Keikari.com

Today’s link gives the Vanity Fair-look inside Gianni Agnelli’s world. This hefty  essay was first published in 2003 after the Rake of the Riviera passed away to join the Great Industralist in the Sky. Several of Agnelli’s friends and acquaintances reveal bits and pieces to Judy Bachrach, who sews a rakish quilt. The result is the finest bio essay I’ve read on Agnelli, and one which will not shrink away from the brow-raising aspects of L’Avvocato’s persona. A fine quote in Brummellian style is worth sharing.

“‘You always say you’re a self-made man,” Agnelli mocked d’Urso, whose proud boast this is. “The next time, make yourself better.”‘

http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2003/05/gianni-agnelli-200305

‘The unpadded shoulders, the three-buttoned long and boxy coat, the too-short, thin pants, and the thin ties with striped buttoned shirts in dark colors—well, I suppose this may go very well with some personalities but it’s not for me. To me, all such look like TV producers. Maybe they want to.’

~ Fred Astaire, denouncing the Ivy League look entirely in his interview on Keikari

‘I am 51, I am a Cardiologist and work as the Executive Director, Chief Medical Officer of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. My Undergraduate Degree is from Harvard University, my medical school degree is from the Washington University School of Medicine. I am married (23 years) and have a daughter who is 17. My wife is quite the dresser with a great sense of style, so we match well. My daughter puts up with both of us, but has definitely developed a style of her own and doesn’t mind at all dressing well for the occasion, thankfully. My father dressed very well with a great sense of style which my Mother matched and insisted when we went out in public that we were dressed appropriately. He wore a coat and tie each and every day to work (> 45 years), he set the standard for all of the children, we try and honor him each and every day with his example.

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in clothes I wore and always a bit particular to the point that it drove my Father to exasperation at times! Because of an interest in old movies, especially the films of Astaire, Grant, Cooper, etc., their sense of style, along with my Father’s, had a great influence in forming my style sense. I have never had an interest in following fashion, it is fleeting in its popularity and many times terrible in its proportion. Like many with this interest, I have developed a library of Boyer, Flusser, Esquire, etc, for examples and information regarding textiles, color, apparel. The rest has been learning from failure.

I would describe my dress fitted and colorful with an emphasis on contrast. Blue is my favorite color, and its many shades, but I am a big believer in a seasonal wardrobe, especially as I’m living in the south; linen in the summer, 13oz in the winter, dupioni silk where I can find it. From a RTW standpoint, I have been a fan of Polo, but find less and less that is wearable these days. I have become a big fan of Cantarelli coats over the past few years. My tailor is Leonard Logsdail with a relationship spanning the past 17 years. Mimmo Spano has also made a number of wonderful coats and suits for me.

The Esquire magazines from the 30’s are masterpieces of men’s style and the ensembles are as fresh now as when they were first drawn. Definitely, I’m working to reproduce most of the evening wear from those pictures and use the prints for inspiration for new projects. Regarding dress, my biggest inspiration is Astaire. To dress so well, with such great panache and to be so comfortable in your clothes, we all should aspire to this look.  Each day is an opportunity to dress well, for me to express a part of who I am to myself and the public, I enjoy the whole process, the searching, the research, the looking for unique items that fit me and the wearing, it’s fun. Style is finding a lifestyle that you are comfortable with, that defines and inspires you and respects those around you — the wife and family, the people you work for and with. It is part of your signature in the public and private arenas of life.

We like to travel, music (jazz, classical, opera), volunteer work in these areas along with my work as a cardiologist, I love being a physician. I get questions every day about clothes, what to wear, how to wear. What I tell every questioner is that clothes must FIT, they should be clean and well-pressed, no matter how old or in what variation of color or style you decide to wear. Don’t be sloppy, sloppy means that you do not care and not caring should be an affront not only to you but an affront to everyone you may come into contact.’

Pictures: © Keith Churchwell

Today’s link leads to Parisiangentleman, which has improved the quality of its texts tremendously. Previously I visited PG for its insight into French tailoring, but found little else to pique my interests. There was also the usual problem of visceral resentment to all who characterize themselves as ‘gentlemen’ — if gentlemen exist still, the term is best applied to others only. Now I find myself popping in more often for the site’s journalism, which has both grown in length and gained heft in usefulness. PG has the following to share on silhouettes and their effect on body proportions. Highly recommended, though the text does share a strange idea of Ivy League:

‘Soft: The Ivy League (or American) Style is classic, youthful and comfortable with the jacket falling straight with no pinch at the waist, deemphasized shoulders, and a typically benign chest area. Trousers are usually pleated and cuffed. Think Harvard professor strolling down the campus in Boston.’

http://parisiangentleman.co.uk/2013/05/31/the-suit-silhouette-and-the-cutter/