EDITOR’S NOTE: WHEN THE PASSION IS POETRY…

How delightful to run into Kiton Chairman Massimo Bizzocchi at the Dallas show last weekend! Wearing a fabulous double-breasted sportcoat, I asked him how we might inspire American men to wear DB’s. He didn’t pretend to have an answer but confided that he wears double-breasted clothing for the wider lapels.

“Having experienced the painstaking production process and the hand-craftsmanship that goes into creating each garment, I find myself subconsciously caressing the fabric of whatever I’m wearing,” says Bizzocchi. “A wider lapel (12 cm vs. six) means there’s more fabric to touch. It reminds me of the wonderful people who put heart and soul into crafting the clothing, from washing the fabric with soap to carefully stitching by hand so that the sleeve head fits into a smaller armhole creating just the right fullness. It’s a Neapolitan art form that I’m very proud of.”

And speaking of art, Bizzocchi’s most recent neckwear choice is from African designer Babatumba. “Yesterday I wore his skinny patchwork tie, six centimeters, printed with jungle animals, sun, flowers, trees, reminding me that the power is in nature, not in our cell phones…”

Not surprisingly, Bizzocchi found a kindred spirit when introduced to fashion illustrator Matthew Miller, aka Sunflowerman, as the two spoke of all things sartorial, a bonding of different generations but a singular passion.