S h a r p ’ s G u i d e t o E f f o r t l e s s I t a l i a n S t y l e

SPREZZATURA

E f f o r t l e s s l y

ITALIANIconic and beautiful things for living La Dolce Vita

The 1967 FERRARI BERLINETTA

The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta is a classic for many reasons. It was the last to be hand-built by craftsmen who painstakingly ham-mered sheets of aluminum into shape. (Its contemporary, the 250 GTO, saw very limited production and wasn’t targeted to consum-ers.) It was also the last Ferrari intended for both the track and the driveway. The ’67 Berlinetta mounted a 3.3 L V12 engine capable of over 300 horsepower and 165 mph, but it was so beautiful and well-appointed that it remains one of the all-time classics from a company that consistently overachieves.

Gio Ponti DEZZA ARMCHAIR

Designed in 1965 by famous Milanese architect, designer and artist Gio Ponti, the Dezza armchair boasts a lightweight and comfortable design that has become ubiquitous in homes and offices around the world. Ponti believed strongly that modern ideas could be beautiful, so although his designs and construction techniques tended to be simple and utilitarian, they were equally luxurious. The Dezza armchair, for ex-ample, boasts chunky, cozy cushions (often in leather), with arms that flow gracefully from the back rest. The result is style that blends contemporary with classic to create a timeless form that still looks beautiful five decades later.

The MEGAPHONEen&is design is named for Mila-nese designers Enrico Bosa and Isabella Lovero. When the duo de-cided to tackle iPhone amplifica-tion, they created a passive ceram-ic amplifier called the MegaPhone that boosts and optimizes output while looking simply fantastic. No wires. No power. Just beauty. Vaguely reminiscent of the Horn of Plenty, it lends a little Italian style to your music shuffle.

The ‘Juicy Salif ’ LEMON SQUEEZER Maverick Italian design house Alessi has been responsible for some of the most iconic designs of the modern age, including Carlo Alessi’s Bombé Tea and Coffee Service. However, it was the company’s collabo-ration with French designer Philippe Starck that resulted in perhaps its greatest contribution: a simple, fluid and endlessly useful design for a lemon squeezer. Ergo-nomic and with no moving parts, rumours suggest the inspiration for this three-legged design came from the humble squid.

Elektra ESPRESSO MACHINEThey look like something out of a science fiction movie, but they hiss and bump like a diaboli-cal steampunk contraption. Although Elektra espresso machines appear to be a seemingly ran-dom collection of chrome tubes and handles, in skilled hands they can produce the liquid that has become Italy’s most important gift to the waking world: espresso. Elektras were the brainchild of Umberto Fregnan, who started the family business in Treviso in 1947. Fregnan’s idea was to create a machine that was as shapely and beautiful as it was simple and reliable. That approach has never changed, and even today, each machine is still hand-assembled. You’re not really serious about caffeine unless an Elektra is taking up three or four feet of your counter space.

WALLY ONE

The Italians have been mariners for thou-sands of years, so it is hardly surprising that the designer pushing the boundaries of nautical inventiveness the furthest is Italian craftsman Luca Bassani Antivari. Founder and president of the leading (and very non-Italian sounding) firm Wally, Bassani Antivari began designing boats in 1991, and has since revolutionized the industry. Blending carbon fibre with rich woods and turning classic seafaring shapes into modern sculpture, Wally has created expensive objects of aquatic art. The Wally One cruiser, as one prime example, has a slender forefoot and flared bow that tames the seas with an elegance that belies its 630 hp of muscle. It’s what other boats want to be when they grow up.

SOPHIA LORENNo list of classic Italian beauty is complete without Neapolitan actress Sophia Loren. Born in 1934, Loren’s career has stretched right up to the present day. (Most recently as a voice actor in Cars 2.) A silver-screen icon, her grace and elegance are legendary, and perhaps personify the country’s greatest gift to the world: Italian women.

The 1951 VESPA

Why the 1951 and not any of the oth-ers? Because that’s what Audrey Hepburn rode in Roman Holiday. And if it’s good enough for Hepburn, it’s good enough for us. Piaggio began making Vespa (literally ‘Wasp’) scooters in 1946. Famed for their simplicity, they married style with a clean functionality that was unheard-of in the category–consider the scooped cowling to cover the engine, the wide front fairing to protect the legs, and the flat floorboards for easy mounting with heels.

ON HIM: Ermenegildo Zegna suit, price upon request; Eton shirt, $250; Huntsman tie, $155; Paul Smith shoes, $465. ON HER: Toast dress; Paul Smith heels and bag; BOSS Black jewelry.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Susi Belianska FASHION DIRECTOR: Luke Langsdale

MODERN STYLE

f r o m t h e

OLD COUNTRY

Breezy, nonchalant style in the enchanting streets of rural Italy

RIGHTON HIM: Dunhill suit, $2,350; Eton shirt, $250; Brunello Cu-cinelli tie, $175; Paul Smith pocket square, $50; BOSS Selection scarf, $195; Persol sunglasses, $360 at Sunglass Hut. ON HER: BOSS Black coat; Brunello Cucinelli dress; Persol sunglasses.

ABOVEON HIM: Luigi Bianchi Mantova 1911 suit, $1,350 at L’Uomo

Montreal; Dunhill shirt, $180; Huntsman tie, $155, pocket square, $70, and scarf, $285; Canali belt, $310; BOSS Black

shoes, $450. ON HER: Prada dress, shirt and heels.

ON HIM: Paul Smith blazer, $710; Tommy

Hilfiger shirt, $200 and tie, $50; Brunello Cuci-nelli pocket square, $75;

Ermenegildo Zegna pants, price upon request; Hugo Boss Orange belt, $115; Paul Smith socks, $30; Canali shoes, $575. ON

HER: Missoni dress; Bally shoes; Prada sunglasses

available at Sunglass Hut.

ABOVEON HIM: Etro suit, $1,720; Canali shirt, $465; Paul Smith tie, $70; Car Shoe loafers, $410.ON HER: BOSS Black dress.

LEFTON HIM: Alexander McQueen blazer, $1,245 and shirt, $415;

Brunello Cucinelli tie, $175, pocket square, $75, and pants, $1,055; BOSS Black belt, $150; John Lobb shoes, $1,585.

ON HER: Louis Vuitton dress, bag and heels.

Canali sweater, $545; Ray-Ban sunglasses, $145 at Sunglass Hut.

Hugo Boss dress, Toast jewelry.

PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANT: Nicola Bernardi; STYLIST ASSISTANT: Alexandra Bickerdike; HAIR AND MAKE-UP: Claudio Ferri; MODELS: Giulia and Andrea M from Icon Models

I t a l i a n

ACCENTSWhen it comes to sumptuous leather goods and lavish

accoutrements, nobody does it quite like Lo Stivale

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, $430, and tie, $180 at Holt Renfrew; Orciani belt, $295 at George C.; Sermoneta gloves, $260; Gucci sunglasses, $255 at Holt Renfrew; Panerai Luminor GMT watch, $9,500.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Robert Watson STYLIST: Daniel Onori

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Salvatore Ferragamo wallet, $225 at Harry Rosen; The Bridge iPad case, $230, and ostrich passport holder, $480 at Betty Hemmings Leathergoods; Costume National scarf, $250; Officine Creative bag, $850 at George C.