Suits Up

There’s no bigger turn-on than a man who can walk around in a suit as if he was walking around in his living room in nothing but his underwear. A man who can comfortably stride into a room clad in head—to—toe pinstripes, and not seem as if he was sixteen and taking pictures for the prom, is a definite attention—grabber. It gives an impression that, one, the suit is not borrowed, and two, that the suit is probably of the best possible material.

Ermenegildo Zegna is one brand res-ponsible for wrenching out sighs and stares from women who can’t resist a man in a two-piece. Since the Sixties, the brand has been putting the dash and debonair into men’s fashion, dressing up the discriminating male style-phile in expertly-tailored suits and top-end clothing made from European fabric with which patriarch and namesake Ermenegildo founded the brand almost a hundred years ago. Zegna has built its reputation on adding a connoisseur edge to sartorial dressing. There’s something about a Zegna suit that connotes the elegance and spiff of the Thirties, and both men and women realize this. Men dress up in Zegna to feel good. Women dress up their men in Zegna to feel luxurious, in pretty much the same way that a diamond bracelet or a fur coat makes them feel.

This tradition of subtle opulence continues in the present collection. Itsuro Higuchi, the brand’s managing director for Asia Pacific, characterizes the brand’s holiday collection as dominated by "rich fabric and dark colors." Black, in different calibrations from charcoal to gray, is a strong contender for the Napoli collection. Classic Zegna wools such as cashmere and Cashco (a cashmere-cotton hybrid) have been expertly tailored into snazzy pinstriped suits. The more casual corduroy for the Sartorial collection is the Zegna man’s less dressy alternative that does not sacrifice his style preferences. Available in neutral earth tones, the collection imbibes a "new fusion of casual ease and quiet opulence." The Soft and Zegna Sport collections offer urban wear that has managed to merge formal daywear and rugged sports garb. "We have what we call feather jackets. They’re very lightweight, very fitted to the body, but they are far from being tight and uncomfortable."

Zegna’s accessories, particularly its footwear, have also undergone many changes since they first appeared on the market almost a decade ago. Though the classic lace-ups are still around, Zegna has branched out into the trendier Portofino style: waterproof, thick—soled, lightweight pairs have inspired the sailing scene. Recently, the brand themed up with another luxe Italian fashion house, Salvatore Ferragamo, to come up designs for the former. Higuchi waxes positive about the tie-up. "It’s the best of both worlds."

This holiday collection, as well as every single offering Zegna has come up with in the past, all contribute to the making of the Zegna man. According to Itsuro Higuchi, the Zegna man is understated, elegant, cognizant of what he wants and, in the last decade, he has become younger and sexier. Adrien Brody, the trium-phant dark horse in the Best Actor race at this year’s Oscar awards, epitomizes this image completely. Says Higuchi, "He looks very sophisticated and intelligent. He is not loud, slightly shy. He is handsome and understated. He is even naïve, not arrogant at all." Brody, who won for his role as a real-life Jewish musician during the second World War in the Roman Polanski-directed The Pianist, adds a smoldering appeal to the Zegna’s classically cut suits, an appeal that thrives on an un-contrived sexiness and relaxed, unassuming confidence. His images for the brand’s 2003 fall-winter campaign show the young actor in a nonchalant pose. His eyes, which look unblinkingly at the lens, offer no apology for being a man who prefers the trademark of a premier fashion house to the fussy, trend-driven styles of newer brands.

Higuchi proudly claims that Zegna was already suiting up Brody way before he claimed his Oscar. Other Hollywood A-listers on the Zegna roster include Jim Caviezel, John Turturro, David Schwimmer, Nicholas Cage in The Family Man, Will Smith in Enemy of the State, and Al Pacino in Devil’s Advocate. True enough, Zegna has done well by these men – and vice versa. Are there any sane women alive who can resist these men?

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Ermenegildo Zegna is available at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-la, and Ayala Alabang.