Tactile Self-Expression

In August 1959, Aristotle Onassis was pictured driving a custom-made Fiat 500 Spiaggina ‘Jolly’, with the magnificent baroque waterside Dolmabahçe Mosque in Istanbul as the backdrop. In the photograph, Onassis is unmistakable in his trademark François Pinton-made Onao framed sunglasses, which likely dimmed the sight in the corner of his eye of Sir Winston Churchill dangling his emblematic Romeo y Julieta cigar from his teeth. Masked ever so slightly by Churchill’s undress service cap, the headwear of the Royal Yacht Squadron that Churchill perennially donned aboard yachts or pleasure vessels, with the undeniably beautiful Tina, then Onassis’s wife, together with Churchill’s other half, Clementine, peering in the same direction from the back seat, we could probably guess which infamous yacht had moored behind the mosque.

Born in Smyrna, present-day Izmir, Turkey, in 1906, Onassis was known as the ultimate Golden Greek, alongside his nemesis Stavros Niarchos. A famous picture depicts the aforementioned quartet on the picturesque pass of the Parnassus mountains, overlooking the quaint port of Itea on the Corinthian Gulf, just weeks before their time in Istanbul. We can presume that aboard the 325-foot yacht Christina O, named after Onassis and Tina’s daughter, the highest echelons of international society were entertained with graceful yet zestful refinement. Most likely, the Ari’s bar or dining salon would regularly witness Sir Winston Churchill savouring copious amounts of Pol Roger champagne.

In 2018, the Villa d’Este Hotel, a long-time Renaissance monument located on the west shore of Lake Como and host to Concorso D’Eleganza, the most prestigious classic car meet, presented a spellbinding entry: a humble, roofless, doorless, fabric-canopied beach car. Discovered intact in a Northern Italian garage around 2018 by Simone Bertolero of Auto Classic Italy, remarkably it has documents displaying that Gianni Agnelli’s tenure with the number plate TO25879 lasted until 1973, when he gifted the car to his driver of nearly 30 years, who then ceded it to Mario Rossi – a lifelong friend of Gianni’s.

In the late ‘50s Gianni commissioned Felice Mario Boano, the imperious Italian automobile designer and former co-owner of Carrozzeria Ghia, to create two custom-made Fiat 500 Spiagginas. His design featured an elongated chassis, which was inspired by Hollywood movie stars and high-society diplomats, including statesmen like Churchill, who would welcome a seamless entry into the doorless beach car, while its sophisticated wood trim added a touch of Riviera elegance. This story strongly suggests that Bertolero’s find was the other custom-made model version, together with the previously mentioned vehicle that Gianni gifted to Onassis.

Gianni and his like-minded coterie of incessant womanisers, Prince Aly Khan, Porfirio Rubirosa, and Onassis, were three original conductors of fast living undertaken with fearless yet tremendous style and were charming; thus, no bar was ajar with stretching the parameters of their jet-setting – so it’s no surprise that legend has it that Gianni took a Caravelle (a medium-range jet) from Rome to Nice. Onassis, in Nice, would abide by giving Gianni transport in his own helicopter, in which he would be present to Gianni’s infamous La Leopolda, even with Onassis looking startled that Gianni dismounted the helicopter by jumping into his swimming pool. In those never-to-be-replicated halcyon days of unremitting high-living but importantly undertaken with a strong dose of individual style, yet opting for and selecting apparel or accoutrements that were crafted from the best materials and had panache, but they imparted an aura of restraint, the air of grace without apparent effort, thus described in the Italian philosophy of men’s style as ‘spezzatura’, to which Gianni was its symbol.

The Duke of Windsor’s use of separates was the antithesis of ceremonial formality and an utterly individual art; similarly, his spezzato kindred, Gianni, wore grey flannel apparel that served as an instrumental component in creating this ethereal guise. The bona fide cloth merchants, Fox Brothers & Co from Somerset, England, established in 1772, and Vitale Barberis Canonico from Italy, established in 1663, collectively boast a heritage of 615 years. And it is the soft twilled fabric of flannel – encompassing a loose texture and napped surface that is a yardstick of their fabled history. The fabric is often treated in milling machines where the cloth is battered and shuddered against itself, breaking the fibres to create a fuzzy effect that results from spinning woollen yarn made from shorter, jumbled fibres. This process enhances the fuzzy aesthetic; however, if the fabric is made from worsted wool, it will be smoother, sleeker, and capable of holding a sharp crease due to its long-staple fibres.

Even for passersby, including those who walk their dogs in famous locations like Central Park, Hyde Park, and the Luxembourg Gardens before a demanding day of betting on the stock market or attending important meetings in creative professions, there is a bespoke-inspired flannel suit that, even for restricted sartorial eyes, can transport them to a state of intrigue, respect, and wonder. Now, it is true that in the 1940s, grey flannel suits achieved ubiquity in the worlds of business and politics, where they became a symbol of salaried conformity, embodied by Gregory Peck in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (1956). Its popularity in sombre and conservative districts actually thwarted and disguised its potent attribute as a vehicle for self-expression. So underrated in this regard, it is unsurprising that its ultimate colour, grey, has been utilised with greater insurgency by a troupe of iconic menswear designers on both sides of La Manche over the last decade.

As a long-time proponent of the grey flannel suit, Alexander Kraft has forever relished its uncompromising adaptability, allowing it to be worn in various polite society settings – from important meetings with dignitaries at Sotheby’s New York to supper at The Plaza Hotel and then a nightcap at King Cole’s Bar at the St. Regis New York. And unlike some other stiffer fabrics, the comfortability of superior grey flannel apparel is appropriate for long-haul travel. And so it’s no surprise that when AK MC was inaugurated in 2019, it was the light grey VBC flannel Signature jacket and matching Riviera trousers and double-breasted waistcoat, which were worn as a three-piece with a thin Bengal strip shirt, AK MC Belgian loafers, and a tie to maintain and elongate the figure’s natural elegance. However, all of AK MC’s designs have been deliberately created to mix and match seamlessly. However, if you prefer a three-piece suit like those worn by Churchill and a group of Old Hollywood leading men such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper, the softer and subtler chalkstripe tailored from VBC flannel in AK MC’s collection diffuses the strong impact that the thinner pinstripe can sometimes convey.