Rubinacci – Some Colorful Lessons
Wednesday I wrote about Mariano Rubinacci and his soberly-elegant style. His son Luca is written about all the time, but I always find something I can learn from him. A few recent pictures from the Rubinacci Club Blog show off Luca’s true mastery of color and fit.
Some might call Luca’s dress loud. He’s certainly no shrinking violet. But while he may sport colors others shy away from, he has a great eye and usually ends up with an overall appearance that is both youthful and in good taste. So let’s take a few lessons from a master:
For instance, this picture of him and a customer in their Rubinacci overcoats. Neither gent’s coat is skin-tight like many of the Italian ready-to-wear brands are making them this winter. They’re overcoats for God’s-sake. Perfect case of “properly fitted” and “small” not meaning the same thing. And Luca gets it. So his jaunty, colorful scarf and tie give a pop to the otherwise traditional get-up.
Other than the lilac pattern on the trousers, this color combo is as classic as it gets – for the record I’m all in favor of that windowpane. Soft grey trousers, navy socks, and brown suede shoes might be the best cold-weather combo. Especially with a dove grey (or any other light grey), matching socks can sometimes make the transition to chocolate suede a little abrupt. The navy punctuates nicely without overwhelming.
Now for the Luca we’re all used to seeing. Bold jacketing, patterned ties, fanciful pocket squares, and yet there’s nothing clownish about it. The key here is anchoring. Notice that the rainbow-checked and Prince of Wales jackets are set off against solid blue shirts and the ties’ patterns are of just the right scale to keep things from looking busy. Luca walks the razor’s edge very comfortably.
Most importantly though, is that he dresses like this naturally. Nothing affected about it. The few times we’ve met in the Mount Street shop he has been nothing but affable and modest. You might expect a brash, playboy personality, but Luca’s personality is as easy-going as his clothing is in-your-face. A good reminder that it’s how, not just what you wear that counts – probably the best lesson of all.
Pictures from Rubinacci Club
