PITTI ME TOO

The basics still matter at Pitti Uomo.






Sprezzatura!

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

When it comes to clothes and dressing I am as simple as it gets.


(William and Pelé Ling)

Actually, I dress like my dad. Don’t get me wrong, dressing like my dad is not a bad thing since he’s pretty dapper for someone who’ll be turning 60 in two months. Che bell'uomo! In fact, I’d sneak in his closet to shop for vintage brogues, braided belts (which I admittedly stole last Christmas) and loafers.



(T-B: Richard, Ruairidh and Angus Villar, David and Freddie Mills, Charlie and Jackson Boxer and Richard and Cosmo Wise)

Happy Fathers day, mi Padre!

IN THE NAVY!

I have gotten tired of black trousers unless I have a black tie affair to attend. This month, it is all about navy and gray with the same straight to slim modern silhouette that pretty much look good on almost everyone and yes, can be dressed up with different shoes and tops.




Dad once told me that, “the pants and not the top should always take center stage.”

If you want to look good without spending a fortune, update your wardrobe by visiting your trusty tailor and having your trousers altered to fit you perfectly.

When wearing navy or gray trousers, always go minimal with your shirt. Pink, pale blue and white always works. Trust me!



Always flirt with fabrics. Cotton twill and linen works for day, wool is great for the office and also perfect for evenings.

For shoes. Though black is fine, brown, nude and deep purple will never look wrong. I like pairing mine with my brown cap-toes and purple moccasins.



And oh, flat front and definitely no pleats unless you want to end up looking like someone with a massive 20 inch dick.

ON WHITE WALLS, ANTIQUES AND GOOD TASTE

Growing up down south, my mom relied on coffee table design books from the local bookstore and hand-me-down copies of Architectural Digest, Country Living and Domino from her sisters in the US. Those books and magazines not only gained my mom some free time from her shop but also influenced my mind-set at a very young age – what could possibly be better than that?

For most, however, good taste is rarely as easy as that perfect wicker couch at our cozy lanai or that antique Chinese medicine cabinet turned into a huge display of art from mom and dad’s trips abroad. While there’s no formula for success, I have noticed in the hundreds of homes I have visited that dazzling design scheme never fail to catch my eye, but it is the spaces that are actually lovely to be in resonate and are truly memorable.


(Andy and Kate Spade's beautiful home.)

I am a big fan of two of my mother’s sister’s homes. The Lopez-Vito sisters need not to announce the beauty of their homes. Lacquered in white that makes every wall and ceiling glow, huge canvas and ikat print-slip covered throw-pillows, blissful bed linens and a collection of traditional antiques married with orientalia, and a striking collection of art from local artists and myself. For me, it’s pure perfection!

I am currently on the state of repainting my flat again from white to eggplant (deep purple or whatever you want to call it) and I believe in most successful spaces, you don’t see everything at once. The more time you spend in them, the more you discover.

Like my friend Alfonso’s newly lived-in 1970’s modernist home, it exemplifies what the French call bien dans sap eau – at ease in its skin. It’s just that he isn’t French, he’s Italian. A variety of local plants vie to outgrow one another surrounding his tiled pool and three undressed antique wooden saints atop a wooden consul table, a thrift find from flea market. His coral wall with crawling ivy and a massive canvas couch from Rome.

Perhaps that’s the secret recipe for effortless elegance; a carefree sense of confidence, a lack of pretension, and a mindful appreciation for comfort and care.