How do you spend a weekend the Italian way? Dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing – is not such an alien concept; we all love a work-free weekend, pottering about from sofa to stove. But the Italians hold a trump card: they do it looking like Italians. So what exactly does that mean? According to the musings of Margherita Cardelli and Gerardo Cavaliere, founders of the Italian label Giuliva Heritage – known for its lush, traditional tailoring and artisanal attention to fabric and cut – it certainly doesn’t involve sweat pants or dubious towelling robes. Ovviamente no! Instead, it’s a far more deliberate exercise in sprezzatura, or studied nonchalance, say the couple, who have joined forces with the quintessential Italian label Weekend Max Mara.
The upshot? Jewel-toned corduroy, rounded-lapel blazers and – true to the heritage of both houses – some serious coats, with pleasingly soft pricing for luxury products, starting at £90 and going up to £890. ‘They started from coats – we also started with coats,’ says Cardelli, admitting that in itself makes an unusual collaboration, when both parties are so committed to making the same thing, and in such a specific way. ‘Usually, collaborations happen between brands that make very different things and then they merge, so for Gerardo, the creative director, it was very important to give the collaboration the Giuliva Heritage spin.’
Cardelli, in charge of the brand’s communications, explains that when the couple met, Cavaliere was running a made-to-measure business for men, rooted in Neapolitan tailoring techniques – a foundation that shaped the pair’s joint venture. Their mission? To deliver sophisticated staples that honour 100% Made in Italy craft. ‘We offer something made in a way that isn’t easy to find anymore. And this is the touch we’ve brought to the collaboration,’ she says, pointing out a stylishly structured khaki wool coat.
While the collection carries the name Fine Settimana – ‘weekend’ – its remit is far broader. ‘We made sure the collection featured key pieces that will transition from Monday to Sunday, so you can head off to your weekend in the outfit you wore to the office. Just pack a few more pieces – they all go perfectly together and you can easily put together different looks. And then back to work on Monday morning.’
What makes this collaboration unusual is precisely what makes it work. Instead of the usual mash-up of opposites, it’s a meeting of two houses that share a similar vocabulary. For both Weekend Max Mara and Giuliva Heritage, it’s less about newness and more about permanence; clothes conceived to live in your wardrobe for years. ‘Ours are two worlds that can easily talk and merge,’ says Cardelli of the handsome coats, knitwear, shirts and tailored trousers – all of it buying into the idea of modern Italian elegance. And who is this woman they’re designing for? ‘A strong, spontaneous woman,’ Cavaliere says, ‘who doesn’t feel the need for ostentation.’ Well, they don’t have to look far for inspiration. It’s clear that Caveliere prefers her wardrobe to work quietly. Indeed, she’s just the kind of woman who can throw on a khaki wool coat over a Monday-morning suit and keep it on, unchanged, until Sunday supper. Which, of course, is the whole point. Fine Settimana doesn’t so much dress you for the weekend as dress you for life.
Weekend Max Mara X Giuliva Heritage launches 22 September.
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion news and features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion news and features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.