For the Love of Cashmere

There’s something about Brunello Cucinelli’s designs that defines effortless style. The “king of cashmere” isn’t showing at Fashion Week, but stop in at either of his two New York shops and you can create your own looks for the never-ending runway of Manhattan living. The key is versatility: Take one piece off or layer another on top, and it always seems to work out as if you planned it. Jace Lipstein, our menswear maven, checked in with Cucinelli to get to the bottom of his style secrets.

Have you always had a strong sense of style?
I’ve never told this story. It was Christmas, I was 10, and my mother bought me a pair of green trousers. I saw this color, and when my mother was not there, I dug a hole and buried them. I do not wear green. My mother would buy me trousers like this once a year, but I still do not wear that color.

Okay, so no green. I’ve always been attracted to the very soft shoulder in your blazers, which seems to give men options in how to wear them. How essential is it to have versatility in your clothing?
Very essential. You have the ability to combine different looks. If you are detail-oriented and you apply that detail to how you dress, you can swap one item out for another to make a completely different statement.

It seems as though skiing is a big inspiration to you.
We always follow this kind of luxury sport scene. We get a lot of our inspiration from mountain wear. This is because even when you ski—well, when I ski—the right clothes are important. Once your ski day is over, you want to look chic for après-ski.

Your clothing line has had a ton of success. When did it all come together?
In the early days I sold a lot of merchandise to a German company. The board would call me and ask when I would be able to deliver something. In reality, it was only me; there was nobody else in the company. They would say, “Can I speak to the warehouse?” So I would say yes and put them on hold. Then I would pick up the phone and say, “Yes, this is the warehouse...”

I guess it worked. So what’s next for Brunello Cucinelli? More stores in the U.S.?
Yes, absolutely.

How about Lower Manhattan?
Okay, stay tuned.

West Village: 379 Bleecker Street, 212.627.9202
Upper East Side: 683 Madison Avenue, 212.813.0900