Style

Getting Feaky

One of the most elegant and attentive individuals that The Rake has had the pleasure of meeting, Mr Paul Feakes, of the Savoy Hotel in Florence, is every bit as much the aesthete as he is a part of the hotel’s extraordinary hauteur.

Words Aleks Cvetkovic

Should one visit the effortlessly chic Savoy Hotel in Florence, one should be aware that the refinement of the establishment is elevated in no small measure by the talents of it’s Restaurant Manager, Mr Paul Feakes Esq., a gentleman who utterly embodies the values of uncompromising service. A passionate dresser and genuine sophisticate, he exudes a natural and thoroughly beguiling sense of hospitality, as does the hotel itself. One suspects that the two are not mutually exclusive…

Paul’s Ulster coat comes from a local best-kept secret. ‘It’s from a Casentino specialist here in Florence. I was attracted to it for a few reasons; it’s typically Florentine, timeless but also very chic – I can wear it with a suit but also with jeans or casualwear. I love the colour, but I really love it’s emerald green lining.’

‘I love Casentino in particular’ says Paul ‘it’s incredibly warm but also light to wear and waterproof. It’s so much more interesting than a conventional, flat woollen fabric.’

‘Accessorising carefully is so important’, says Feakes. ‘I try not to overdo things; otherwise it looks too forced. If I wear a boutonniere, I won’t wear a pocket square for example, with a scarf I might not wear a tie and so on. Above all, playing with accessories should be fun; accessories change my mood as well as my look.

Paul’s patinaed Panther-head ring is rather a statement piece. ‘It's from a very creative guy in Florence called Marco Cantini, I can never resist his creations. I think it’s good to shake things up a little, given that it’s not necessarily expected for a man to wear something like this.’

Bracelets are a big deal for Paul: ‘I’m always hunting for bracelets. These three are from different places – the multicoloured beads are again from Marco Cantini - I can never resist his creations. The rudraksha beads are from India, and then my other bracelet was a gift and is made from antique Venetian glass beads.’

Paul scarf is actually a much loved meditation shawl. ‘I bought it whilst living in India over 22 years ago’, he explains. ‘Green seems to be my colour this winter, so this has been reborn into the life of a scarf.’

Photography by Robert Spangle.

accessories, Casentino, florence, Paul Feakes, Pocket Guide, Rakish, Savoy Hotel, Sophisticate, The Rake

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