GMA: Tony Soprano's Style Inspires Imitators
May 8 -- Would you go up to Tony Soprano and tell him he's not a trendsetter?
Thought not. Not unless you want to be "swimming with the fishes," as characters on the hit HBO show The Sopranos might say.
Although some men take their style cues from Regis Philbin, and others turn to the pages of magazines such as Essence or GQ, WABC's Lara Spencer discovered that fashion's man of the moment is northern New Jersey Mafia boss Tony Soprano, a guy's guy and America's most likeable TV mobster.
From gold jewelry to books, Tony's style is showing up everywhere.
Little Pinky Rings Classier
Just to start, consider this: Tony, played by actor James Gandolfini, wears a pinky ring. Suddenly it's the must-have accessory for un-made men as well.
But if you can't decide which one is right for you, take some tips from Guiseppe Generoso, an Italian-American from Brooklyn, N.Y., who sounds a bit like a Sopranos protégé himself.
"I wouldn't go with a big, huge piece," he says. "Small, keep it small, kinda like Martha Stewart. Keep it simple."
Tony smokes cigars, so are they suddenly chic? Only if they fit your face, Generoso says.
"Like, I'm a big guy, so I would get a medium-sized cigar," he says. "Not too long, because, too long, and if you have a small head, it looks funny. OK. Important advice, it depends on your style."
Tony’s Book Club?
And it's not just clothing.
Forget Oprah's book club. On a recent show, Tony mentioned to his psychiatrist that he likes a book called The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.
"If you pay attention, here's a guy, a Chinese general, wrote this thing 2,400 years ago, most of it still applies today," Soprano says on the show. "Balk the enemy's plans. Force him to reveal himself. The only chance of life lies in giving up all hope of it."
After that episode, the book shot to No. 6 on USA Today's best-seller list.
Talking Like Tony
And some psychologists say Tony Soprano — who sees his therapist regularly — has made it more comfortable for men to hit the couch, too. They're not as embarrassed, and in fact, many bring up Tony Soprano in their sessions.
