On translating a centuryold tailoring heritage into a collection for today.
A 137-year-old heritage can be a great weight to bear. Just ask John Vizzone, the creative director of the ready-to-wear (RTW) division of Cifonelli, a highly regarded Paris-based bespoke tailoring house with a history dating back to 1880. The American designer has been overseeing the company’s RTW division since its launch in 2014.
“When I started,” recalls Vizzone with a smile, “I was so much more rigid about what I did. I felt like I had to do a certain amount of tailored clothing. But now, my designs no longer look like a uniform collection of suits. There’s a greater ease.” That is evident from the pieces on display at the recent Cifonelli trunk show at private club Madison Rooms, where we meet Vizzone, a father of two who was formerly senior vice-president of Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Black Label. Next year, Cifonelli will open a permanent lounge-style boutique in Singapore, a concept it plans to roll out in India and Dubai as well.
The jackets on show, for example, do not just come in traditional hues like navy blue.
There is also one with a large black and grey floral print, and a light, summery white jacket done in a boucle fabric. The latter was a big hit at the trunk show preview the previous evening, says Vizzone, who reveals that the boucle fabric comes from the same mill that supplies Chanel. Beyond outerwear that has something in common with the iconic womenswear pieces that are Chanel’s tweed jackets, Vizzone has also pushed the sartorial envelope with styles such as relaxed windowpane suits paired with sandals, or even a velvet hunting cape.
But make no mistake – his willingness to think outside the confines of traditional tailoring certainly does not translate to looks that are more statement than substance. His design approach might be less rigid now, but his styles are always wearable and tasteful. (A muted palette helps. “I like colours of nature, not fake colours,” he muses.) No less importantly, his designs retain the house’s famous tailoring codes, such as the Cifonelli cigarette shoulder, a strong shape defined by a high armhole and a sleeve that is slightly pitched forward.
The customer, notes Vizzone, is always at the heart of his creative process. He elaborates: “It comes naturally. I think about where the Cifonelli gentleman is going each season, and then I think about his lifestyle. It’s about his journey, not just what I feel like making today.” In the case of the white boucle jacket, Vizzone shares: “I wanted to have a tweed look, but with a lightness so it could be worn in the spring.” At Cifonelli, functionality leads to some pretty fine forms.
