Long-Term Mindset

“Don’t let setbacks define you, let them refine you”, said Gianni Agnelli. The implication of this phrase is that, while the majority of people have faced significant obstacles and have, or have not, taken action to overcome them, a small percentage of people use them to expand their life choices in a way that defies description. Consequently, his peerless legacy includes titles such as “Giovanni” (as he was christened), “L’Avvocato” (his nickname, meaning The Lawyer), “King of Italy, (as regarded by JFK)” “Italy’s uncrowned King” and “the Rake of the Riviera.”

At the tender age of fourteen, Agnelli’s father Edoardo perished in a horrific, yet peculiar, seaplane crash and ten years later, near Pisa, a U.S. Army truck hit his mother Virginia’s vehicle, strangling her with her own scarf – another freakish end involving a mode of transport. Agnelli enlisted in a cavalry regiment when World War II broke out and he suffered two wounds, and almost lost a finger due to frostbite while on the Russian front. One night, when he was stationed in Tripoli, Libya, he started a gentle carouse with a Levantine beauty. However, a German soldier, who had been cordial minutes earlier, artfully produced a firearm and shot him in the foot. But this incident is indicative of Agnelli’s risk-positive approach to life, while the act of finishing his drink at the bar typified his conviction that giving off the impression of suffering isn’t good manners.

As the chairman of the Fiat empire, which his grandfather, also named Giovanni, cofounded, this philosophy of life would prove to be invaluable. The auto manufacturing sector has always been particularly vulnerable to external forces, no more so than the Wall Street crash in 1929, the oil crisis of 1973 and the economic recession of 1980, which fed the expansion of direct foreign investment by the Japanese motor industry – a grave danger for European automobile citadels.

At the start of the 1990s, the scrapping of internal trade barriers posed a threat to Fiat’s 60 percent market share in Italy, as competitors such as Peugeot, Volkswagen and Ford Europe gained the opportunity to challenge Fiat’s dominance in its home market, while at the same time Fiat S.p.A. was also embroiled in the widespread Italian corruption scandal. However, Agnelli consistently dismissed concerns in all facets of his life. This was already evident when he orchestrated Fiat’s comeback from near extinction in 1980 to boast profits of $2 billion in 1988, making it one of the most famous business comebacks in the world and elevating it to become one of the largest private sector companies. And yet again, according to automobile commentators, when lean patches occurred such as that in 1990, Agnelli’s long-term business mindset, when he conducted Fiat’s already extensive diversification policy, tremendously enhanced Fiat’s flexibility to withstand these shocks.

There’s a sombre theme of tragedy that seems to follow wealthy, illustrious and bodacious families. In this, the Agnelli family sadly joins the Kennedy, Harlech, Getty, Onassis and Niarchos families. However, Agnelli self-inflicted certain setbacks with his insatiable appetite for life, which included women; he moved fast and was completely devoid of a handlebar in everything he did. His friend Jean Pigozzi bears out this claim when he recounts this tale: “Go, go, go. Lunch in Rome, dinner in Paris, then he came back to Turin, and in the morning he flew to Germany. Always on the move, he drove fast; he went fast.” And to further comprehend his disregard for safety, Agnelli said, “The chauffeur never drives. I always drive; it’s a habit of mine.” However in 1952, when rallying away from an encounter – you can probably come to your own conclusion – he shattered his right leg in seven places in a crash, thus rendering it on the verge of a hapless state. However, despite living with a permanent limp, Agnelli never wavered in his endeavour to live life to the full.

Schussing down the slopes of Saint Moritz, his chalet, Chesa Alycon, was famously Agnelli’s choice to hang much of his enviable art collection, in particular works by Austrian masters Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. It was here that he also kept his steel-and-leather brace, the infamous accompanist to balance his bum leg while skiing pell-mell down the mountains – yet again, Agnelli turned a handicap or barrier into an asset. Even when looking at the inventive and flamboyantly dressed Alexander Cushing and his throng of high-society names at Squaw Valley, now known as Palisades Tahoe, the glamorous skiing resort he founded in California, it’s hard to hint at a revered skiwear aesthete that trumps Agnelli’s immortal dress style on the slopes.

