crash....

Roberto Cavalli on What’s Sexy

The master of Italian glamour on why breasts are overrated, marriage is temporary, and men should wear more silk.

1. Men in positions of power are rarely good-looking. I think if you aren’t handsome, you feel like you have something to prove. Especially if you happen to be small. Personally, I don’t like attractive men. They take their looks far too seriously—much more so than good-looking women.

2. Clothing should be like a frame. All designers have limitations in this sense. If you don’t have the body to wear something, I can’t give it to you. But if you do have it, I can make that body look as good as it possibly can.

3. Men should not be afraid to wear silk. I love it, especially when it’s raw and natural. I don’t like cotton and never wear it. All my shirts are the same—I wear a black silk shirt every day. It feels amazing against the skin.

4. Physical attraction has its limitations. At some point it wears off, so men must educate themselves about art and music and food. That is what remains. As long as you breathe art at every moment, you understand the world.

5. Marriage is not what it used to be. When we say we’re going to marry someone now, we don’t necessarily mean that we’re going to be with that person for the rest of our lives. And I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. If you spend your happiest moments with someone, but not necessarily the rest of your life, is that so horrible?

6. Sexy is about details and small differences. Sexy is the one dress that can show you enough but not too much. The line between beautiful and vulgar is very thin, and often more about personality than clothing. You can take a dress that would be amazing on the right woman, put it on someone who doesn’t carry herself correctly, and watch it become something horribly tasteless.

7. I don’t pay attention to breasts anymore. We spend too much time focused on them. I’m over it. Skin and eyes are so much sexier. There isn’t an energy, an attitude, anything, that can’t be communicated with the eyes. What can breasts tell you?

8. Intelligence makes a man sexy. So does the way a man talks to a woman. A man has to act like a man at all times. Just as I never understood why women sometimes try to dress like men, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to explore our feminine side.