Jay Hartington is co-owner of Marissa Collections, a designer fashion and jewelry mainstay in Naples. With a long-standing penchant for style and entrepreneurship, the Naples native is also co-owner of watch brand Rumba Time. Earlier this year, Hartington stepped into the world of beauty to launch yet another business that he co-owns, MakeupDrop, an innovative nonporous silicone makeup applicator that has quickly gained praise from celebrity makeup artists.
1. Favorite escape: Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea. There’s great Italian food and the most beautiful water and beaches.
2. Favorite musician: Bob Marley. His songs are stories of love mixed with the right amount of social consciousness.
3. Revered artist: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. I’ve always been fascinated with the chiaroscuro technique, and he was debatably the best at it.
4. Go-to fashion designers: Brunello Cucinelli, for men and women, because his clothes work for all lifestyles and ages. For women, Michael Kors and Oscar de le Renta never disappoint.
5. Memorable read: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I always loved how Holden Caulfield takes his own approach to the world.
6. What few people know about him: I was once an investment banker and went to business school in Barcelona, Spain. I also studied at Apicius culinary school in Florence, Italy, and I speak Italian.
7. Travel essentials: Bose headphones, Brunello Cucinelli travel blazer, today’s newspaper and a good book.
8. Outdoor fun: Snowboarding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
9. Best local bite: Veranda E. The Kung Pao calamari is a top-five dish anywhere.
10. Words to live by: I’ve been told by mentors to always have a plan. Then I heard T. Boone Pickens say, “A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan any day.” I couldn’t agree more!
11. Naples’ best-kept secret: Taqueria San Julian. I’m obsessed with tacos, and they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
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