Most of my living clothing idols are of Italian origin, Charlie Watts being the conspicuous exception, and that says quite a bit about classic men's clothing as most of them were British a decade or two ago. The idols, that is. There might even have been an American or two. But, leaving that discussion aside, Luciano Barbera has always been at or near the top of my list. And here we were, discussing the sad decline in our golf games a day or two ago.
The Barbera clothing line is going through a return to its roots as it were, which is a good thing to see because anybody can make milquetoast stuff that tries to be all things to all people. To Barbera, that means more shirt jackets (some readers will instantly understand my connection) for casual wear, paired with chalk striped vests underneath, as well as patterned faux tweed jackets. In keeping with the man's interests, his things for golf are as good as anything in the world for that purpose.
Worth a look. And, by the way, pitching and putting are the keys to scoring respectably when the ball no longer goes as far as it once did.
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5 comments:
Mr Barbera is truly a style icon in the classic sense. He is one of the few men that embodies elegance done well with moderation.
Dear Will, maybe your change is idols correlates with your change in lifestyle as I can gleam it from your blog: Not longer mainly in a professional CBD environment, more flexible, an office/storehouse in the suburbs, and generally more a man of leisure? This is indeed the realm in which the Italians come to the fore.
Will, excuse my sheer ignorance, but what is a faux tweed jacket?
Tweed is a woolen. Faux tweed is a worsted woven in a tweed pattern with the objective of reducing the weigh of the cloth. Tweeds under 13 ounces, such as Glorious Twelfth, are faux tweeds with the cost of the lighter weight being that they lack much of the surface interest of the real thing.
Barbera is my principal style model and has been for a long time. Probably because I bear more than a passing resemblance to him. I love the way he combines patterns (there are four in your pic)without ever striking a bum note or going over the top. He also mixes very "Italian" garments with very "British" garments to produce a pleasing mix of style, texture, pattern and color. Understated elegance, nothing too theatrical or costumey, is where we should all strive to be.
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