I received the final suit from Vergallo a couple of weeks ago, and am pleased with the results. I think the most pertinent thing to say by why of analysis is that the cut is very soft – perhaps softer than I expected from a northern Italian tailor. But that might just be my inexperience. I’m still a beginner, folks.
The chest and shoulder are both very lightly padded, and the shoulder itself slopes off naturally without any roll – though of course not being a spalla camicia or shirt sleeve, as preferred in Naples. This effect is exaggerated by the material, which was of course entirely my choice. It is a cashmere/wool mix from a Cacciopoli bunch in a fairly chunky weave and is certainly intended for a blazer, rather than a full suit.
But the overall effect is an incredibly comfortable suit, something that feels more comfy than any cotton tracksuit you care to mention. The trousers are unlikely to hold a crease, but I audibly sigh and relax as I put it on.
The suit is therefore certainly not sharp or stylised. It has mid-size lapels and relatively closed quarters – not much cutaway at the bottom. The trousers are typical of the region, being cuffed and relatively short, though not that narrow. A Vergallo suit wouldn’t normally come with strap-and-buckle adjustors, but I requested them. My only criticism of the suit, in fact, is that the adjustors Gianni sourced could be better – but that can easily be changed.
The work throughout is top notch and the fit very good, as hopefully comes across. It exhibits the little touches that Gianni takes pride in, such as the darts in the forepart ending at the pocket, making the bottom a single piece. And the patch pockets have that lovely curved shape that clearly sets it apart from English tailoring.
A lovely, well-made and great-value suit.
Sartoria Vergallo is based in Varese, but visits London every month. His suits start at €1800. For more background, see post here.
awesome looking piece of work!! wish i had the cash pardon me.. but when u say ‘the pants is unable to hold a crease and therefore the suit isn’t sharp’, dont most pants crease up a little somehow.. i thought only stuff with polyester dont crease up.. just curious. sorry if i got anything wrong! 🙂 thanks! 🙂
Hi Simons,
This seems to be a lovely suit indeed. Now, I must confess that I am more and more amazed by the variety of styles, fabrics actually used by even the most obscure fashion retailer in Italy on one side, and the uniformity in these respects in, say, London, on the other side. To witness the same level of variety displayed by Italians in the UK, one needs to go to bespoke, or … to retailers of Italian fashion. Why is it so? I am truly flabbergasted!
Do you happen to have any explanations?
John
Marcus, anything will hold a crease better than cashmere. And I’m talking about the crease down the middle of your trousers, as an indication of generally how sharp-looking a suit will remain.
John, it’s all about style and the market. English men don’t buy enough suits, or bespoke, to make it worth the while of mills or retailers to stock them. Launch your own personal crusade and go into every English retailer asking for exotic combinations!
Simon
This is a very nice jacket cut. I prefer this version of a soft shoulder displaying a more architectural edge (if one might say) compared to the Rubinacci style – at least for suits compared to a sports jacket. It looks like the jacket does not have a side panel between the front and back – is this correct? Therefore, the dart shown near the rear of the patch pocket suggests the front-part of the jacket is made from one piece? Is this correct? From what you have seen do most Italian tailors do not have side panels between the front part and back?
Forgive me if I’m simply missing something here but I can’t understand what I see: the breast pocket in the first image is on your right, then it switches to the left in the second image. A photo through a mirror?
Anonymous, yes you’re right it is a single panel. But it’s not exclusively an Italian thing – A&S traditionally cuts in this way too. It’s much harder to achieve on larger men, though, and most tailors eschew it for that reason.
Tim, well spotted – it is a photo in a mirror
Simon
Simon,
To be honest I find this suit a little bit dull and boring. Not too fan of these square patch pockets. There is something unbalanced (for me !).
Perhaps it’s the picture. They actually have more shape to them (particularly a narrower opening) than anything an English tailor would make.
It even looks comfortable from here! Everyone needs at least one suit like this, perhaps it’s the sort of suit to make even the most suit-resistant take to wearing suits.
I can’t see any problem with the trousers holding a crease, there is enough wool (presumably) in the mix and even cashmere isn’t resistant to the iron and back of brush to put in a decent crease.
Simon : certainly ! you know these things better than me !
“But that might just be my inexperience. I’m still a beginner, folks.”
(Charmingly disingenuous, Simon!)
You do have a way of pursuing best of the best; whilst daring to explore creative possibilities –still managing to remain unpretentious.
Your suit comes off as a great knock-about suit. (Intended in a good way.) Luxe informal. Something to be dressed down. Maybe brown suede slip-ons, polo neck sweater?
looks like a good amour, very nice suit with good price for an excellent Italian product
I followed up your Browne experience and got a DB made, can’t wait for the first forward fitting
The vents don’t look to be sitting wll over your rear. Perhaps a bit more cloth is needed acrsoss the small of your back?
I don’t think there’s an issue there, that’s a tiny cross-section to go on
Simon,
Would You try to explain and comment, pictures welcomed, about the different jackets and/or suits You have bought from the likes of Thom Sweeney and Graham Browne to this one from Sartoria Vergallo. I would really appreciate to read about Your opinions and comparisions about cut, fit and style. Last but not least I would ask You to also put in some comments about the price/quality ratio.
Still learning
Hi,
I would suggest you look through the archives of the blog. You will find suits featured from Huntsman, Henry Poole, Anderson & Sheppard, Timothy Everest, Choppin & Lodge, Rubinacci, Cifonelli and others, along with the ones you mentioned. All have photos and comments on what I think about the cut, fit and style.
As to value for money, Veragllo is very good, particularly for an Italian make, and I maintain that Graham Browne is the best value for money in London, though the make is not the same level as Savile Row. A great place to start though.