If one dissects the parameters of fast living into taste and style, undoubtedly Agnelli would transcend even the greatest influence; he was the embodiment of sprezzatura – a paragon of defined casual elegance.  Aside from his legendary eccentricities, including wearing his wristwatch over his shirt cuff, he managed to sport unflashy yet well-crafted garments with an air of inclusivity. Now, it’s still rather bewildering that in history very few of the exemplars of sartorial menswear wore long-sleeved polo shirts with real distinction. Agnelli, however, is the par excellence of this garb. He preferred to harmonise a white or dark navy design, featuring a one-button barrel cuff and a 3-button placket with a higher-than-usual collar, with denim jeans and a car shoe, probably made by Tod’s.

Perched surprisingly on the cliffs of the Sorrento Peninsula is Villa Astor – a paradisiacal entertaining villa that, in the golden jet age of the 1960s and ‘70s, was awash during the summer with chic guests, including Princess Margaret, Rudolf Nureyev, Sofia Loren and Gregory Peck. Today, the Mediterranean havens for jet-setters don’t carry the same stylistic cachet as then, when Agnelli would on occasion sport a long-sleeved polo shirt underneath a deconstructed cotton or linen beige suit or bespoke blue blazer – a look that scales the best parts of dégagé elegance when immersing oneself in the upper echelons of society. But at the end of the soirée, or week-long extravaganza, at Villa Astor or any of the other grand houses, Agnelli would retreat to one of his fleet of yachts, and it was on board, more than any other vicinity, that he marvelled in his long-sleeved polo shirt.

For Agnelli, it was his love of and acute attention to the finer details of craftsmanship and the design of clothing, among other artistic disciplines, that never regressed at every burdensome juncture of his life; in fact, they galvanized him to eclipse anything he had done before and create symbolic moments in both business and personal pastimes. This sounds like another multi-hyphenate and tastemaker who, after an unexpected and ghoulish setback, has continued and will continue to pursue their passions with extra gusto; this is already a fast existence.

Mr Kraft, even from adolescence, has followed his innate zestful convictions and built a life representing the true essence of refinement, which spans property, art, sport, automobiles and, of course, clothing – the recently opened Alexander Kraft Monte Carlo flagship store is testament to this. It’s an immensely impressive monument, not only showcasing Mr Kraft’s revolutionary sartorial designs, but also the man himself.  You will, despite frequent engagements across the pond and in Europe, admire how hands-on and present he is to converse with guests who’ve travelled from far and wide.

However, while many products, particularly the AK MC Signature model, feature handcrafted details inspired by Savile Row, it’s not an ostentatious Monégasque atelier, but rather a setting of restraint. And that restraint is emanated by Mr Kraft’s own dress demeanour, which often includes refined yet unflashy long-sleeved polo shirts.  As the Principality air cools, its AK MC linen jacket partners are replaced by jackets benefiting from fabrics that comprise enhanced insulation properties, and some that spring instantly to mind are the uncommon and highly innovative alpaca/lambswool blend jackets.

As is customary at AK MC, each long-sleeved polo shirt design exhibits the welcome nuances of a garment that is otherwise prone to fall into the elementary category. The lightweight cotton version, available in navy or grey, has a subtly rounded cutaway collar and sits higher up, in accordance with Agnelli’s preference. It has a buttoned gauntlet that allows for elegant rolling up. The not overly slim construction adds to its appeal when tucked into a pair of white cotton AK MC trousers or Riviera Bermuda shorts. For footwear, the outfit pairs well with either Belgian loafers or Espadrilles.

Mr Kraft always has something up his sleeve to stimulate the minds of old and new AK MC followers. A recent addition to the popular long-sleeved polo shirt is the Loro Piana merino wool and silk knitted version. Handmade in a family workshop in the Tuscan city of Prato, the polo is worked from the finest fibres from the preeminent Italian textile mill, Loro Piana. It exudes a bespoke aura with its silky and slim fit, revealing your natural figure to a greater extent. However, when paired with a knitted collar, a simple placket and genuine mother-of-pearl buttons, it seamlessly blends into the interior of a superior jacket, creating the perfect off-duty autumnal look.