NEW YORK – Luke Ditella and Melissa Dilger have the kind of careers that many only dream of – and they get to experience them as a couple. "We've fed off each other inadvertently," says Ditella, a professional model and brand ambassador, whose own talents fit seamlessly together with those of Dilger, a creative director and photographer, whose clients include Ray-Ban, Viktor & Rolf and Ferrari, among other brands. Their latest collaboration is a new website, All That We Are. We spoke with the power duo about their personal style, the need for wardrobe staples and how they would wear their favourite timepieces in Sotheby's 7 December Important Watches sale.

LUKE DITELLA AND MELISSA DILGER. PHOTO: ALLTHATWEARE.COM.
How would you each describe your personal style?
Luke Ditella: I try to have a timeless approach – what I'm wearing now would have been cool twenty years ago and will be cool twenty years from now. I tie in staple pieces. I dress plainly, but the pieces I own have minor details that bring them to life. I try to take classic and make it a little bit edgy.
Melissa Dilger: I prefer a classic silhouette – refined, but with an edge. I have a couple of blazers that I wear with everything, but then I make them my own with spiked heels and big, chunky jewellery.
How have you influenced each other’s aesthetic?
LD: We dress similarly, but it’s not intentional.
MD: We’ve been together for ten years now, so I think over time it kind of just organically happens. There are a lot of times when he’ll wear something that I like, so I’ll try to find the female version of it. Or I’ll take whatever garment of his, like a t-shirt, and pair it with my favourite black jeans.
What are you wearing right now in terms of accessories, like watches? Any favourite brands?
MD: I love Zadig & Voltaire from their bags to their garments. Luke turned me onto Vince. I like to wear Luke’s watch sometimes – it’s a nice change of pace. But in particular, I’ve always been in love with a Cartier watch that my mom has that’s very delicate. It has a rectangle face with black leather straps. Ever since I was a child I’ve loved that watch. I'd love to treat myself to one of those in a similar style. It’s so beautiful and different.
LD: A Scandinavian brand, Tom Wood, has made some of our favourite accessories to date. Their entire range is iconic in both form and function. When it comes to watches, I love very minimal, classic Rolex styles.
You both have mentioned the idea of staples a couple times. What is the appeal of wearing classic pieces?
LD: From a guy’s perspective, when I say staple pieces I mean anything that James Dean or Steve McQueen would have worn. Every guy strives to have that essence of cool.
MD: You can dress them up, dress them down – they're your go-to and you know you feel good in them. They are pieces that are functional for any occasion.
Click below to see which watches from Sotheby's upcoming Important Watches auction Ditella and Dilger picked for different occasions.