Observations From Milan

Milan has the most consistently, classicly elegant men in the world.

This is not necessarily a good thing. Many, in the fashion industry in particular, criticise Milanese men for a conservatism that is dull and impersonal. They all dress the same; they all dress like their fathers; they all wear the same goddamn blue tie.

A more balanced view comes from Michael Drake, of Drake’s ties in London: “Italy has a bigger, more consistent conservative establishment than most other places in the world. That is why our ties sell well there – men have similar views about classic style and investing in quality. It is an international style, that can go anywhere in the world and be recognised.”

Britain, for all its history, does not have this. The establishment is less conservative, less cohesive and less interested in clothes. Advocates praise British eccentricity and creativity – perhaps demonstrated by Paul Smith. And to a young man growing up in Milan it’s easy to see how that would be a breath of fresh air.

But to those of us outside Milan, and passionate about classic men’s style, the gentlemen of that city are an inspiration. Here are some observations from a few days spent there last week.

The strength of colours stands out immediately. Brighter light and darker skin make them easier to wear – but it is the strong dark colours that particularly inspire. An attendant in one store described their new range as containing “jackets with a Neapolitan shoulder in the classic colours – blue, brown, green”. Green as a standard jacket colour? But there it was, in several stores – as an odd jacket, unlined, in a deep forest green (sometimes with white buttons).

The combinations of colours were also strong. Every jacket displayed has a pocket handkerchief, with the pairings including brown/lilac, navy/mint and brown/sky blue. The handkerchief coming second in that list, of course.

As reflected in my previous observation The Italian Background, there are more navy ties in Milan than any other colour. They are silk, wool and linen, plain, striped and spotted; but they are all navy. This allows greater adventure in jackets and suits – several men wore great tan-gabardine suits; I saw two purple-cashmere odd jackets; linen was often navy but surprisingly common. Equally, the pocket handkerchief was probably more likely to be bright and patterned than the tie.

Other observations include fitted sweaters – even in old, conservative establishments the sweaters were short and slim at the waist (I recommend Red & Blue in particular). And the length of the rear blade of a tie is almost irrelevant compared to the length of the front, which must always finish at the top of the trousers – the back can be longer, tuck into the trousers or hang at the same length on its own.

There are, of course, many badly dressed men in Milan. If the proportion of British men that I consider well-dressed (in my very personal, subjective taste) is one in fifty, in Milan it is one in ten. But that’s still a lot more inspiration.

Look out for the next post, on recommended shops.

Berluti Polishing Events

The shoe polishing events that Berluti holds for its loyal customers are legendary. Started by Olga Berluti and nicknamed the Swann Club, it involves gentlemen taking over their beloved shoes, sitting at a dinner table in their cotton socks and polishing the shoes with the greatest of attention. According to previous attendees, these events have something of the schoolyard atmosphere about them – all of a sudden the men become little boys, eager, earnest and more than a little competitive.

The events are also well known for the champagne that is used in the last stage of polishing. It is the acidity in the champagne that is key, removing the last vestiges of oil from the surface of the shoe to give it that extra shine. This, the firm admits, could be achieved with any wine. But champagne does add a certain romance to the whole enterprise.

These events are something that the new UK retail manager at Berluti in London, Lorenza Cavalli, is keen to build on. They foster loyalty to the brand and help Berluti keep in touch with its clientele. Indeed yesterday and today (September 25 and 26), Berluti is inviting its customers to drop by the shop for a drink (it is open until 7:30), let the staff take a look over their Berlutis to provide advice, and get a new pair of shoelaces for them.

It is amazing how many men are happy with old, frayed laces – even those that spend an inordinate amount of time polishing the shoes.

Berluti is also planning more polishing evenings at the London store, so look out for these in the coming months. Indeed, Permanent Style has already been invited to the first such evening – so watch this space for tales of debauchery, patina and polish.

Cavalli is new to menswear, her previous job being in the bespoke department at stationer Smythson and other jobs including watchmakers Ebel. But she still says she feels right at home with men’s shoes – something about the fascination that men who truly love their clothes bring to luxury houses like Berluti. “The customers are so interested in the products, in the technical side of them, in the history and the ethos of the company. It is a lot less flighty and trendy that womenswear,” she says.

In other Berluti news, the firm has just launched its new luggage. This is in the Venezia line, the same as the famous Un Jour bag (both pictured here). The design is similar in that it is a simple leather without much ornamentation, just a characteristic patina. The wheels, modelled after those of racing cars, also make it very manoeuvrable, while the thin leather makes it extremely light – lighter than a lot of other non-leather luggage.

