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WELL SUITED TRANSPORT

Designer on BoardDocking this summer in Sag Harbor, the Aquariva by Gucci is powered by pure Italian style.

Ever since Lincoln enlisted the likes of Bill

Blass and Pucci for a series of tricked-out

Town Cars in the ’70s, pairing design

houses with luxury vehicles has resulted in

a simple but satisfying value-add: Own one,

and you’ve got bragging rights in both worlds.

The yachting world followed suit with vessels

codesigned by Thierry Mugler and Elie Saab. Now it’s Gucci that’s hop-

ing to leave the competition in its wake, collaborating with storied Italian

boatmaker Riva.

The Aquariva by Gucci is an evolution of the Riva’s famous Aquarama—

which, back in the day, was the status symbol for Riviera hotshots like Aristotle

Onassis, Prince Rainier and the Aga Khan. This beauty is one of many special ini-

tiatives designed to celebrate the Florentine fashion house’s 90th anniversary.

Gucci (which, for the record, partnered with Cadillac on a special-edition

Seville in 1979) has kept the boat’s classic sex appeal intact; the clean lines and

mahogany surfaces look as sophisticated as ever. Painted Gucci’s tone of glossy

white, the fiberglass hull cuts through water like a bolt of lightning, the brand’s

signature red-and-green tri-stripe neatly demarcating the waterline.

Each boat has 380hp and a cruising speed of 41 knots,

and is made to order at Riva’s factory on Lake Iseo in Italy.

Gucci creative director Frida Giannini also commissioned

a complementary accessories collection that includes a

matching picnic set, shoes, silk scarf, watch, beach towel

and sunglasses to match. Chic travel bags are embossed

in the same Guccissima print that accents the waterproof

fabric on the seats and sundeck—but they’re also

available separately, just in case you can’t

quite bring yourself to rock the boat.

riva-yacht.com—DARRELL HARTMAN

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Aquariva by Gucci; Riva craftsmen working on Tritone models circa 1950; Elizabeth Taylor comes ashore in a Junior Riva, 1967; the coveted view from the captain’s chair; the Aquariva by Gucci includes the luxury brand’s logo and signature red-and-green stripe.

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