Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/175740
DESIGNER OBSESSION PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADITYA KAPOOR/GETTY IMAGES AND JASON SCHMIDT/TRUNK ARCHIVE While they may produce highly coveted creations for the closet, these designers' garages are a good place to start when it comes to their own collectibles. BY WILLIAM KISSEL Designer Lapo Elkann has always been an independent spirit, first with his reinvention of the Fiat 500; later with his have-it-your-way fashion collection, aptly named Italia Independent; and, coming this Fall, his collaboration on a new label, Lapo's Wardrobe, with Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. However, anyone who's met the irrepressible grandson of the late Italian style icon Gianni Agnelli and heir to the Fiat fortune knows that Elkann's true passion is cars. His favorite is a matte green Fiat 500, which he drives regularly, and his latest is a camouflage-painted Ferrari 458 Italia. Now the charismatic designer of both cars and clothing has enough muscle power (Fiats, Ferraris, Maseratis and more) in his garage to have his collection counted among the best in the world. But Elkann isn't the only high-profile fashion designer with a passion for cars; Ralph Lauren's fascination with motoring is legendary. His first purchase was a Porsche Turbo bought in 1978 and since then he has amassed more than 70 vehicles—from Alfa Romeos and Bugattis to Porsches and Ferraris—all stored in a specially outfitted garage, the contents of which were the subject of an exhibition, "L'Art de L'Automobile," at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2011. Lauren doesn't attest to a favorite, but the designer does own one of the world's most expensive cars, with his $40 million Bugatti 57SC Atlantic Coupe, built in 1938. Apart from their physical beauty, Lauren says cars play a significant role in his creative vision. To that end, everything from highly styled air vents and perfectly crafted steering wheels to Ralph Lauren's 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder convertible. 202 BAL HARBOUR