A Rakish Evening At Rubinacci

Last night saw the launch of issue five of The Rake magazine at the London branch of Rubinacci on Mount Street. Copies of the issue, with Luca Rubinacci sitting nonchalantly on the cover, were liberally distributed and a blow-up image of Luca adorned a poster in the corner. In the circumstances he was rather modest, as indeed were father Mariano Rubinacci and his twin sister, all anxious to extend their most generous hospitality to the great, good and (most importantly) stylish of London that attended.

After a brief introduction from The Rake’s Editor-in-Chief, Christian Barker, Nick Foulkes gave the keynote address. Nick wrote the cover story for this issue of The Rake, profiling Mariano and Luca, and he was full of bon mots to describe Rubinacci’s tailoring elegance, as well as anecdotes describing occasions where a knowledge of Rubinacci has come in most useful. As each name dropped with a (self-confessed) clang, Nick described his conversations with Luca di Montezemolo and the British Royal Family, both of which were saved by a reference to Rubinacci and his soft, elegant lines. It’s the international language of style, don’t you know.

The guest list was a testament to how far The Rake has come in just under a year (particularly given the sheet rain coming down outside). Most of those present knew and liked the magazine, agreeing it was a breath of fresh air in a magazine market dominated by lad’s mags and fashion quarterlies. Those that didn’t know it were instantly impressed when they picked it up – testament to the photography of Munster (also present) as much as anything else, in my opinion.

The sheer exuberance of colour and texture in the Rubinacci store makes it a perfect backdrop to social occasions, and many of those present remarked what a great idea it was to have such launches in locations like this. Indeed that drew the most comments of the evening – after those referring to the massive block of Parmesan cheese.

As a regular contributor to The Rake, I am of course biased. But it is still true that no magazine or website gives me such a sartorial thrill as reading this magazine. Hopefully my contributions go some way to giving that pleasure to others.

The Rake is still only available outside Asia by subscription, but plans are afoot to change that. In the meantime, Lodger on Clifford Street is selling a limited number of copies of issue 5 at the moment – priced at £10.

How China Changed The Silk Industry

The British silk-weaving industry has changed immensely over the past 50 years. Some can still claim to be among the biggest and best in the world, but many smaller weavers and artisans have gone out of business.

The biggest reason for this, of course, is China. But it’s interesting talking to someone in the industry, such as Andrew Henry, sales director at Vanners in Suffolk, about exactly how that industrial behemoth has changed the dynamic. Henry was kind enough to talk me through his experiences during a site visit last week.

The companies that suffered most from China were those in the mid-market – neither mass nor niche producers.

When China first began its industrial growth, weavers in Europe found they could source much cheaper product from China and offer it very efficiently to existing clients. But that often meant that clients had a choice between cheaper Chinese product and relatively expensive European alternatives – most took the cheaper option. The weavers then found it harder to sell the premium product, and slipped down quickly down into the mass market.

Selling anything in volume is a numbers game, and one where it is hard to remain consistently competitive. As more weavers entered this part of the market, and China began exporting its own (quickly improving) cloth, margins shrank and many of Europe’s best-known weavers went out of business.

Italian mills often suffered more because their industry is less consolidated, with many aspects like dyeing outsourced. (Italy is still probably the biggest weaver of high-end silk, with the UK second and France a bit further off in third.)

“When I used to go to Como 20 years ago to see weavers, it was almost impossible to get a hotel reservation,” says Henry. “Now relatively speaking it is a ghost town. So many have gone.”

China’s reaction was opportunistic. Some of the managers at Europe’s defunct mills were hired by Chinese operations, to help them improve quality and production processes. As a result, Chinese silk weaving has come on immensely in the last 20 years.

“To be frank, the standard of some of the stuff out of China is OK these days,” says Henry. “They’ve come on a long way.”

The problem that Chinese mills face today is that they often don’t have the experience or market knowledge to produce silks that will appeal to the high-end European, Japanese or American audience. They can’t design a range for a client, or know what will sell in a particular market and why.

“I suppose that’s one way in which outfits like Vanners are unique and will continue to be so,” says Henry.

(By the way, you will see boxes labelled ‘China’ around the Vanners weaving shed. But that’s because the silk itself comes from China and always has. Few other climates in the world can support its production – Brazil is probably the second biggest producer.)

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