DISCOVER FASHION DESIGNER MASSIMO ALBA’S ITALY IN THE SEVENTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Riccardo Bagnoli
STYLE FILE
#07 ITALY
On the seventh stop in our Tudor Style File world tour, we get a lesson in sprezzatura style, while the country’s cashmere king leads us to a semi-derelict coastal place and a chic island retreat.
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Andy Barter
DESIGNER MASSIMO ALBA’S BEST ADDRESSES
Alba directs us to his favourite leisure time in Italy, from picking up the most perfect panettone in Milan to indulging in lazy lunches on a wild fennel-scented island.
Pasticceria Marchesi, Milan
20 MIN
This historic pasticceria and bar provides the best brioche and cappuccino in town. Don’t leave without trying the old-fashioned chocolate and custard cream cakes. If it’s winter, be sure to order a signature Marchesi panettone well in advance of Christmas.
11a Via Santa Maria alla Porta, Milan
Foglie, Fiori E Fantasia, Milan
30 MIN
Alba’s favourite florist conjures up the most imaginative floral creations in the city.
15 Via Brisa, Milan
Libraccio, Milan
30 MIN
Located on the same street as the Massimo Alba showroom is a second hand bookshop Alba frequently visits for inspiration.
Galleria Suzy Shammah, Milan
1 HR
With an hour to spare, pop into Alba’s favourite contemporary art gallery in central Milan. Galleria Suzy Shammah is currently showing an exhibition by photographer Walter Niedermayr (until 19 May), featuring a new series of works on alpine landscape, investigating the relationship between landscape and architecture.
Palazzo Donn’Anna, Naples
2 HRS
Alba’s favourite building is this hauntingly beautiful, semi-derelict palace on the Posillipo coast near Naples. “It’s an unfinished and legendary baroque folly full of magical stories,” he says. Sadly, it’s not open to the public.
Orto Botanico di Brera, Milan
AFTERNOON
Originally built as a physic garden to serve students of medicine and pharmacology, Brera’s botanical garden features beautifully ordered flower beds, 18th century elliptical ponds, greenhouses lush with blooming exotica, and one of the oldest ginkgo biloba trees in Europe.
Via Brera 28, Milan
Fioraio Bianchi Caffè, Milan
EVENING
This florist-come-café provides an intimate botanical atmosphere for Alba’s evening glass of wine with friends.
Hotel Casa Celestino, Ischia
WEEKEND
During the summer, Alba likes to take his family to the chic but unpretentious Casa Celestino hotel in Sant’Angelo on the volcanic, wild fennel-scented island of Ischia. Lunch is a long and lazy beach affair at local hop spot Nicola alle Fumarole.
Via Chiaia di Rose 20, Sant’Angelo
DESIGNER MASSIMO ALBA IS PROUD OF HIS COUNTRY’S STYLE HERITAGE
‘Made in Italy’ is a notion that is dear to Massimo Alba’s heart. ‘I’m revising the concept and its core values,’ the knitwear designer says proudly. ‘The roots of Italian style are in the films of Rossellini, De Sica and Antonioni. Bodies and textures are always soft; everything is smooth, never stiff. The colours of the Renaissance landscape and baroque interiors are deep in our memories, from architecture and fashion. We rely on a rich heritage which is so pervasive, but also gives us a sense of distance, and a sense of humour; what Renaissance author Baldassarre Castiglione described as “sprezzatura”. That is to say, a certain nonchalance, the subtle skill of making whatever one does or says or wears appear to be effortlessly stylish.’
There’s more than a whiff of insouciant sprezzatura in Massimo Alba’s clothing. Born in Treviso, home to the headquarters of clothing giant Benetton, the 47-year-old has been rooted in the rag trade for most of his life. He has been creative director for the likes of Malo, Agnona, Piombo and Ballantyne (the heritage knitwear brand he acquired in 2004), and his eponymous label was launched in 2007. Alba now has a stand-alone store in Milan’s Brera district.
‘I design starting from the raw material, translating graphic patterns from old textile archives, mostly British and French,’ he says. ’My research focuses on natural elements: colours and textures. All fibres are left natural and never pressed. My cashmere is chemical-free, dyed in natural pigments, exclusive colours. I prefer an informal attitude.
‘Italian style really hasn’t changed that much,’ he surmises. ‘It’s always recognisable – the same relaxed, elegant gestures with an inner sense of beauty.’
A TRIBUTE TO THE SEA
The new TUDOR Pelagos is a tribute to the sea, to those who are active in it and those who conserve it. Reliable, technically outstanding and a superlative sports model, the Pelagos marks another step forward in the illustrious history that binds TUDOR to the ocean depths.
STYLE FILE
#08 SWITZERLAND
DISCOVER ARCHITECTS BÉNÉDICTE MONTANT AND CARMELO STENDARDO’S SWITZERLAND IN THE EIGHTH EDITION OF WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
STYLE FILE
#09 JAPAN
DISCOVER HAT MAKER GRIS UCHIYAMA’S JAPAN IN THE NINTH EDITION OF WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
STYLE FILE
#10 USA
DISCOVER GALLERISTS STEVE PULIMOOD AND PAYAL PAREKH’S USA IN THE TENTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Jeremy Liebman
STYLE FILE
#11 HUNGARY
DISCOVER FASHION DESIGNER LUU ANH TUAN’S HUNGARY IN THE ELEVENTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Carol Sachs
STYLE FILE
#12 UK
DISCOVER FASHION DESIGNER CHARLIE CASELY-HAYFORD’S UK IN THE TWELFTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
STYLE FILE
#01 FRANCE
Even seasoned travellers welcome the insight of the right sort of local, a gently guiding hand in new territories or a fresh take on the familiar. With this in mind, we’ve put together a series of Style Files, country-specific, cliché-dodging dossiers and in-the-field notes for the contemporary explorer who really knows where they are going.
Discover designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance’s France in the first edition of the Wallpaper* and Tudor watches Style File series
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Andy Barter
STYLE FILE
#02 AUSTRALIA
Discover Architects Anthony Burke and Gerard Reinmuth’s Australia in the second edition of the Wallpaper* and Tudor watches Style File series
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Jordan Grahan
STYLE FILE
#03 CHINA
Discover Fashion designer Masha Ma’s China in the third edition of the Wallpaper* and Tudor watches Style File series
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Alexandre Guirringer
STYLE FILE
#04 BRAZIL
Discover architect Juan Pablo Rosenberg’s Brazil in the fourth edition of the Wallpaper* and Tudor watches Style File series
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Vava Ribeiro
STYLE FILE
#05 SWEDEN
DISCOVER DESIGNER SUSANNA WÅHLIN’S SWEDEN IN THE FIFTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Elisabeth Toll
STYLE FILE
#06 GERMANY
DISCOVER PERFUMER GEZA SCHOEN’S GERMANY IN THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE WALLPAPER* AND TUDOR WATCHES STYLE FILE SERIES
As seen in Wallpaper*, photographer Noshe