I hope that helps
Simon
HI Simon
I just had my first suit made by Satoria Vergallo. Gianni and Luca were absolutely charming and the finished suit is lovely. A close but elegant fit with a relaxed drape and soft shoulders. Excellent value too. Recommended.
Best wishes, LC
Hi Simon,
Love the suit. May I ask who your tie and pocket hank are made by? I really like the whole outfit and you have a way with matching ties/suits/shirts that I like very much.
White shirt by Kiton, grey cashmere tie by Drake’s
Hi Simon- it’s a fantastic suit, i’m considering having one like this made, as in this sort of fabric it can be used as seperate pieces- what would be a similar bunch from Scabal or LP? My tailor won’t have access to Cacciopoli.
Thanks Alex
Any navy cashmere from LP should work
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the great blog. Yours is easily the favourite blog I read from time to time. Full of passion and knowledge and great taste in your articles and the photos.
May I ask what tie you wearing in the photo? I’ve been trying to find something similar for some time.
Many thanks.
T
Oh. Just saw you already commented on the tie maker. Thanks.
Hi Simon
I’m having a suit made by Vergallo. I’ve had a fitting and on the trousers I noticed that he had two darts on the front. Do you have these darts on your trousers? I’ve never seen this before. I believe he referred to them as closed pleats. Quite unusual.
Dear Simon,
Can you recall if Sartoria Vergallo charged a lot more for the cashmere cloth? I have just phoned Whitcomb and S and they quoted £2,500 (nearly double the price!) for a cashmere jacket.
Thank you very much,
Stuart
I can’t, sorry Stuart
Dear Simon
I cant stress out enough how invaluable your blog has been for me. As a college graduant I started my work life a year ago and therefore had to upgrade my entire wardrobe to a more formal level. Now I am thinking about going bespoke. As I am located in Zurich, Varese is not too far away and Sartoria Vergallo seems a very good place to start. But as my funds are limited I always wondered if you pay for the comission of a suit in advance or upon receival of the finished garment. Also do you know any bespoke taylors in Zurich?
Keep up the good work!
Andreas
Thanks Andreas, thats lovely to hear.
Vergallo are certainly worth a try, and you would usually pay half in advance.
No, none in Zurich I’m afraid…
Hi Simon. What does a close fit mean? That the jacket and trousers are more fitted? I don’t want to say slim fit.
Yes, fitted more closely to the body
If I remember correctly, you (or someone else) said that Vergallo can tailor anything from semi-structured to very soft like the Neapolitans. Where does your suit belong in this range?
Is the classic milanese style semi-structured?
Could you name some well-known tailors whose house style is semi-structured? Maybe Liverano? Caraceni? The French?
Thank you and sorry for the many questions.
They can make a range of styles, yes, though always bear in mind the final result won’t be exactly the same as the Neapolitan, for example. Many small aspects of cut will be different.
This is in the middle of the range for Italians – not as soft as the Neapolitan, not as structured as the Milanese – and is the Vergallo default
I’d classify the French and Liverano as semi-structured, yes, though there are of course many other variations.
Ist seems like Vergallo is similar to Musella Dembech and Roman tailors regarding structure?
How would you describe your green linen suit from Gieves & Hawkes and your Anderson & Sheppard suits in terms of structure? Are they similar to Vergallo, semi-structured or still more structered than any Italian?
I really think it’s worth reading the various entries in that Guide to Tailors Styles. There are so many variables here.
Vergallo has a similar amount of structure to Musella, but Musella looks a lot squarer in the shoulder.
Most English tailors are all more structured than most Italians. Only perhaps Milanese like Caraceni are an exception. But again, read those more detailed posts, and the Gieves suit review
I‘ve read nearly all on permanent style and I know it‘s not possible to compare suits by just one dimension. Actually, I was just interested in the different weights used for the chest and how they differentiate between the big regional styles on general (Milanese, Neapolitan, French, Roman, structured English, lighter English like A&S, G&H) and which ones are similar, especially how northern Italians compare to lighter English like A&S and the lighter weights used by G&H.
And I have to say I really enjoy permanent style and it’s the best website about menswear worldwide.
Thank you very much.
If you’re just talking about weight of canvas in the chest then it’s a lot easier!
You haven’t fully answered my last question about the lighter English canvas vs the northern Italians?
Sorry. So in terms purely of canvas:
– The heaviest are the structured English tailors (Huntsman, Sexton etc)
– Drape houses tend to be a little lighter (eg A&S), but there is some variation
– And today houses are often varying their canvas with the weight of cloth, like my linen from Gieves
– At that point, those houses become comparable with the French and North Italians on canvas weight (and layers of canvas)
– The only big step down is when you get to Naples, where universally light canvases are used, with often just one layer.
I hope that helps. It’s not straightforward because tailors vary a little within each region (as pointed out in the UK), some vary with weights of cloth used, and some are even a little flexible depending on what the customer wants.
Is the cut of the suit comparable to your herringone suit from Caraceni?
In some ways, though not in others. Most notably, the Caraceni shoulder is rather squarer.
If you want a full analysis, you can compare the two suits in the Guide to Tailor Styles
I have been reading through your archives over the past few months. Your style evolution has been significant. You definitely favored flair, and sharper, showier cuts, when you first started the blog. While you still seem to have liked that at this point, you were starting to move toward subtlety. I was hoping to find an article or series of articles in which I could pinpoint when you moved from more of a fan’s view to highly sophisticated analysis — far, far more sophisticated than my own. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find such a time. The journey has been fascinating, though. I’d quite recommend reading from the beginning. I’ve learned a tremendous amount.