SUITS YOU, SIR
Hublot gets involved in the material world with tailor Luca Rubinacci
‘THIS IS MERELY THE BEGINNING. WHY NOT WATCHES FOR THE BEACH IN THE SAME FABRIC AS YOUR SWIMWEAR?’
I HAVE A GREAT FONDNESS for Lapo Elkann. There was a time when the automotive business was full of fun and character. Woolf Barnato and the Bentley boys, Ferruccio Lamborghini, David Brown, and (of course) Enzo Ferrari were colourful mavericks who led interesting lives. But car firms are simply not such fun these days, and the closest automotive giants get to letting their hair down is to fiddle their emissions figures, which is just a bit of low skulduggery, and not even stylish skulduggery. That is why the world needs Lapo Elkann, the man who turned Fiat from a maker of small cars into a maker of desirable small cars.
Lapo is as stylish as his grandfather Gianni Agnelli but, from what I gather, a much nicer man. And, like his grandpa he occasionally gets himself into scrapes. But I prefer to concentrate on his style, not least because we go to the same tailor – the amazing Rubinacci. If Italy has a finer tailoring firm, then I have yet to learn of it.
Given that Elkann is regularly described as one of the world’s best-dressed men and could go anywhere for his clothes, the fact that he is a patron of Rubinacci speaks volumes. And he likes them so much that he hardly ever seems to take them off: he has been photographed wearing his Rubinacci suits on the ski slopes and even when being pulled along on skis behind a Ferrari. Chuck in the camo 458 Italia, plus his own funky fashion brand Italia Independent, and it all adds up to a 21st Century style icon.
I am not alone in admiring his style. So does Jean-Claude Biver, the legendary watch boss who oversees Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith. The two met in St Tropez (of course), made some far out (too funky for me) wristwatches, and now Elkann appears in Hublot advertising along with his camo Ferrari.
Lately their partnership has taken another step, as it involves Rubinacci in the creation of a watch. After all, the timepiece is an accessory as much as a machine and the genius of the new Hublot/Italia Independent/Rubinacci watch is that it treats this often-overlooked part of the watch’s function with utmost seriousness.
Hublot has been working with fabrics for a while; not just on straps but on dials too, with denim and embroidery watches. Now, with access to the fabled Rubinacci cache of vintage fabrics, it is able to showcase its expertise in this field in spectacular fashion.
One watch particularly caught my attention – a very lively almost-tartan, with red, white, navy and sky blue. There are dogtooth checks, Prince of Wales checks, Glen checks, and even something that involves tan and green. But this is merely the beginning. I envisage pastel linens for the summer; watered or ribbed silk and barathea for the evenings. Why not watches for the beach in the same fabric as your swimwear?
Luca Rubinacci is a charming young man who has already built up a massive internet following for his short films on everything from rolling up your trouser leg to folding a jacket, so I cannot wait to see his short film on how to operate a chronograph.
In the meantime, I think Elkann should ask Rubinacci to style his next Ferrari. Camo is all very well in its way, and on a shooting brake (such as the GTC4 Lusso) it is perfect. But Elkann is a colourful personality so I reckon Rubinacci should create a tartan paint scheme with vintage Tweed upholstery; or for town use pinstriped bodywork and flannel seats – with, of course, a Hublot dashboard clock finished to match the lining of the suit.