Issue Story

From the April 2008 issue of MR Magazine

People

Massimo Bizzocchi: Style & Sensibility

Karen Alberg Grossman

MR's 2008 "Best-Dressed Man" shares some sartorial secrets.

"My life is busy,” designer/sales rep Massimo Bizzocchi declares after a whirlwind trip around the States, visiting retail accounts in numerous cities. “Often, the only time I relax is those 15 minutes in the morning when I’m getting dressed…”

For Bizzocchi, who travels a good five months a year, the thought process behind wardrobe selection is critical. “I consider my plans for the day. For an important meeting, I might wear a pinstriped suit, a sharp shirt with a point collar, a narrow tie. Then after the meeting, these clothes might feel too stiff so I’d change to something more fun, less packaged. This is where a man becomes interesting: less of a mannequin, more of a person…”

Less packaged, however, does not preclude neckties. “I always wear a tie,” he confirms. “Be it eight centimeters for everyday, or six or ten: it’s not about the width but about the attitude. For a relaxed look, I might wear a lower knot with a button-down collar shirt. In my Massimo Bizzocchi neckwear collection, each tie has a string in the back that can be adjusted for a unique shirred effect so that the tie has movement. I like when clothing stimulates conversation: not a lot but just enough. I believe that clothing is like art: it’s out there for people to absorb; it enriches one’s life; it reflects one’s heart…”

According to Bizzocchi, a man’s choice of clothing says everything about him: his economic and social position, what’s in his brain. Particularly revealing is dressing for black tie events. “You can make yourself blend in or stand out: a certain lapel, the twist of a bowtie, a vintage tux. To me, clothing that’s slightly worn is wonderful because it adds character: clothes are more perfect if less perfect!”

On the future of luxury business, Bizzocchi is optimistic. “Kiton, for example, used to be a 45 to 65 demographic; now it’s 35, maybe younger. There are so many young people with money who will not buy a cheap suit, just like they won’t buy a cheap car or drink cheap wine. With so much mass production, there’s not enough quality apparel for all the wealthy men who want it…”

He points to the clothing collection he’s recently developed with master tailor Martin Greenfield (out of Brooklyn!) These suits might retail for $2,000 or more but his customers appreciate the craftsmanship and details, including an alterable placket in the coat sleeve, a trouser curtain that matches his custom shirt fabrics, and a two-fabric coat lining that differs right from left. (“One fabric is more somber, the other is light so you can show that you’re in business, or that you’re in love…”)

In his personal closet at home in Biella, Bizzocchi estimates he has: 24 suits (small shoulder, high armhole), 40 sportcoats, 50 to 60 trousers (all gray), dozens of casual pants including dark jeans and brown/ beige cottons, 110 dress shirts, many thousands of ties (50 years of them), 60 to 80 watches (not all Patek and Parmigiani, about 15 are Swatch), about 14 pairs of shoes (“I used to have more but I’m now about comfort”), hundreds of pocket squares, 150 pairs of cuff links (today it’s Jan Leslie’s sterling with horn), many dozen socks (mostly blue), dozens of eyeglasses (today’s it’s oversized black plastic frames by Giuliano Fujiwara: “I switched to big glasses to look thinner; it’s all about proportion…”) And that’s just in Italy: we won’t even talk about his closet in Manhattan…

So how much of his income is spent on clothing? Bizzocchi admits that if he didn’t have access to wholesale prices and “borrowing on consignment”, he would have been broke a long time ago. “I can’t give you a number,” he apologizes. “I don’t want to scare my wife…”

Geoffrey Saunders Public Relations
609 439 2700
rehgps@aol.com