinart rolls. How ‘bout you, Brah? [Sunday Morning QB]

Local Uni-Watch: New York readers may have a chance to check out the Blue Jay’s new powder-blue throwbacks today and tomorrow. Still, no one’s got more baller style than this guy. [ESPN]

Swapping Spit: In the grand Gallic tradition of poor public hygiene, several Frenchmen invaded Manhattan and attempted to set a world record for kissing. Gross, right? [Fleshbot]

In The Hood: Blue-eyed, honey-blond men’s fashion blogger, Amanda Brooks, finds style and substance in the lowly hoodie. [Men’s Vogue]

фантастично!: Moscow Fashion Week just doesn’t translate to Western style - but God bless them Ruskies for trying. [YouTube]

Chinese Take Out: With its increased high-end offerings, improved manufacturing techniques (not to mention its low valuation of human sweat) China is poised to take on Italy in the luxe suit game. [WSJ]

Il Bue Che Dice Cornuto All’asino: Italy bans Tom Ford ad because of their long tradition of high-minded, unporny public discourse. [Radar]

The Distinguished Gentleman From Milan: In related news, Santo Versace, business manager of the family label, has joined Italy’s Parliment. [WWD, 2nd item]

“Masturbation Cuts Cancer Risk”: Well, in that case, maybe we’ll try it some time. [BBC]

Slip Ons: Socks for men without shoes. [Men’s Vogue]

Ripped From the Headlines: Our very own Jared Paul Stern is set to be detonated in effigy in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order.” We couldn’t be more proud. Also, Chung-chung. [NY Daily News]

Ring of Fire: Like a ribbon ‘round your finger, this accessory will remind you of appointments or anniversaries or burn you in the process. [Uncrate]

Beggars and Choosers: A probing piece about the difficulties of funding and presenting at Fashion Week. [Papierdoll]

Monroe Doctrine: The Marilyn sex-tape fantasy goes “pop” in 1,460 words. [Defamer]

Members Only: A jacket checklist for these windbreaker months. [Refinery29]

Petal Pushers: Yes, we admit it, we love flowers, but there’s a limit, people. [NYMag]

The Razor’s Edge: Men’s Vogue takes on the razor blade arms race. [Men’s Vogue]

Con Job: Sit down with Converse’s creative director. [Coolhunting]

The 75 Skills Every Man Should Master: We’re solid with about 58 of these. [Esquire]

Bowery Mission: Rogan Gregory opens a new store on the Bowery, serves the local cocktail. [Refinery29]

In a Huf: A skate-punk brand grows up. [Coolhunting]

Silver Foxes: Black, grey, whatever - as long as our hair stays on our heads, we’re good. [NYTimes]

Porn and Politics: The Italian Parliament is starting to look more and more like a strip club. [Radar]

Oh, and remember to call your mother on Sunday. There’s nothing wrong with a ladies’ man admitting that he’s also a momma’s boy.

Flower Girl: Amanda Seyfried once starred alongside Lindsay Lohan. That wheelbarrow back there is probably a trade up. [Vanity Fair]

Four!: The “Worst Golf Fashions”? Oh, Time, when will you learn? The worse it gets, the better it is. [Time]

Save The Tie!: Hell of a lot easier than saving the whales, no? [Style Savage]

Man Talk: Shipley and Halmos discuss the finer points of male grooming—Joey or Van? It’s Van. [A Continuous Lean]

Mea Culpa: An Italian couple asks forgiveness for having sex in a church’s confessional booth, which we see as kind of pointless. We mean, once you’ve crossed that line, there’s really no reason to even try to go back—hell awaits. [Telegraph UK]

London-based Monocle (which, we hasten to add, is not a lifestyle magazine) has posted a front-of-the-book-style roundup that bears no resemblance to lifestyle journalism whatsoever.

Titled “Things to improve your life,” the multinational list includes Italian bathing clubs (pictured), an austere German day bed and Ambassador’s foot-hugging leather trainers. We’re all for self-improvement—we’re even willing to tolerate the dubious inclusion of Monocle’s local newsstand—but is this really what the good life looks like? We’ve taken our own crack at it with the must-haves on the left here, but we can’t help but think there’s something missing…

Maybe something to help put on all those shoes.

For all the bespokery surrounding shoes and suits, there’s remarkably few limited edition operations on the tie front…which is why we’re so happy we’ve actually found one.

