In reality, very few people know Lino Ieluzzi’s real name. Pasqualino – that’s what the future style icon was called in childhood, and it was former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who gave him that name when awarding Ieluzzi a certificate of merit from the Italian Republic. Pasqualino means little Pasquale. However, Ieluzzi didn’t want to be either little or big. He simply decided to become Lino.
It’s also unknown in which year our hero was born. Amusingly, he answered in one of the surveys: he was born in Milan but comes from Apulia. However, it’s well known that he adores spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil, prefers Bordeaux over Italian wines, and dislikes the color black. Lino Ieluzzi is perhaps one of the best-dressed men in Italy. And if that’s the case, then automatically, he’s one of the best-dressed men on the planet, right? The Pitti Uomo fair would be just pity without his presence. And this is despite the fact that Ieluzzi is not a model, actor, singer, or even a TV host. He’s simply a man with an innate sense of style that can’t be learned from books or in a fashion school.
Lino was born on October 7th, and he considers the number seven his lucky number, emblazoning it on his cufflinks and famous wool ties. He’s also called Al Bazar Lino because he owns the Al Bazar store. He started working there as an ordinary employee back in the late ’60s. At that time, the store sold denim products, and apparently business was going so poorly that at some point, Lino transformed into the owner of the establishment and immediately began radical reforms.
He cared little for jeans. He decided to challenge M. Bardelli, the number one haberdasher where young, rich, and famous people bought suits at the time. Lino started hanging out in famous Milanese clubs like Nepentha and Charlie Max to personally get to know the clientele and thoroughly study their tastes. Since then, Al Bazar has come a long way. Today, its assortment consists exclusively of items that Lino loves and wears himself. He no longer seeks to attract all well-off customers, just those who share the owner’s tastes: “We can’t count on the loyalty of everyone entering Al Bazar. That’s impossible.”
Lino had an interest in men’s clothing from a young age. In his childhood, he admired his father, who was always impeccably dressed in a well-tailored double-breasted suit. Lino inherited his father’s style and developed it according to his own sense of beauty. His jackets almost always please the eye with bright colors or bold fabric patterns and are often paired with a different pair of trousers. We know very little about Lino Ieluzzi’s personal life; he keeps it away from prying eyes. Nevertheless, he is not married and has no children. Lino often takes walks with his white Labrador named Tommy, with whom he spends his free time.
Ties
As always, it all started with a little joke. On one of his birthdays on October 7th, either Lino himself placed the number seven on a tie, or someone gave it to him as a gift. Either way, now wool and cashmere ties by Lino Ieluzzi are the best-selling items in the Al Bazar store. He personally selects the fabrics for the ties, believing that wool ties hold knots much better than silk ones. All ties have seven folds and are handcrafted in Italy. The full range of ties at Al Bazar is duplicated with and without the number seven.
Watches
Lino’s boundless love for Patek Philippe watches makes him one of the most passionate “Patek addicts” in the world. “I love Patek, and lately, I only buy Patek,” he confesses. “If you have Patek, you won’t lose money. Maybe you won’t make money, but at least you’ll definitely get your money back.” In addition to Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711 or Nautilus ref. 5712G, Yeluzzi often wears the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Limited Edition ref. 26133ST. According to eyewitnesses, his home watch collection consists exclusively of iconic Patek and AP models.
Colour
Lino Yeluzzi is always in plain sight, whether he’s chatting with colleagues during Pitti Uomo or simply walking the streets of Milan. This isn’t because he’s dressed in a canary-yellow jacket that can be seen from a mile away; far from it. It’s because Lino’s clothing fits him perfectly, while most men don’t pay much attention to their wardrobes. As they say, the devil is in the details. For example, if you have dark hair and fair skin, it’s advisable to choose clothing that contrasts in tone. Conversely, if you, like Lino, have light hair and a tan complexion, softer combinations are more suitable. Lino prefers neutral colors like blue, light blue, gray, yellowish-brown, beige, and brown. He often combines them with white or light blue to complement his healthy sun-kissed skin and sky-blue eyes. Most of Lino’s watches have blue dials, he likes sunglasses with blue frames, and it’s quite possible he’ll give you an autograph as a keepsake with a blue Montegrappa pen. Lastly, you’ll never find a black suit in his collections. “Let’s leave it for the world of fashion,” says Lino.
Shirts with Cutaway Collars
Rarely can you find a photo of Lino Yeluzzi where he’s not wearing a shirt with a cutaway collar, which we, for some reason, call a “visiting card” collar. Lino rightly believes that such shirts are the most elegant and they accentuate his facial features correctly. He admits that he also wears T-shirts but exclusively when he’s on vacation on the island of Formentera.
The Art of Sprezzatura
Sprezzatura. This strange-sounding Italian word doesn’t have a direct translation, but when it comes to dressing, it signifies an effortless, nonchalant, and carefree style—call it what you will—that most Italian men embody every day in the most natural way. Lino Yeluzzi has his own sprezzatura, his charming imperfections, which thousands of devoted fans meticulously imitate. Like no other, he understands the importance of sizing and proportions when it comes to clothing and body type. Especially when it concerns unstructured and unlined double-breasted jackets, as light as a feather, completely wrinkle-resistant, and never losing their shape when worn. Lino’s double-breasted jackets follow the body’s contours gracefully, and the wide peak lapels with sharpened ends visually add height and sophistication, dashingness, and self-assuredness. The color combinations are bold, ranging from bright pink and azure to complex triple plaids. Lino never fastens the lower buttons and doesn’t even use the inner jacket button to intentionally create a sense of randomness and incompleteness. If it’s chilly, he casually throws on a short double-breasted coat that fits snugly. French cuffs on his shirts are usually unbuttoned. Additionally, Lino doesn’t recommend using a mirror when tying a tie—the knot should also be intentionally imperfect. A sturdy Texan belt with metal inserts, a constant companion of Lino, slightly contradicts the elegant double-breasted masterpieces made of the finest wool. However, despite resembling Ralph Lauren, Signor Yeluzzi adds a “cowboy” touch with a relatively long sterling silver chain, one end of which is attached to the belt, while the other disappears into the pants pocket, where it’s connected to a money clip. Shortened trousers with five-centimeter cuffs add a sense of slimness to the silhouette and showcase magnificent monk shoes with dark polished toes. Of course, the top buckle of the shoes is almost always unfastened. Add a few leather bracelets adorning his wrist, sunglasses, a cigarette, and you have the icon of style before you!
Footwear
Nature has blessed Lino with a rich imagination, and his lifestyle allows him to be influenced by his mood. When ordering shoes from his favorite master, Ivan Crivellaro, Yelutzi spares no expense and receives true works of art with graphics on the soles in return. Crivellaro, despite his youth, has already earned the unofficial title of the most creatively gifted shoemaker in the world. He is constantly in pursuit of perfection, whether it’s about polishing with a “champagne glass,” treating with Aglianico wine, or adorning the soles with a portrait of Sophia Loren. By the way, Ivan orders his soles from the German company Rendenbach, which he considers the best tanners of leather. Since 1871, they have consistently tanned leather in ancient, three-meter-deep pits using oak bark, spruce, mimosa, and acorns. As a result, the soles become elastic, waterproof, and breathable.
