Gianni Agnelli, 10 reasons why it is still an unbeatable reference of Made in Italy elegance

He knew the rules of style well, but he was simply not interested in following them. This is one of the reasons why Gianni Agnelli is considered an icon of Italian style, still today. Being a man free from patterns, even in terms of wardrobe, is something that always generates a great deal of admiration, whether one agrees with it or not.

That said, dress like the Lawyer (as everyone called him even though, although he graduated in Law, he never practiced that profession) should be the ultimate goal for any man who considers himself a true gentleman. Disappeared twenty years ago, on January 24, 2003, Agnelli is the one who created the nonconformist diktats so loved by millennials and Gen Z. A man of the patriarchy, perhaps yes. Which, however, between the 80s and 90s, he managed to bring together two opposing “tribes”, i.e. the sandwicheswho copied his sleeveless quilt, and the yuppies who admired double-breasted suits and pinstripes.

Who Gianni Agnelli, one of the most impressive men of the last century, was in charge of and what he was in charge of, we will not speak here. The entrepreneur lived as he wanted because he could. Very fast yachts, gigantic houses, sports cars and (many) women. From a fashionable point of view, this freedom (the so-called «sprezzatura», the studied carelessness typical of people with a strong and self-confident personality) was reflected in thewear what he wanted because no one would bat an eye.

Eternally tanned face, emblem of the proudest Italian spirit, at the helm of Fiat for three decades, active in politics and a lover of sports, the Turin captain of industry had refined over the years a very personal style «much loved, much imitated but never equaled», as the journalist friend Bruno Graziani wrote. The Lawyer was the Lawyer. He was also fashionable when he appeared in public with an old gray coat with a martingale or when he wore a jacket and trousers of two different but similar suits. The more he went outside the canons, the more elegant he was considered thanks to that irresistible mix of snobbery, cosmopolitan culture, bourgeois origins and great innate style. Beyond time and fashions, so much so that a week before he died Vogue put him in the list of the 50 most elegant men in the world.

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So, two decades after his disappearance, let’s go back to examining the style details of Gianni Agnelli which still today make his name synonymous with Made in Italy masculine elegance and which are worth brushing up on again in 2023.

1. Tie clip, this stranger

If it had been up to him, the manufacturers of tie pins would have gone bankrupt. Much of Agnelli’s style, in fact, derives from casual way in which he always wore a tie. Perennially slightly off-centre, or with the knot crooked, with the thinner back left longer than the front, or even worn over the pullover. These personal touches added just the right amount of nonchalance to her elegant ensembles.

2. Never underestimate the power of flannel

Mr. Agnelli loved flannel and flannel loved him back. This heavy fabric has the ability to be perfect for work or even social commitments. Among the cult pieces worn by the Libertino della Riviera (another nickname of him) certainly the gray suit in carded flannel with double-breasted with extra large lapels from the historic Vitale Barberis Canonico woolen mill.

3. The watch? Always above the cuff

An icon is nothing without a few quirks of style and one of the Avvocato’s most distinctive features was his habit of wearing his watch (his was Rolex’s Daytona chronograph) on his cuff. Born as a trick to save time (Agnelli said he didn’t want to waste it to fold back the cuff and see what time it was), in addition to the fact that the crown of watches wears out the edges of shirts over time. Style and efficiency in one glamorous package.

4. Fidelity to denim, even in the double version

Jeans are a typical element of sporty Agnelli. Always there when he’s on the boat or at the stadium. Starting from the 70s, various types of cut and materials followed one another: first jeans, even very tight pure ones, combined with shirts always in jeans (also the forerunner of double denim in Europe), then wider cuts and the almost constant choice of a pair of Levi’s 501, a boss who will accompany the lawyer until the end. Furthermore, the photos in which Agnelli appears with jeans showing signs of multiple hems are very curious. The unmistakable white stripes at the bottom of the trousers indicate that they have been lengthened and sewn back together at least twice: the reason for this choice is truly inexplicable. It almost seems that he used used jeans. Who knows, maybe he was a forerunner in this too.

5. Under the formal dress, the shoes you don’t expect

As a notable style maverick, Agnelli always wanted to break the rules of fashion. So he was often seen with ssuede trekking boots under his famous gray suits. All without ever losing an ounce of charm. The reason for this choice? Due to an accident on the Côte d’Azur, the lawyer was forced to wear orthopedic shoes and very bulky and visible braces for the rest of his life. However, the power of the character is precisely that of transforming what for everyone would have been a condemnation of inelegance, into the glorification of a unique style. The famous boots were made by an unknown craftsman and have hardly changed shape over the years. They are essentially of two types: the dark brown ankle boots that Agnelli used with formal suits, and the light ones that he used with more sporty outfits.

6. The duvet, with everything

Another garment inextricably linked to the Avvocato’s unique style is the duvet used by him in many situations so as to clear its use even in the city and at work, to the point of wearing a sleeveless model over a tuxedo or an oversized model over a jacket well before the rappers. The image of Agnelli standing at the helm of his boat wearing his trusty down vest (perhaps from the Murphy & Nye brand) and the Levi’s 501 has always been conical.

7. Sporty yes, but in his own way

Whether it was on his beloved slopes of Sestriere or on a boat, Gianni Agnelli knew the refined art of mix technical clothing in an original way with the most elegant oneAnd. So on skis he wore a down jacket over a blazer, while at the beach he never wore shorts or Bermuda shorts. Rather, as we well know, she bathed naked.

8. A shirt for a friend

Until his last day of life it is said that the entrepreneur is not never shown without this garment, that he loved (white or blue and with an unbuttoned button-down collar), to wear both in more formal situations and in his free time. Even in later life when blazers were replaced by more comfortable sweaters, her collar still stuck out proudly. While on holiday the shirt was transformed into a linen polo shirt, to be worn strictly white and with the sleeves rolled up. For him, the half sleeve goes retro.

9. Tailoring always wins

In any case, Agnelli loved to wear tailored suits, made to measure for him by the best tailors in the world from Milan to Naples, from London to New York. He mostly opted for muted colors and preferred gray for the day and blue for the evening. As for fabrics, the Avvocato often sported pinstripes, suits in Prince of Wales or Solaro, a unique fabric, in medium wool, ideal for mid-seasons.

10. Never wear glasses in public

Unless, of course, they were alone. But those from sight never, so much so that the outline of his speeches was written in large letters to allow him to read casually. A spy, perhaps, of the concern for conservation a young image and efficient crystallized over time despite age and disease.