Caesar Guerini

The Classicist: Celebrating the Best of the Season

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Shoes, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

As we head inexorably into winter here on the East Coast, it's time for The Classicist to take a look back, raise a glass and celebrate the best of the season. Perhaps you're looking for a last-minute gift for the holidays or just want to treat yourself once the dust settles. Here's our rundown of seasonal favorites, some we've mentioned before and others appearing for the first time. See the gallery for full pix:

1. Barbour Dunelm jacket: A slimmed down version of the classic foul weather parka style jacket in signature waxed cotton with an attached hood, utility pockets and a two way zip under a studded-front storm flap, from the classic British outerwear company. Founded in 1894 and holders of the Royal Warrant, they've opened a new chapter in classic sporting style with updated designs.

2. LINCS by David Chu cardigan: From Chu's new collection of clothing for the "gentleman adventurer", a weighty cashmere cardigan in a heathery loden weave with a leather buckle at the collar and suede trim under the placket. The epitome of Chu's classic and rugged yet elegant ethos.

3. Ralph Lauren tartan duffel: Part of Lauren's luxe new Holiday Collection, rooted in the spirit of 1930's Sun Valley, the famous Idaho ski resort frequented by socialites and celebrities. Tartan plaid wool with saddle leather trim embodies wintry sophistication.

4. Wolverine Gentry Upland boots: From the 125-year-old company's new vintage-inspired 1000 Mile Collection, finished in rough full-grain leather with loden Pendleton wool inserts and lug soles. Equally at home in the field or on the town.

5. Caesar Guerini Apex shotgun: The rich heritage of fine Italian shotgun makers meets British lines and classic style in the Apex field and sporting models, blending beauty - Oiled Turkish Circassian walnut stock and intricate engraving - with performance and lasting value.

Gallery: The Classicist: Best of Fall / Winter '09

Tags: Barbour, Caesar Guerini, CaesarGuerini, David Chu, DavidChu, Land Rover, LandRover, laphroaig, LINCS, Project X, ProjectX, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, Range Rover, RangeRover, Rolex, Scotch, shotgun, sporting, The Classicist, The Equinox, TheClassicist, TheEquinox, Wolverine

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The Classicist: Caesar Guerini, Fine Italian Shotguns for the American Sportsman

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Building fine shotguns that blend beauty, performance and value is the key to gunmaker Caesar Guerini. Imported from Brescia, Italy, their over / under models combine craftsmanship, precision, and premium materials in a stylish package. The quality of the wood, the spot-on fit and finish and the intricate engraving are matched by the kind of perfect ergonomics and handling Italian gun makers are famous for the world over. Each Guerini gun is a work of art that is perfectly functional for sportsmen. The company now makes shotguns for legendary sporting outfitters Orvis, a testament to their worth.

Their newest and most stunning model, the Apex, put in an appearance in our recent Fall Sporting Style feature. It has distinctly British lines with a classic Prince of Wales grip on oiled Turkish Circassian walnut and a trim, rounded fore-end, with a revolutionary new full-length trigger guard. The action is embellished with full-coverage engraving that incorporates no fewer than four different techniques; the hand work and design are from the studios of the world renowned Italian engraving house Bottega Incisioni C. Giovanelli. And most importantly it shoots like a dream. Small wonder the gun was named Outdoor Life Magazine's Editors Choice. Not bad for a company started from the ground up in 2002.

Another much-lauded Guerini model is the Maxum, a true collector grade shotgun featuring deep relief floral scroll hand finished engraving on the receiver, side plates, and forearm assembly. An elegant coin finish complements the strikingly detailed classic style engraving. A deluxe grade of Turkish walnut, featuring precision cut, fines 26 lines-per-inch checkering and a natural oil finish, is hand rubbed to a stunning sheen. You can see both the Apex and Maxum in the gallery. The company also now has a custom shop in its Cambridge, Maryland, headquarters, offering services such as gun fittings and custom stock finishing.

Gallery: Caesar Guerini Shotguns

We had the pleasure of meeting Wes Lang, president of Guerini U.S.A., at the recent Orvis Cup sporting event sponsored by Barbour at the Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, New York. "We are like you, avid shooters and hunters," Wes says. "The passion for fine shotguns and the related activities influences many of our decisions. Our goal is to produce the very best shotguns possible at a price that makes your purchase a good investment. We constantly strive to manufacture shotguns that we enjoy shooting and we want to share the results of our passion for finely crafted and highly functional shotguns with all of our customers. Providing exemplary customer service to anyone who owns a Caesar Guerini is our mandate as well. When you own one of our shotguns you become part of a family - our family - and it's our goal to treat you that way."

Tags: Barbour, Caesar Guerini, CaesarGuerini, gun, Italy, Orvis, shotgun, sporting

Fall Sporting Style, Starring the Mercedes-Benz G-Class

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Sports, Men's Style

Photographed by Adrianna Ault for Luxist

Click above for high-res images & full credit info.

For us, fall in the country always evokes a sporting aesthetic which has its roots in England but is not necessarily strictly limited to the UK. Country pursuits pursued with panache as hunting and shooting are in England easily translate to picturesque parts of the States, while retaining elements of the sporting tradition that transcends fads and fashions. As Bernhard Roetzel remarks in his brilliant book Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion, "We have to thank these once feudal and even today only partly democratized pleasures of rural life for a style of dress that continues to demonstrate its timelessness," evocative as they are of "traditions that stretch back for generations and epitomize the English countryside."

As Roetzel notes, one does not need to be an enthusiastic hunter to take pleasure in certain pieces of clothing that were originally conceived for shooting; nor does one necessarily need to trek all over the countryside merely because one has purchased an SUV. However it is well worth putting both the SUV and the clothing to its original purpose, if only as Roetzel notes to "show them in their original environment just once before they become mere quotations in our everyday wardrobe." We are not quite so despairing of the fate of sporting authenticity, but even if your pleasure in such items is purely vicarious we feel no one of style can not be inspired by classic designs such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Barbour's British country clothing and even a fine Italian shotgun.

Gallery: Fall Sporting Style

As followers of The Classicist will recall, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class debuted back in 1979, and has been an automotive design icon known as much for rugged good looks as versatility ever since; what other vehicle after all can lay claim both to having won the famous Paris-Dakar Rally and being deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope? The model featured here is the top of the line G55 AMG (you can read all about it here). Famed British clothing company J. Barbour & Sons, known for their iconic waxed jackets which are as practical as they are stylish, was founded in 1894 and holds Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH The Prince of Wales. The jackets shown here are from their great new fall collection.

As for some of the other elements featured herein, these include the amazing Apex from Caesar Guerini, makers of fine Italian shotguns; a chronoscope by Swiss watchmaker JeanRichard; classic handcrafted rubber hunting boots from Le Chameau, founded in France in 1927; the Classic Malts Selection, the prestigious portfolio of single malts from Scotland's six distilling regions; the Leica D-LUX 4 Safari edition digital camera; the latest model sunglasses from Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana, both available at Ilori, and Cinzia Designs; and items from Ralph Lauren, Loro Piana, Beretta and others. As for the setting, the picturesque Northern Catskill Mountains provided the backdrop. See the gallery for full details.

Tags: Barbour, Burberry, Caesar Guerini, CaesarGuerini, hunting, Mercedes-Benz, Scotch, shooting, shotgun, single malt, SingleMalt, sporting, UK