The tie-maker’s name is Vittorio J, and it turns out we’ve been admiring his work for much longer than we’ve known his name. He’s a staple of the shirt-and-tie boutique 20 Peacocks and takes appointments for bespoke tie service at Michael Andrews Bespoke, two of our favorite Manhattan outposts that just happen to be neighbors.

As you might guess from the name, Vittorio favors Italian styling over the British flair that’s currently popular, but most of their stock won’t look too familiar anyway. They specialize in exclusive designs and very small runs, sometimes making as few as two ties.

In other words, you can be sure they haven’t seen it before.

There are many ways to wear a cardigan. For the Italian premiere of a film you may have heard of, the esteemed Mr. Craig opted for the big collar/big tie route. It’s a good choice, since Italy is silk country and more is still better in Rome. He keeps the cardigan tactically slim instead of opting for the grandpa look, and ends up with a thoroughly adult outfit.

Also, it helps if you look like you’re ready to kick someone in the face.

High-end watches are a tough subculture to track, mostly because the good ones tend to be so rare as to require a trip to Italy. But if it’s just a trip to midtown Manhattan…

Panerai just opened up a Madison Avenue branch and, recession aside, their timing couldn’t be better. A Ferrari collaboration (available in store) and two years of high demand and low supply have transformed them into one of the most sought-after brands in the watch world.

Of course, for a product that prides itself on perfect efficiency, they wouldn’t skimp on a little in-store design…

Take a look around the store (and get the address)»

Perfume ads have been teetering on the brink of self-parody since the famous black-and-white spots of the mid-80s, but things may have reached a new level. This still is from an ad for a new perfume called Greed, which does not exist. Or, more specifically, it’s from an ad for an ad for Greed, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams, which will be hitting the internet next week.

Perhaps more explanation is required»

A fast car is always good news, especially when it’s a torpedo-shaped European model with just enough room for two seats and a gearshift. And if fewer than two dozen were ever made…the pot just keeps getting sweeter.

Say hello to the Ferrari 250 Testarossa»

A good high-top boot is always welcome, but these caught our eye mostly because they come from Japan’s Lad Musician label.

We’d call the cut Italian, but we’re all cosmopolitans these days anyway. But given that the rest of Lad’s equipage looks like post-Armani streetwear, they look like they’re poised for more interesting things in the future.

We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on them.

Simon Spurr turned out yet another solid collection for fashion week—you can see it behind him if you feel like straining, or see our pictures after the jump—but the surprise this time around isn’t the swagger but the source.

This time around, Spurr is assuring customers that 90% of the product is manufactured in Italy, using the finest materials possible. It’s a bold statement, and a sign of how seriously manufacturing is being taken these days, at least by some designers. And if it’s not in line with his current stated inspiration—the movie 2001—we won’t complain too loudly.

Anything that gets us a few more Mimosa-hued parkas is ok with us.

See more of Spurr’s latest line»

Helmets usually aim for a charmingly European nostalgia—much like the Vespas themselves—so the market is wide open for a few bubble-cases straight out of Flash Gordon.

Borsalino is an Italian heritage brand that takes a slightly different tack than the usual mod-inspired helmets by bringing in extra touches like fur and snakeskin-imprinted leather for a more adventurous take.

It makes sense—these are precision instruments, after all. Why not let all that technology show?

See more of the helmets»

In case you were puzzled by the French sizing of the F-Troupe lace-ups, we thought we’d lend a hand.

This chart should help you make sense of a fairly confusing system. There are a lot of different systems out there, but it’s probably simpler than you think. British sizes are more or less the same, European sizes don’t vary too much from country to country, and we doubt your sartorial travels will take you much farther than that. When in doubt, round up.

And avoid Chinese sizes at all costs.

There’s still nothing like Italian cobbling.

This particular pair skips the businessman look and goes straight for the renaissance, with a seersucker stripe and yellow lining that’s centuries old in its style. We’re not sure how you’d pair them with more modern trappings…but we’re sure we’ll think of something.

We tend to associate Tom Ford with his ads, his suits, and his upcoming film work, but he’s developing a Paul Smith-like habit of developing fantastic, unattainably priced items seemingly out of nowhere.

