Dressing for La Dolce Vita in San Miguel
By Mario DiMarco

The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo.
Mark Twain

The Italians are coming! They are gorgeous, sophisticated, stylish…and they are intent on making us more beautiful.

On Thanksgiving Day, Paul & Shark Yachting, the upscale sports clothing manufacturer from Milan, is opening a store at Hospicio 37, next to the Sierra Nevada hotel. San Miguel resident Maria Abel, a good friend of the company’s brass, is bringing in the brand, housing the luscious collection in a three-room store, the furnishings of which match the elegance of the clothing.

“San Miguel joins all the beautiful old cities of Europe in hosting Paul & Shark,” she said recently at her hillside home here. “The building is a rare adobe. The local architect Manuel Barbosa, who specializes in restorations of older buildings, directed a team of excellent craftspeople from San Miguel and the surrounding area.”

“Paul” is the anglicized version of Paolo and “Shark” was chosen because it is the one animal that must continuously swim forward to survive, moving water past its gills to oxygenate its body. The metaphor is perfectly adapted to the company that makes some of the most beautifully crafted and detailed garments in the world.

Since introducing its stylish casual wear, Paul & Shark’s clothing has become regarded as one of Italy’s finest brands. During the eighties, as the casual football-hooligan scene was taking off in the UK, Paul & Shark gained prominence there, symbolizing well-dressed, well-off football fans.

“For the store, Paul & Shark allowed me to have the furnishings made in Mexico, which is a departure from the company’s regular policy,” Maria Abel said. “The all-important brass fittings are from Mexico.”

Although this type of fashion began centuries ago, it still holds its age-old charm. In Italy, sailors’ wives would sit outside their front doors, knitting away and glancing occasionally to the sea with the hope of spotting a sail on the horizon. Each family knitted with a different decorative stitch, consequently each pullover was a unique item to be proud of. The skills have been passed on from one generation of women to the next, resulting in a cultural and sentimental heritage of entire families. These warm, water-resistant sweaters were ideal for the sailors of the Royal fleet. Women worked by candlelight, treating their yarns with wax to make the clothes water-repellent.

“The Paul & Shark Store is a good ‘fit’ for San Miguel,” Maria Abel said. “I believe it will bring people to town who are interested in style and grace in clothing. Like San Miguel itself, this clothing is comfortable, good-looking and tasteful.”

Maria Abel has been living here for several years, having moved from Pittsburgh, PA, where she and her husband were industrialists. She is originally from Austria, her husband from Germany. 

“I am hoping that the store will appeal not only to visitors, but also to San Miguel residents who are looking for good quality clothing that is styled to last,” Maria Abel said.

Mario DiMarco contributes to Men’s Vogue and W. He divides his time between Rome and San Miguel.