Meet Lapo Elkann, the dandified face of Italia Independent
One of my favourite t-shirts says, "Kiss me, I’m Italian.” I thought of this item when seeing Lapo Elkann, the chairman of Italia Independent, in action. Beyond cute, he was part of the Europa Nova conference – held on a Sunday night, I might add – who were debating on the theme "Can Europe Still Inspire the World". It was rather serious, rather heavy until Lapo began. He admitted that he was a football fan, the entire audience tittered and so it continued. What Lapo couldn’t talk about is Italia Independent’s new boutique in Milan that sells all those great eyeglasses. I refer to the ones that Karl Lagerfeld has been wearing.
"Lapo is a dandified wide boy who favours vast lapels and loud pinstripes"
Actually, I first saw the specs on Lapo – a contemporary style icon – whose dress sense is wildly different to his grandfather, Gianni Agnelli, who began the craze of wearing his watch on his shirt cuff and launched Tod’s by sporting their car shoes. And hallelujah, thank god! No one – although Italy is full of them – needs a lukewarm imitation of L’Avvocato. Instead, Lapo is a dandified wide boy who favours vast lapels and loud pinstripes. Meanwhile, a word about his manners: well they are Turin-trained and terribly Pukka. “Hello, how are you,” he says in the best 1930s British accent. It makes me laugh because he sounds so old and screams cherubic.
Oddly enough, I met Lapo when he was teeny. His mother lived in the same square as my family and I used to see him with his equally sweet looking brother and sister, crammed in the back of the family car which was naturally a FIAT. But since then Lapo has assisted Henry Kissinger, launched the FIAT vintage sweater and left the family company to be creative with his taste. It’s working!
Text by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni
Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a Paris-based British writer who covers fashion and lifestyle as well as being the author of Sam Spiegel – The Biography of A Hollywood Legend, Understanding Chic, an essay from the Paris Was Ours anthology, the soon-to-be released Tino Zervudachi – A Portfolio – as well as the Chanel book, for Assouline's fashion series.
Robert Beck is former New Yorker currently based in Paris. A former classical dancer, his book for children titled "A Bunny in the Ballet" will be available early in 2014 from Scholastic, Inc.
