Filippo Pignatti, founder of Gentleman's Gram, shares his secret style codes

Over the course of the past few years Filippo Morano (real name Filippo Pignatti Morano di Custoza) has been building an online community based on shared interests. It's a day job that most of us could only dream of having.

He runs two accounts. One is his own, under his own name, where you'll see vintage cars, alpine winters on ski slopes the world over, English mansions and slick clothing. This has a cool 347,000 followers. Another is @gentlemansgram, which now has over 1.4 million followers, a number which is growing by the day. Here he has created a carefully thought out feed of images found all over (from Pinterest to the furthest corners of Google search) to give his followers what they want: cool people doing cool things, and a luxe lifestyle most of us can only dream of and throwback images. Images of the likes of Michael Jordan and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Stylish guys wearing ultra stylish outfits.

Filippo himself has got a pretty curated sense of style - he opts for vintage over new clothes, he's got his favourite watches and has a strong opinion on fragrances. So, as avid followers of him and his accounts, we decided to sit down with him and find out what he's all about...

I stick to a mix of timeless and elegant pieces. I prefer to wear things that looked cool 30 years ago and will look good in 10 years. I avoid trends, I don’t like them. Stuff that you can only really wear for two years and then it falls off. I favour quality craftsmanship and effortless chic. If something looks too put together it can look too square. An average outfit for everyday is pleated trousers, not too wide, not too skinny, and then a nice timeless sweater.

I have a lot of second-hand clothing from my family. I have a tuxedo from my grandfather which is slightly big, heavier in material, but just works. It fits me somehow even though he was bigger. I like stuff that is vintage, especially when worn by members of my family, and I can retell the stories that come with those pieces, as well as add new stories.

The best thing I own is a Cartier Tank Solo. It has a gold case and a leather strap. I love it. When I was curating my Instagram content in the early days I would post about the watch so much. You know, early pictures of Alain Delon wearing one, or even Muhammed Ali with his big arms and this watch. Back then they wore the 23mm which is considered the women’s size today. I love the watch, you can wear it casually or elegantly. I got mine in 2020 after people broke into my apartment and stole all my watches, so I thought I’ll get myself a nice watch I can wear whenever.

I like wearing watches. I also own a Benrus 3061, the same one that Steve McQueen was wearing in Bullitt. I also have a Hamilton military watch. I loved the movie and did some research and then saw the writer Jay Fielden wearing it and he told me about the watch before I’d watched it. Then I fell in love with it and found one on eBay. One watch I had that was stolen was a Bucherer Alarm, which is a vintage too. I got another one luckily, because it is just so good.

My mother gifted me a peacoat, which is one of my favourite pieces. It’s a marine style and it’s cut from thick dark navy fabric, and has copper-coloured buttons with ornate detailing.

When I buy new garments I look for quality and timelessness. I want durable products that I can pass onto my children. When you go secondhand shopping you see that everything was better made. Everything is also a better size. Today everything is a bit skinny. I have these dark brown Diesel jeans that aren’t too baggy, but are definitely wider on the legs than the styles you’d find in today’s new collections.

Vienna has some great vintage stores. The German and Italian side of my family live in the city now and I’m often there. Humana is a great chain of vintage stores and they stock some really nice pieces. It’s not a super luxury secondhand store, but they have great pieces.

The place I’ve been to with the best style is Bologna in Milan. Maybe with the older generations it’s a little more obvious than with the younger ones, but they have this effortlessly chic style there. Lots of suits, and that Italian vibe. I also like Biarritz, which I visit once a year, and the style is a bit more laid-back, but it has a vintage chic vibe. The Parisians also push the boundaries. You can’t put them in a box.

Steve McQueen and Alain Delon are my style icons. Also Marcello Mastroianni. They all have that effortless chic flare that I admire. McQueen has that American touch too, and he was a little less elegant than the other two maybe, but the effortless nonchalance connects them all.

I would never wear sweatpants outside of the house. I don’t have anything against sneakers, but Nike Air Force Ones might not be for me as everyone seems to have them. Some people can really rock them, but not sure I could. I’ve never tried!

My usual footwear are Chelsea boots or loafers. When it comes to trainers I wear off-white Converse Chucks. Morjas do a nice Belgian shoe. I also like boat shoes, which can be controversial. I have a nice refined pair from Tod’s, as some can be a little heavy.

I liked the cinematography of old Hitchcock films. And people dressed very nicely in films back then. How to Catch a Thief in particular stands out, with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

I don’t have a favourite cologne. I never put it on. I might get there one day, but I like when you hug someone and you can smell them and not the overpowering cologne.

I visited where Brad Pitt makes his skincare brand, Beau Domaine. That’s all I have really been using lately. It’s all natural. I don’t use too much. I do have friends who don’t use anything and they have great skin, and maybe I’ll stick to that. I don’t really drink alcohol and I think that helps.

Now read an interview with London's most stylish model and podcaster Danny Lomas

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