Step aboard the Stanley Tucci x N.Peal cashmere collection

Step aboard the Stanley Tucci x N.Peal cashmere collection | The Gentleman's Journal

Stanley Tucci is no stranger to style. On screen, the actor may have famously played the sharp, seasoned Nigel Kipling in The Devil Wears Prada, but that’s just one of his exceedingly well-dressed turns. Remember those trim turtlenecks in sci-fi flick The Core? Or the many lamé and jacquard jackets of The Hunger Games? How about his Road to Perdition pinstripes? The list goes on.

It’s no wonder, then, that a heritage fashion house has finally tapped Tucci for his flair. But N.Peal, which this autumn launched a 13-piece capsule collection with the Oscar-nominated actor, also knows a thing or two about cinematic style. Founded in 1936, the British knitwear brand outfitted Daniel Craig’s 007 on several occasions, supplied Michael Caine with cashmere, and was a firm favourite of late Hollywood icons including Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant.

Grant’s influence, in particular, looms large over these new designs. “As a boy,” says Tucci, “the idea of international travel was thrilling to me. Movies like North by Northwest epitomised the Golden Age of Travel, when the journey was just as exciting and luxurious as the destination. That sense of adventure is something that has always stayed with me.”

Weaving watchwords ranging from “reliable” and “timeless” into his namesake collection, Tucci’s capsule is a showcase of cashmere’s natural qualities. As a nod to the actor’s own Calabrian heritage, fine Italian fibres have been used — and the colour palette is inspired by his art teacher father’s paintings, with shades including dark charcoal, chocolate brown and rich navy.

But travel is the overarching inspiration. Tucci, especially in his later career, has become known for his enthusiastic travel and food documentaries, and each of these new N.Peal pieces is perfect for any of his upcoming jaunts or journeys. “Whenever I travel,” says the actor, “whether it’s on a train or a plane, I like to dress nicely. I’ll always have a jacket with me, a tie and a pair of shoes, even if I’m going to the tropics, because you never know…”

Knits, as expected, form the core of the collection — with a half-zip, full-zip, round neck sweater and long-sleeved polo guaranteeing comfort on even the roughest of rides or voyages. A chunky roll-neck (in navy or grey) is perhaps the cosiest offering, and makes a strong cashmere-soft case as the cornerstone of the range. But, in the Gentleman’s Journal office, we’re particularly taken by the knitted blazer, a bridging piece often overlooked by tailors and knitwear labels alike, but nevertheless an invaluable garment in this world of ever-relaxing dress codes.

Add to the line-up a pair of jackets (both field and utility), a herringbone scarf, and a knitted tie (which, in another twist on tradition, features a pointed blade), and the capsule proves itself a perfect winter wardrobe primer. Five colourful pairs of travel-ready socks — with green, orange and ochre accents — round out the collection. And, as with every other piece, even these are exquisitely made, with an attention to detail that keen gastronomer Tucci equates to ingredients in a recipe.

“…the journey was just as exciting and luxurious as the destination…”

“The materials that you use to make something, like the ingredients that you use in a dish, must be the best that you can find,” he explains. “Simply because the quality will be better, and that goes hand in hand with sustainability. The better the ingredient, the better the product. As an actor, you’re constantly wearing different articles of clothing, so when you find something that is truly well-made, it allows you to do what you need to do. It’s the same in real life.”

Tucci worked closely with N.Peal CEO Adam Holdsworth to create the new collection, meticulously revising and refining each design and stitching it through with that unique Tucci touch; from the colours and width of a collar, to whether or not to include side splits on a hem. “For me,” says the actor, “each element needed to be just right. Otherwise, it simply wouldn’t work.”

In order to showcase the resulting range, Tucci jumped aboard a sumptuous British Pullman train. Featuring the same emerald accents as his collection, the ever-elegant actor modelled the pieces himself in the luxurious carriage, channelling both his love for travel and a life well-spent in front of the camera. And, if there’s something of old cinema about the campaign, that’s no accident.

“I’ve always loved old movies,” reveals Tucci. “Not only because so many of them are simply great movies, but the design aspects of them are really fascinating, particularly the way people dressed was pretty extraordinary and timelessly elegant. So, when we were working on the collection we talked about To Catch a Thief and classic Italian cinema as our inspiration.”

Another Cary Grant classic, To Catch a Thief — Hitchcock’s romantic crime caper set along the steamy French Riviera — is a terrific style touchstone for the new collection. For, while these newest N.Peal knits are ideal for tackling grey Great British winters, they’d work equally as chicly beneath a hot Côte d’Azur sun. Why? Because, like Tucci’s own performances, each piece is thoroughly considered and crafted to be as versatile as the seasoned actor himself.