Take this old-world hunting jacket, for instance. It’s part of Mr. Ford’s latest Italian pilgrimage, and the buttons are certainly reminiscent of Mr. Smith, but it also bears almost no traces of the usual Ford-ian machismo. Which could very well mean all those semi-pornographic print spots may well be a thing of the past…

Say it ain’t so, Tom.

The second in our ongoing series on Tom Ford’s Italian jaunt, this herringbone silk jacket takes things in a new direction.

The broad, curvy peak lapels give it the playful feel we’re used to from Mr. Ford, but it’s flashy in a whole new way. The silk is the kind of excess he usually chases, but combined with the vertical herringbone, it has a sense of texture we’ve never quite seen before. It’s the kind of item that looks a little different every time you see it.

Not unlike the man himself…

There are a lot of steamer trunks out there, but if you’re going post-colonial, you can’t do better than the Ghurka bag. (Sorry, Wes.)

We don’t mean the softer bags they’re selling nowadays—although they aren’t bad for starters. We mean the hard-shell cases that used to be cobbled together by a grizzled Italian craftsman…that is, until he died and turned the whole line into collector’s items. These days, a complete set will cost you a couple month’s salary, but it’s worth it for the old world touches you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

From the perfectly tanned leather to the impeccable stitching and metalwork, this is the genuine article so many other hard shell cases are imitating. It’ll take some legwork to find your own set, but it should be more than worth it.

See more shots of the Ghurka cases»

The Selectism folks turned us onto this foulard Tom Ford just dropped on the market (along with a woven belt, naturally).

It’s part of his well-documented Italian campaign, but this particular item might be a bridge too far. Whether the resonance is Italian anarchists or American sailors, it seems a bit too loaded for casual wear. Of course, we’re always ready a Ford fan to prove us wrong…

It’s definitely the weather for shades, but we wouldn’t go overboard. A slight purple hue is all the protection you need…at least until those rose-colored glasses get in.

This pair comes from L.G.R., whose stated goal is combining Italian and African styles. It makes sense here: The frames are all Italy, but the lenses have a certain Sarahan glow. Which should be just about right for the west coast…

Crash!: Apparently Italian fashion editorials get a lot of their ideas from Cronenberg movies. [Refinery29]

It’s a Milestone: The 200th blog post asks, “Has Ed Hardy gone too far?” The answer is still yes. [Racked]

Face the Music: Where did music magazines go wrong? Promoting Sean Paul may have had something to do with it. [Vulture]

A Moment of Silence: French sunbathing may be on the decline. For once, we’re pretty sure Sarkozy’s doing all he can. [Guardian UK]

These Persol-ish shades come from an unlikely source: Fiat heir and occasional Kempt icon Lapo Elkann. His Italia Independent marque tends to the “millionaire playboy” look—we can’t imagine why—but if you’re looking for something to get you through ski season, this may be the perfect item.

We’re still sorting through all the capsule goodies we’ve collected in the past two days, but we thought we’d let this one slip out to whet your appetite. It’s from the Italian semi-streetwear brand Camo, who seems to have grown up in a hurry.

Instead of last season’s quilted coats and cardigans, this season’s line goes direct for the shabby 70s suit vibe, which just happens to be a sentimental favorite of ours.

This burgundy number is our favorite—the double breast and extra-wide peak lapels should let you know it’s ironic—but there’s plenty more where that came from. It might be the most casual suit we’ve seen this side of…well, a leisure suit. It’s a pretty twee move, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Stay tuned; there’s plenty more where that came from.

See more of Camo after the jump»

On the off-chance you’d gotten tired of American, British and Canadian heritage brand revivals, Grenson has a new trick for you. This waxed canvas and leather boot (spotted at the recent Compass Show) is modeled off Italian infantry boots circa World War One. That means they’re a lot lighter than your average American steelworker boot, and almost as tough. Think of it as a loose translation.

We hesitate to call Liberty of London too British—it’s in their name after all—but they could probably benefit from a few international influences. This cotton tie (hat tip) might be their best collab so far, partly because it lets them get some continental distance on Swinging London.

The Italian flavor comes courtesy of 10 Corso Como—think of a Milanese Colette—who managed to coax the Brits at Liberty into some of their finest work. It’s the same dense patterning they built their brand on, but the curves make it a little more lush, and the colors are muted enough to turn it into Liberty’s first summer tradwear piece. Here’s hoping there’s more where that came from.