It’s a statement you’d avoid making if it involved a woman. Because it could well blow up in your face in these times of political over-correctness. But it simply has to be said: this man, no question, looks sexy as hell.
It’s the blue eyes against the dark hair, the chiselled facial features and the athletic look. Whether driving a vintage car, eating a burger or in a three-piece suit in the station concourse. Whether skiing, wading in the water or shopping. Whether smoking a pipe or on a Vespa. Silvano Vitalini cuts a fine figure in all these photos of him that are doing the rounds.
And, before you ask, it’s no different when he’s golfing, either. For our early morning start, with a nightingale performing something of an aria on the groundsman’s wooden hut, he’s in blue chinos, blue sunglasses and a green sweater. And more than relaxed. He pulls out the driver. Takes a swing – and – it’s off. 180 metres at a guess, maybe more. “A way to start a Monday morning,” he says contentedly, smiling mischievously to himself.
May we present: Silvano Vitalini. Fashion designer. Born in Samedan. Star sign: Pisces. Favourite food: Rös-Putin at Dal Mulin – a cake combining rösti, crème fraîche and caviar. At least as audacious as Vitalini’s camouflage blazer, which he created from a functional, 100 percent waterproof high-tech fabric.
What questions do you ask a 35-year-old fashion designer first? Let’s start with this one: Is golf clothing only appropriate if it’s already a handicap in itself?
He says: “I don’t wear golf clothes. I usually play in a shirt and normal trousers.”
Would you still look like yourself if you were as good-looking as you’d like to be?
“I am absolutely happy with myself. There’s nothing I would wish to add or wish away.”
It’s autumn. The sun is shining. And the wide valley, which attracts guests from all over the world, is picture-postcard beautiful. It’s the kind of day on which to ski in the morning, swim in Lake Staz at lunchtime and play golf in the afternoon.
The sky is blue. The larches orange. The greens a lush green.
“The course is still in a nice condition,” he says at the end of hole six. He had a super drive, a super-seven iron, a super pitch and a pretty good putt. And now it’s becoming clear: it’s his bogey day. The man’s golfing style is casual, precise, concentrated.
At the age of 12, he started off with tennis, but friends pretty soon introduced him to golf. As boys, they used to head out for the golf course after school.
Which begs the question: did you learn more about yourself playing golf than you did at school?
“I didn’t learn much about myself at school. I learned a lot about myself in the military, for example that my body can withstand much more than I’d have thought. And golf taught me how important the mental aspect is. That I can’t have fun with the game until I’m positive and stay positive, when I block out bad shots and take pleasure in the good ones.”
«A fitting occasion without a blazer – that would ruin the moment for me»
It was his grandmother that taught him to sew. And when his school stopped him from writing about Playboy magazine in a paper for his school-leaving certificate, he designed a small fashion collection instead. Trousers, blazers, whatever he fancied. The launch of his modelling career. After that, it was off to the Fashion Center Reutlingen, to Shanghai as an assistant designer and to Zurich to study fashion design. He says: “I enjoy creating not just for others, but for myself too. I like to dress nicely. When I travel, I have something suitable for every moment I might encounter. A fitting occasion without a blazer – that would ruin the moment for me.”
When you hear statements like that from him, you can picture him in the morning going over to a walk-in wardrobe sorted by colour and reaching in two or three times and pulling out just the right thing for his mood. But you’d be wrong. He says: “I just have an insane amount of clothes, with no walk-in wardrobe. Only shoes and ties are sorted.” He always finds a reason to wear a tie, and now owns around 150.
Sneakers or leather shoes?
“Leather shoes.”
Pocket square or handkerchief?
“Pocket square.”
Wristwatch or pocket watch?
“Wristwatch.”
70s or 80s fashion?
“80s.”
Five-iron or seven-iron?
“Seven-iron.”
Is there actually a parallel between golf and sewing?
He thinks for a moment. Then says: “Maybe the preparation. You see where you want to go and what opportunities present themselves. And you have a goal. It’s also a bit similar in the execution: if I miss one golf shot, the next one counts. If I cut a beautiful fabric wrong, then that counts too, because then I ultimately don’t earn anything from it. But that has hardly ever happened, thank God.”
Is there anything that annoys you about golf?
“I’m actually very relaxed. And I usually only play with friends and not with strangers in a flight. The incurable know-it-alls, the sort that constantly lecture everyone else, they’d get on my nerves. Just like the men who, without being asked, are always correcting and confusing their wives during a game.”
We reach the 18th hole. His favourite. “Super cool,” he says, “if you finish the 18th with a fantastic tee shot, all is well with the world, then you’re happy.” But before he tees off, two more questions.
Do you prefer to design your fashion for women or for men?
“I have more fun designing for men, although I have many more options with women. Less restricted in terms of fabrics and cuts.”
What’s the most beautiful fabric for you?
“There’s a beautiful and best fabric for every purpose and occasion. My favourite suit is cashmere with stripes. A dream. Dark blue with chalk stripes. But one of the most comfortable garments I ever got to wear was a kilt. I was invited to a wedding in Scotland, the dress code was a kilt. On the way to the reception, the ladies whistled at me. That was a nice feeling. And before you ask: no, you don’t wear anything underneath.”
Then he tees off – the ball whizzes off towards the clubhouse and a look of pleasure flits across his face. Another stroke. Another putt. Click. In the hole. No wonder the ladies whistled at him!
