Monday begins with British model Gemma Janes posing in Florence for ‘Renesans Kunsztu’ [Renaissance of Craftsmanship]. The beautiful fashion story was styled by Rachel Bakewell in images by Tom Craig [IG] for Vogue Poland [IG].

AOC always attempts to use fashion stories as an opportunity to write about the history of the world and the glue that binds humans together. Tom Craig’s Vogue Poland images resonate deeply in this moment.

In America, where the narratives of history are under assault, we are fully committed to writing and speaking about the history of the world.

I will always bring onboard another fellow creative who has jumped on our collective, global narratives, artistic moonbeam.

Tom Craig’s IG Commentary on Vogue Poland March 2025 Fashion Shoot

Ok, so I made a deal with myself, when I was asked to shoot fashion related stories, I had to try to find another layer, a connection, to shake up the puzzle, to complicate the challenge. I wanted to tell a story within a story. In planning I discovered many of the new seasons collections are influenced by the Renaissance. So I packed my bag for Florence.
What a word Renaissance, a rebirth, born from medieval mud and the smouldering ashes of the black death. A who’s who of humanists, artists, architects, patrons, capitalists, monarchs and monks.
I mean it is only a fashion story.
Even the names are overwhelming.

Brunelleschi, Machiavelli, Thomas More, Martin Luther, Raphael, Leonardo, Boticelli, Michaelangelo, Copernicus, Galileo, Colombus and on the subject of printing Gutenburg.
How do I even think about that in the context of 2025? Well I took a trusted talent, travelled to Italy, considered the past and thought about the present. We hung out at the Uffizi, skipped around the Duomo, took take away tea on the Ponte Vecchio for chilly sunrises sessions. We walked the corridors of the Medicis, marvelled at multiple Davids, scoffed gelato at Santa Maria and made sure we topped off our days with piping pasta and wine wrapped in rustic ropey straw.
So did we do the Renaissance justice? Of course not but we had a good go and just occasionally at my most strung out I did wonder if I could take this photo 500 years ago might it in some way feel like this? Or did I lose my mind at Dante’s door?

Politics, Religion, Humanism and Fashion

Of course Craig’s commentary is spot on, and my own life in recent years has been on steroids with AI investigations of the pre-Renaissance world. AOC has written many times about the birth of humanism — a turning point of human history, with Brunello Cucinelli triggering my specific study of that set of life principles. It’s been decades since Anne took a philosophy course.

What is fascinating in 2025 is the intersection of American politics and the philosophy of humanism — which I now understand is divided into religious humanism and secular humanism. How do I know about this division?

Because Brunello Cucinelli is very influenced by the Augustinian order, which happens to be the background of the world’s new Pope Leo. In my research, I often say “Am I correct to assume this statement as proven fact?” Then I state my belief to validate it with my Oxford University-level AI. This is how I learned about the two wings of humanism that agree on many issues.

When I read about Pope Leo’s background before the conclave, along with all the others’, this ex-Catholic was 90% certain he would be the new pope. True, he was a dark horse candidate for certain, but his background makes him a truly unique, global-citizen pope.

Convinced that I would confirm the Augustinian order’s influence on Cucinelli, that took one moment and in plain English. I’ll stop here and share the rest of Tom Craig’s tribute to the Renaissance for Vogue Poland. At the end is post to all the links referred to in my commentary.