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Fantasy luxury rides, a traveling Florentine tailor, and a new non-guilty pleasure

TAILOR SPOTLIGHT

People are always asking me about getting bespoke suiting made, particularly in Italy, and I usually answer with the well respected usual suspects. But at a recent Pitti Uomo, I made the acquaintance of a new player in the game named Leonardo Simoncini. 

Simoncini is a young tailor from Florence, who is now working for himself after six and a half years as both a tailor and cutter at Liverano. Because he doesn’t have a storefront, he is able to charge a fraction of what most do, without cutting any corners (metaphorically) on quality. With Leonardo, a classic three-fitting bespoke suit starts at under €3,000, and blazers for even less. He works with beautiful vintage fabrics from 1970s and 80s—like Dormeuil—to name just one.

When I met him at Pitti, I loved that he that had the courage to go out on his own and forge ahead with his unique house style (which you can get a sense of from his great personal style). I quickly decided to commission him to make a full bespoke suit with six meters of fabric I’d bought from my friend Frank at Conforti Brothers (a feature on him in the upcoming fall issue!)—a remnant of a Ralph Lauren silk and linen blend cloth. Because Leo doesn’t have a storefront, he is happy to meet clients in their hotels-he took the train from Florence to meet me in Rome for my second fitting. (My first fitting was in Florence in June and my final will be delivered in Florence in January.)

Granted, to work with him you’ll have to get yourself to Italy at least three times over a year or two, but seems like a fun travel excuse to me. And considering how well-priced his suits are, it’s definitely a more justifiable splurge. (You can contact him via IG here.)

NON-GUILTY PLEASURE

Last week, I wrote about how I’m resetting my body a little after a summer of beer and potato chips. I’m happy to report that I’ve already found my new, healthier snack of choice: Peperone crusco, also known as “the Red Gold of Basilicata.” Hailing from Calabria specifically, they are crunchy, dried red peppers, typically served all across Southern Italy during aperitivo hour.

I first discovered them in Sicily, when they were served at a bar with my Negroni where chips and nuts would usually be. At first I thought they were fried, until I realized they were just sun-dried. They’re a truly fantastic chip alternative, with all the crunch and salt flavor of fried potatoes, but then instead of carbs, they’re chock full of vitamins. For now, I've abandoned the flavored Lays for now in favor of this super satisfying alternative crunch. And, because they travel well, you can enjoy them whether or not you’re in Southern Europe: Masseria Mirogallo, a farm in Basilicata, exports them all across the United States.

OBJECT OF DESIRE

Some people spend late nights trawling Zillow to live out their real estate fantasies—I spend hours sifting through vintage car resale websites. Recently, I’ve been preoccupied by the fact that many of the most unattainable luxury cars of my youth — Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins — are now available on the secondary market for less than a new Toyota Camry.

Unlike watches and wines, these luxurious beasts just haven’t appreciated much on the secondary market at all. The other night, I was looking at JP Frazier’s website – where I found my 1980 Mercedes 450SL – and came across a 1988 Bentley Eight going for $22,800. While my mind, of course, quickly went into to “what if?” territory, I was quick to remember the sad catch: Because of the huge cost of maintaining such an intricate older engine, the purchase price is just the start — even if I can now afford to buy one, it would take so much time and money to keep it on the road. But it’s not all doom and gloom: My friend Russell, who lives just outside London, found one such a beauty, an 80’s Rolls Royce Silver Spirit in his local classified, bought it cheap, and thoroughly enjoys it as a weekend driver.

Still, there’s something about their beauty, even as a static object, that I can’t look away from. I fantasize about driving one until I can’t bear to fix it anymore, and then parking it in a garage to just admire and sit in it as a piece of art. That being said, for now I’ll keep this as a catch and release exercise, and hopefully when the time comes where I have the right stable for one of these beasts, the market will still be kind to me.