Iconic Sanremo looks: Elisa, Anna Oxa, 2026

«QWhen I’m among people I like more conservative clothes. But on stage, I like them to be as flashy as possible” he explained Elvis Presley which – according to many – he was the first to conquer the television audience with his looks. In the new post-war energy, the king of rock’n’roll managed to express the desires of a more rebellious generation.

Looking at what happens in music often means reading between the lines of society. There have also been many changes on the Sanremo stagebetween rules and aesthetic attitudes.

The iconic looks of Sanremo: from makeup to hair to styling

At the beginning of the 1950s, few will remember how it was the authors who were rewarded. «In 1951 they said: “He wins Thanks for the flowers by Testoni, Panzeri and Seracini”. Nilla Pizzi, before singing it, received a bouquet of flowers without being incensed as happens now” she says Eddy Anselmi, author of the new Dictionary of the Sanremo Festival (Coniglio Editore/Suan editionthe). Its pages cover 75 editions of an event which, for Anselmi, is a “family album of Italy”.

«In the 70s the stars were the hairdressers: Vergottini was mentioned, who created Caterina Caselli’s blonde bob, or Gilda Giuliani’s Liza Minelli hairstyle in ’73. But also Orea Maliàcreator of the Righeira quiff. Todaythe names of those who make hair & makeup no longer reach the public: the dress is the protagonist. It became so through well-known designers and, later, with costume designers, who today we call stylists. If they were initially part of the singer’s staff, for almost 15 years they have become stars.”

The importance of the scenic image, from Anna Oxa to Achille Lauro

Anna Oxa, underlines Anselmi, was the first to arrive on stage with a perfect stage image at the end of the 70s: «Everyone defined her as punk. His reference to English aesthetics was clear, but in reality his style was glam and was not well understood. Like Loredana Bertè: her big belly wasn’t a costume, it was part of a real performance.” Beyond the dress there is the stage imagewhere the aesthetic care of a character becomes total.

For Eddy, a perfect example is the work with which the well-known stylist Nick Cerioniat Sanremo 2020, made Achille Lauro a state-of-the-art performer. «With the song I don’t carein a few minutes, Lauro’s show became worthy of the Super Bowl. It goes further the dress: how do you wear it, how do you move? It’s fundamental to capture the audience’s attention. The tracksuits created specifically by Etro for the Måneskin, which won the televoting, were also his work. People’s attention is scarce today, we need to anchor viewers with something strong. After years spent performing in English, Joan Thiele also did it last year, with the elegance of perfect Chanel looks: singing in Italian, but without distorting herself.”

Stylists and singers, creative dialogues that evolve over time

The stylist also thinks in a total look Lorenzo Oddo: what hair, makeup and attitude should “your” singers have to perform with? This year, on the Sanremo stage, Levante, Ditonellapiaga, Olly (in the first evening) and also Bianca Balti will follow. «Getting along well with the artist is essential. Clothes have to convey a lot: what moment are you in your life, what do you want to tell? Thus a strong friendship was born with Levante. She has her taste, I bring the creative part. More than a job, it is a dialogue. At Sanremo 2023, who could have imagined that her look with bleached hair and eyebrows was inspired by the video game Tomb Raider?”. Stylistic collaborations can then take new forms, as in the case of the 2024 tour in which Levante, together with Lorenzo, chose looks from Italian designers who were asked to interpret his iconic garments: shirt and culottes.

In a stylist’s career, ideas change over time. For Lorenzo, the discovery came with Armani. «As a Sicilian transplanted to Milan I was torn between the ideal of sexy and powerful women of Dolce&Gabbana and the rigor of Prada. Later I discovered how “strong” Armani’s elegance could be. It is no coincidence that last Sanremo we chose Emporio Armani for Olly: it was meticulous work on the proportions. No one would say that he is a former rugby player over 1.90 metres!

With Ditonellapiaga, the aim will be to combine a retro vein with his hyper-modern music, working on the concept of “caught error”, dear to Oddo: «That detail that apparently seems out of place, but which infuses character into the look. It makes you understand that there is a thought behind it. An example? When Sofia Coppola made Marie Antoinette wear a pair of Converse in the film of the same name.”

Becoming allies, first of all

Among the new pop talents competing this year he stands out the duo composed of Marie Antoinette & Colombre. Don’t distort their imagealready beloved by the world of Italian indie, but let it evolveis the stylist’s goal Francesca Piovano. «Our idea is not that of a “forced” matching look, their identities will remain separate, in harmony. First, visual maps are created: in ours there were, for example, a Louis Vuitton fashion show at the time of Marc Jacobs, with hypnotic models dressed in checkered patterns. But also references to the world of ’60s and ’70s singers, with a rock’n’roll touch.”

Working with a singerexplains, it means helping him create a coherent aesthetic: it is difficult for a Margiela look to be adequate if the music composed is not equally conceptual. «A more than pop singer like Rosalía, in the latest video, chose archive clothes from well-known designers: she was credible having collaborated with an artist like Björk, recognized in the most experimental music».

A stylist’s dream? Create an iconic lookeven in its simplicity. A bit like the denim jackets worn by the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. «But also Battisti’s turtleneck or the Beatles’ existentialist looks: when you look at a dress and immediately think of a character, you’ll know you’ve created something that will last over time».