photos Pete Oliviëra // bowtie Natural Born Elegance // shirt vintage Brooks Brothers at What Goes Around Comes Around Astor Place // jacket vintage // hat vintage from 10 ft. Single by Stella Dallas // scarf from Forence (seen here)
I don't think of myself as a menswear blogger so much as a style blogger, the primary difference being that I wear far fewer sportcoats. However, there are days when a trad look suits my mood and it's on those days that I really obsess over my look's details - a trad look is all about the details. Having spent all of last year in an interior design studio, I'm sure you can imagine one detail that really gets me going is fabric. I'm a very tactile person and a good textile is always a pleasure to find. That's why I was so happy to discover Natural Born Elegance, a new line designed by Julian Cerruti using fabrics from the Italian textile mill Lanificio Cerruti. Natural Born Elegance is an accessories company specializing in neckwear. Their ties and bowties are not only luxurious, but sooo cute! I'm seen here wearing a cashmere double-bow bowtie from the line - you can see a selection of the style here. They're just brilliant, aren't they? I love the way mine goes so seamlessly with my vintage Brooks Brothers shirt, vintage blue velvet blazer and cashmere scarf. Colors and textures and subtle patterns, oh my! Check out my interview with Julian Cerruti below, in which we discuss the inspiration behind the brand, how fashion is like food and plans for expanding the line.
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Who do you imagine as
the Natural Born Elegance customer?
He could be a 20-year-old kid or a 50-year-old business man;
what defines better that person is someone who is particularly interested in
beautiful fabrics and Italian artisanal products…someone who is not satisfied
by massively diffused products that [are overpriced] and who is looking for
something a little more rare.
What men do you see as
style icons, for yourself and for the brand?
Sean Penn, Peter Sellers, Daniel Day Lewis, Jack Nicholson,
Marlon Brando. Most of all I think that men’s fashion is about style, not
trends. Fashion should help emphasize a man’s personality and not
overwhelm it.
What inspired you to
create this line? Is there a gap in the marketplace you see NBE filling?
I see a world that is saturated with thousands of products. The only thing differentiating them for the most part is the brand label;
if you were to remove it, you couldn’t tell who did what. I also see an
evermore crazy timing of things that doesn’t allow for slowness and [a unique
point of view]. Similarly to what has happened in food, there is now a
strong interest on the ingredients. Fabric has been for a long time a
given that has often been sacrificed to the expense of advertising. I
think that now people are a lot more aware of it and interested in it. This is
why I started this project; a design concept entirely focused on the fabric. Historically that was the basis for a man’s wardrobe, his fits would
change rarely; he would constantly renew his wardrobe through the fabrics.
How does the line change from season to season?
As the basis for NBE is the fabrics, it will evolve directly
reflecting the textile collections of the Lanificio, no matter what product it
is. The textiles guide the design!
Why do you feel it is important to have the line made in Italy? Does Italy still produce the best quality goods in the world?
I think that Italy, due to its long tradition of
craftsmanship, still produces the best quality goods in the world. It is
also a place where you can find a level of flexibility that doesn’t exist
anywhere else. However, just like anywhere it's not because it’s made in Italy
that it’s a good, quality product. Many have exploited this fact only to
give appeal to non-quality things.
Are there plans to
expand NBE beyond neckwear?
I personally like more and more to see specialty products vs.
a universe of everything, so I would like to keep it as focused as possible.
If it expands, it will always be on a monoproduct and most likely just
the accessory. We will never fall in the craze of making the collections
2 times a year with everything in it. The idea was a timeless concept, that
should remain out of the regular cycles. As of today we will be adding
the pocket squares and the knot yourself bowties (a must for the bowtie
specialist) and perhaps the scarf...
