When a fight broke out between Channel Nine executive David Gyngell and billionaire James Packer, the son of the late Kerry Packer, who once held the title as Australia's wealthiest citizen, the newspaper tabloids referred to the over-sized Packer, in a battle that resembled David and Goliath, as the 'Packer-Whacker' - a name which I hope sticks over the years because it's quite humorous.
What Packer and Gyngell were fighting about is still not fully known but forms a key part of the salacious gossip that sometimes gets bandied around amongst those that suppose they are in the know in Sydney's society set and those that sit on the periphery of the social sets of both men. Whatever was the reason for the 'billionaire biffo' , it remains as one of the great documented social spectacles of Sydney circa 2014.
What was most interesting about the stoush was not seeing James Packer's grappling ability but what he chose to wear on his private jet flight back to Sydney. It was what I would like to call 'billionaire bogan' attire, the comfort gear that one would want to wear on a flight to Sydney, not the stylised glossy magazine peaked lapel suit and tie that we're told is private jet attire.
It got me very excited when one newspaper article published his entire look top to bottom and where you could buy everything that James Packer was wearing. One item in particular, the Loro Piana cashmere tracksuit pants or 'trackies' as we call them in Australia, were the most alluring purchase that I might have liked to follow up on. At $2975 AUD they were about as much as I'd ever pay for a bespoke suit. Quite an indulgence for something you might wear whilst watching the NRL Grand Final or taking a walk on Bondi, but needless to say, the only way a billionaire should do 'athletica'.
Not managing to secure myself the trackies, but able to find a round neck cashmere sweater of equal or higher standing than Loro Piana, I recently had the pleasure of receiving a Kiton cashmere sweater from Tie Deals in California. The navy cashmere sweater I received was hand-dyed and beautifully constructed with a great deal of hand stitching both on the seam of the arms as well as around the shoulders and neck. I have had great sweaters before, from Johnston's Of Elgin, Brunello Cuccinelli and others, but the details and quality of this particular knit was on another level. Quite simply, I felt like a billionaire.
As is often the case with cashmere, it's very difficult to know which brands to trust. There is so much cashmere and cashmere blends going around these days, made here there and everywhere, that the great difficulty is in ascertaining who can be trusted to deliver the genuine product with a real hands on approach both to the yarns employed as well as the construction of the garment. The two other brands I mentioned above, as well as the brand Gran Sasso that I have worn in the past, most definitely can be.
And if the actual Kiton sweater against my skin did not convince me, then there was this, written on the swing tag, in that typical Italian English that makes you smile whilst you read.
"Kiton is a name that scents of legend, inspired by the mythical "Chitone", the ceremonial tunics used by the ancient Greeks for their prayers.
Today the company, born near Naples, thanks to the intuition of Ciro Paone, has grown to become a jewel of Made In Italy. Our daily work is based on one promise "To give the best of the best plus one".
The Kiton knitwear combines the finest raw material, handcraft skills of Neapolitan tradition and the most innovative technologies to produce the garments of exceptional quality and peerless beauty, knitting made "to be enjoyed in every detail" .
It goes on to describe the garment as being made of 'Dreamy Cashmere-Silk" that gives it a 'precious appearance and soft hand' and that because of these 'nobler yarns' the garment is slightly iridescent.
The thing is, I knew that as soon as I put the sweater on, it's just that the swing tag put it into words. It was fit for me. It is fit for a billionaire. So, if one day I should become a billionaire and get into a biffo with an old buddy, you best believe I'll be wearing a cashmere tracksuit just like James Packer, or JP as his buddies call him.
What Packer and Gyngell were fighting about is still not fully known but forms a key part of the salacious gossip that sometimes gets bandied around amongst those that suppose they are in the know in Sydney's society set and those that sit on the periphery of the social sets of both men. Whatever was the reason for the 'billionaire biffo' , it remains as one of the great documented social spectacles of Sydney circa 2014.
What was most interesting about the stoush was not seeing James Packer's grappling ability but what he chose to wear on his private jet flight back to Sydney. It was what I would like to call 'billionaire bogan' attire, the comfort gear that one would want to wear on a flight to Sydney, not the stylised glossy magazine peaked lapel suit and tie that we're told is private jet attire.
It got me very excited when one newspaper article published his entire look top to bottom and where you could buy everything that James Packer was wearing. One item in particular, the Loro Piana cashmere tracksuit pants or 'trackies' as we call them in Australia, were the most alluring purchase that I might have liked to follow up on. At $2975 AUD they were about as much as I'd ever pay for a bespoke suit. Quite an indulgence for something you might wear whilst watching the NRL Grand Final or taking a walk on Bondi, but needless to say, the only way a billionaire should do 'athletica'.
Not managing to secure myself the trackies, but able to find a round neck cashmere sweater of equal or higher standing than Loro Piana, I recently had the pleasure of receiving a Kiton cashmere sweater from Tie Deals in California. The navy cashmere sweater I received was hand-dyed and beautifully constructed with a great deal of hand stitching both on the seam of the arms as well as around the shoulders and neck. I have had great sweaters before, from Johnston's Of Elgin, Brunello Cuccinelli and others, but the details and quality of this particular knit was on another level. Quite simply, I felt like a billionaire.
As is often the case with cashmere, it's very difficult to know which brands to trust. There is so much cashmere and cashmere blends going around these days, made here there and everywhere, that the great difficulty is in ascertaining who can be trusted to deliver the genuine product with a real hands on approach both to the yarns employed as well as the construction of the garment. The two other brands I mentioned above, as well as the brand Gran Sasso that I have worn in the past, most definitely can be.
And if the actual Kiton sweater against my skin did not convince me, then there was this, written on the swing tag, in that typical Italian English that makes you smile whilst you read.
"Kiton is a name that scents of legend, inspired by the mythical "Chitone", the ceremonial tunics used by the ancient Greeks for their prayers.
Today the company, born near Naples, thanks to the intuition of Ciro Paone, has grown to become a jewel of Made In Italy. Our daily work is based on one promise "To give the best of the best plus one".
The Kiton knitwear combines the finest raw material, handcraft skills of Neapolitan tradition and the most innovative technologies to produce the garments of exceptional quality and peerless beauty, knitting made "to be enjoyed in every detail" .
It goes on to describe the garment as being made of 'Dreamy Cashmere-Silk" that gives it a 'precious appearance and soft hand' and that because of these 'nobler yarns' the garment is slightly iridescent.
The thing is, I knew that as soon as I put the sweater on, it's just that the swing tag put it into words. It was fit for me. It is fit for a billionaire. So, if one day I should become a billionaire and get into a biffo with an old buddy, you best believe I'll be wearing a cashmere tracksuit just like James Packer, or JP as his buddies call him.
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| Hand-stitching in this Kiton sweater along the sleeve seam, along with hand-dying and a tightly woven yarns, gives this sweater a 'billionaire' feel to it. |
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| Fine yarns in this Kiton sweater along with hand-stitching details and hand-dying of the wool set this cashmere sweater apart from others. Fit for a billionaire. |
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| Everybody was Kung Fu fighting .... James Packer in the historic 'Packer Whacker Biffo' |
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