The Paninaro Look

Over the years, the Paninaro fashion scene has been influenced by various styles like Yankee or Preppy, and different variations of Panoz ranging from sophisticated Gallo to sporty Randa. The allure of paninaro lies in its followers' ability to introduce fresh and unexpected aesthetic elements. Although the peak of its popularity was between 1986 and 1987, the paninaro movement continued to evolve and shape the surrounding pop culture until the end of the decade when it lost its appeal.

In the late 1980s, the paninari incorporated elements from other subcultures, such as the leather biker jacket from Rockabillies. The iconic Ray-Ban Olympian frame, popularized by Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, was also adopted by paninari and later by Mods. The paninari shared a love for mid-century aesthetics with Mods, and also sported Big Smith paramilitary jackets and Dr. Martens shoes. Musically, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet dominated, aligning with New Waver and New Romantic scenes, and the mullet hairstyle was popular among paninari as well.

 

EVOLUTION OF STYLE

The paninari (Paninaro), once associated with the macho and conservative culture of Milano da Bere, surprisingly gravitated towards artists like Boy George who symbolized a Queer philosophy with an androgynous and sexually daring aesthetic. Jovanotti, renowned for his cutting-edge fashion sense, had a significant impact on inspiring and shaping the paninari style. However, with Jovanotti's enlistment in the military in 1988, the paninaro movement came to a close between 1990 and 1991 as many of the older followers moved on to family and career pursuits, while the younger generation embraced hip hop and skate culture, drawn by popular brands such as Vans and O'Neil.

 

THE BRANDS

An essential aspect of the paninari aesthetic were the outfits, made up of key brands and items in the Panozzo "uniform". Above all, the Moncler Grenoble model, introduced into the scene by middle and upper-middle-class youth, is an example of how youth fashion was often the result overlooked connection between how social class and environments can shape youth fashion. "At first we would wear Dolomite [puffers], then since everyone had it, even the tackiest of people, we switched to the mandatory orange Moncler," recalls a member of the scene.
Most of the wardrobe, however, spoke proudly Italian. In the years when haute couture dominated Milan, Made in Italy manufacturers certainly knew how to establish themselves with originality and research on materials in the field of casualwear. Hence the appeal of Massimo Osti's creations for Stone Island, C.P. Company, and Bonneville, as well as the intuitions of Elio Fiorucci, the bright sweatshirts and t-shirts of Best Company, the sportswear of Virtus Palestre, for winter knitwear by Loro Piana, Boggi, Marina Yachting or Foxhound. At the same time, the sentiment of roaring Americanism contributed to the affirmation of the so-called "Yankee" style. This influence can be traced both in the nomenclature of Italian products, such as Americano denim and in the choice of garments: from Durango boots to the Avirex B15 and G1 aviator jackets - worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
Sleeveless puffers and vests were also all the rage, we must also remember the very expensive Timberland sheepskin and the vests with leather reinforcement on the chest Schott, El Charro, or Lee. Fay, whose iconic Quattro Ganci jacket nodded to the metal toggles of the New York firefighter uniforms. The result is the affirmation of the Preppy style, a street and indigenous declination of the way in which the well-off young Americans of the '80s - among deck shoes and Ralph Lauren sweaters - had in turn reinterpreted the Ivy League style of their parents' campuses. A relaxed and refined style that was particularly popular among paninaro girls, the so-called 'sfitinzie’.