Ten very different New York City restaurateurs wear the Italian suits that suit them best.
Joe Bastianich, Del Posto
Bastianich appears on TV with his mother Lidia, runs a restaurant empire with his partner Mario Batali and produces his eponymous wines in Italy. When Del Posto opened in 2006, diners were wowed by its elegant tableside service, and critics were pleased, too, awarding it two Michelin and three New York Times stars. Bastianich wears a blue Brioni suit--traditionally powerful, yet soft and relaxed (sans tie) to let his disarming sense of humor shine through.
www.brioni.com
What do you think of this suit?
"Although this is my custom-made suit, it's a little Paulie Walnuts for me. I'm more comfortable in black and gray, but they talk you into blue sharkskin."
How often do you wear suits?
"Every day. Including weekends."
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
"Plain yogurt with Sarabeth's raspberry preserves. They're the best together."
Emiliano Coppa, Al di La
At their neighborhood Brooklyn gem, Coppa's wife Anna Klinger creates Northern Italian dishes, such as cuttlefish risotto and tripe with tomatoes, in a homey atmosphere. Hungry diners must usually wait an hour for a table, but no one seems to mind. Like the restaurant, this narrow-cut Marni suit feels current but cozy paired with a Zegna sweater.
www.marni.com, www.zegna.com
What do you think of this suit?
"I like tight suits. Thirty years ago, the English wore tight suits. Now it's the Italians."
What's your favorite meal of the day?
"I eat one meal a day, at 11 pm after the dinner service. It's the best moment--everyone comes up to say thank you for dinner, and I sit there, drinking wine, being thanked."
Odette Fada, San Domenico
Chef Fada brings her light touch to the kitchen at San Domenico, an elegant restaurant that prides itself on impeccable service and award-winning dishes. The restaurant is widely credited for having introduced high-end Italian cuisine to the United States. Fada wears a double-breasted wool suit by The Cashmere Company, a highly respected knitwear brand that is similarly rooted in tradition.
www.cashmerecompany.com
What do you think of this suit?
"I like it. Funnily enough, I wear a man's pinstriped suit with red shoes to meetings."
Is style important for you as a chef?
"The owner of the restaurant where I worked twenty years ago used to tell me that, yes, you are a chef, but you are still a woman. Even in my chef coat, I wear a black skirt and Ferragamo shoes."
www.salvatoreferragamo.it
Joe and Jason Denton, 'inoteca
Hipsters flock to this Lower East Side favorite to share small plates and flavorful panini. The restaurant stays packed until 3 am, due in no small part to the unusual wine list that boasts more than six hundred bottles. The brothers Denton wear Canali suits with printed shirts and ties that bring out their friendly downtown style.
www.canali.it
What do you think of the suits you're wearing?
Jason: "Casual enough for day but slick enough for night."
Joe: "I love vests and ties."
What did you eat for breakfast today?
Jason: "Double espresso. Mixed greens and a shrimp salad panino."
Joe: "Tea."
Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, Frankies Spuntino
The Franks' brick-walled, tin-ceilinged Brooklyn restaurant is always packed with artists and musicians clamoring after hearty pastas and small plates. The Franks have reintroduced the foods of their grandmothers' kitchens to today's diners, so following their lead, we've reintroduced their grandfathers' look to them: double-breasted Valentino suits with Borsalino fedoras.
www.valentino.it, borsalino.com
What do you think of these ensembles?
Falcinelli: "I like dark blue suits, and it fits me well. Even though my family is from Rome and Naples, I'm not built like a big Italian dude, more like a thin Belgian dude."
Castronovo: "I always wear hats. They protect you from the sun. We wear Borsalino hats everyday and straw fedoras in the summer."
Is style important to you as restaurateurs?
Falcinelli: "Our restaurants are comfortable, so we reflect that in the way we dress."
Castronovo: "People always ask where I got my clothes. I've always been into dressing well. It's in the blood--the Italian genes."
Anthony Mangieri, Una Pizza Napoletana
Thirty-three-year-old Mangieri has propelled New York pizza to a new level. At his small East Village eatery, the menu offers mozzarella pizzas but no salads, desserts or even toppings. Mangieri makes each pie with the best ingredients and closes each night once the dough runs out. His intensity is reflected in this rock-and-roll, slim-cut velvet suit by Roberto Cavalli.
www.robertocavalli.net
What do you think of this suit?
"I like it, although I don't usually like tight pants. I'm against the skinny jeans trend. I like to leave a little to the imagination."
Is fashion a big part of your job?
"Not really. At the restaurant, we wear chef's jackets and baseball caps."
How often do you wear suits?
"I've always imagined wearing only suits and that would be my look. But I've never actually pulled it off. So instead, I never wear them!"
Iacopo Falai, Falai
Falai, a former pastry chef at Le Cirque 2000, is hilarious, goofy and head over heels for his newlywed wife, whom he chatted all about during our photo shoot. His personality spills into his restaurant: a fun, white-walled hangout that serves critically acclaimed seasonal food. Falai is dressed in a gray Etro suit that feels modern and whimsical, especially when worn with a turtleneck.
www.etro.it
What do you think about this suit?
"I like this look. I usually wear black turtlenecks, but I am also starting to wear a little gray."
What did you have for breakfast?
"Two Italian donuts: bombolone."
Anthony Scotto, Fresco by Scotto
For the past fifteen years, the Italian-American Scotto family has welcomed tourists, regulars and media brokers into their bustling midtown restaurant, famous for its generous portions and thin-crust grilled pizza. Here, the gregarious Anthony Scotto, Jr., wears a double-breasted Zegna suit that feels approachable yet strong. Its broad tailoring strokes and big shoulders bring together Italian craftsmanship and American masculinity, especially when accessorized with a New York Yankees championship ring. (Fresco by Scotto is one of George Steinbrenner's favorite restaurants, and the Yankees owner gave Scotto, Jr., both a 1999 and 2000 World Series ring as gifts.)
www.zegna.it
What do you think of this suit?
"I love it. I didn't know I could fit into Zegna so well."
What did you eat for breakfast?
"I was on The Today Show at 6 am. I always get nervous, so I didn't eat anything."
Is style important for you as a restaurateur?
"Men like to see what other men can wear, and I demonstrate that well. I like the loudest fabrics I can get my hands on--polka dots, stripes. They take the focus off my hair."
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