Let’s just say Peserico had us at its logo — a stylized version of the head of the Apollo Belvedere, a Greco-Roman marble that graces the Vatican Museums and is one of the great works of art.
Like the Apollo Belvedere, Peserico’s creations are beautiful and deeply rooted in Italy. Founded in 1962 by Maria Peserico as a company making trousers for women in Cornedo Vicentino, about an hour outside Venice, the brand debuted its first collection of pants under its own name in 1975 — five years after Peserico’s husband, Giuseppe Peruffo, joined in the management. (Their son, Riccardo, is CEO of this family affair, with Riccardo’s wife, Paola Gonella, serving as creative director.) In 1980, Peserico launched its first ready-to-wear collection.
Ten years later, the brand entered the U.S. market. Today, it’s in 1,110 stores worldwide as well has more than 20 shops that bear its name, including one in Greenwich that opened in May 2018.
Recently, we visited Peserico’s Greenwich Avenue store and drank in its chic monochromatic offerings — the brand produces 250,000 items per season — with occasional pops of color that make the neutrals all the more sedately sleek.
“I like to define Peserico as ‘everyday couture,’ with its soft colors, essential and elegant shapes for women of any age who like to feel chic and ready in any moment of their day,” Gonella told WWD in 2018. “The quality of our yarns and (more than 200) fabrics, often exclusive to us, are tied to a sartorial craftsmanship that we support from the ’60s as a family tradition.”
And then there’s Peserico’s signature T-shirt in luxurious white cotton, with its cuffed cap sleeves and the stylized head of the Apollo Belvedere emblazoned in silver chain punta luce (“point of light”) embroidery on the front — a company signature.
It’s a classic piece fit for a classical god.
Peserico is at 279 Greenwich Ave. For more, call 203-869-7999.
