Luca Faloni knitwear – a high-quality staple

Friday, October 21st 2016
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For the past four months I’ve been wearing and trying out the knitwear of Luca Faloni - an Italian with an online store based here in London.

Luca offers quite a broad range of things, including leather goods, scarves and shirts; but it is the knitwear I’ve come to particularly love.

The fit is moderately slim - more tailored than the vast majority of knitwear, but still comfortable for a range of sizes. The quality is high - made in Italy and with Cariaggi cashmere. And being online only, it is very good value - between £225 and £265.

I’ve been wearing the brown-melange V-neck primarily, which has performed very well. Really soft, minimal pilling, and just loving the fit. I might have the V about an inch deeper, but that’s it.

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The range used to be restricted to the classics - V-necks, crewnecks, in navy, grey and some other melanges. But it has expanded recently.

First was the polo sweater. It is cut a little bit more like a long-sleeved polo shirt than normal knitwear. So straight and slim through the body and sleeve, and without ribbing at the end of either.

It works really well over a T-shirt, giving you the feeling of the cashmere being closer to the skin. But you can also wear it with a shirt - it feels too slim on the sleeve to start with, but loosens up over time. And you can size up as well.

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The second introduction has been a cashmere hoodie, in navy and grey. This has the same straight cut as the polo sweater, with a hood, but unusually has three buttons running down from the neck.

Personally I find this means it doesn’t look that great buttoned up, as I’d wear a normal wool hoodie (I have two from Al Bazar that I’ve worn for the past couple of years, in navy and pale grey).

But it does work really well with two or three of the buttons undone, over a shirt for example.

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I now have a navy hoodie and wear it with two buttons undone over a button-down shirt.

It has the nice effect of looking like a pretty conservative navy V-neck, but with the slightly more sporty element of the hood, and frames the collar and neck of the shirt well.

It’s also worth saying that Luca’s colour selection is very good - and typically Italian. The camel beige in the polo sweater, for instance, or that brown-melange V-neck, are redolent of Loro Piana or Fedeli.

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Elsewhere Luca does shirts with a one-piece collar and two fits (slim and regular); the suede belts are nice (though I’d prefer a brass buckle); and the design of the bag is quite cool - the handles are broad and reinforced to allow you to carry it easily over the shoulder as well as in the hand.

The fit has also been improved on the shirts. They used to have a very short shoulder, which can create greater movement but also be too tight under the arm. The initial ones I tried were too tight, but the new range has lengthened the shoulder by 1cm on either side.

The brushed cottons are also lighter in weight than you might expect, making them very versatile.

It's become a nice source of both high-quality cashmere staples and some interesting new ideas.

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Jonas E

Which of these sweaters would be good with the Friday polo in your opinion?

Gus

Nothing particularly groundbreaking here. Thought, I suppose it is not in your interest to criticise those who pay to advertise on your blog!

Matt

Articles like these are known in the world of journalism as “puff”!

Jon

How many times has Simon wrote about brands such as Edward Green who also advertise? Criticism seems harsh in my opinion.

Gus

Come on Simon. The majority of your advertisers feature on the blog in various guises, whether it be in a specific review or a PR placement. It simply cannot be in your interest to criticise them.

On the other hand, I do like your blog despite the disingenuous nature of your odd post here and there.

mark

I personally like the puff articles, they are entertaining and somewhat funny. If you want to really know something, you have to check and try personally anyway, everbody knows that (or should know).

BespokeNYC

I couldn’t disagree with you more here Gus; do a quick search on the site and you’ll see there are plenty of brands who advertised and yet have no coverage at all. Advertising pays for the free content on the site that we all enjoy (and is sometimes genuinely useful) but Simon has always been very clear to keep this separate from the editorial content. Moreover, he has consistently shown he is not afraid to write negative reviews on freebies, etc. (see some of the “3 good, 3 bad” articles.)

If you’ve actually experienced the product yourself and have reason to disagree with Simon ‘s assessment then it would be interesting for other readers to hear your opinion. But to blithely assume the review is biased because the brand also advertises on the site is unfair and unhelpful.

Adam Jones

Are you becoming a convert to the double collar Simon? Some really nice pieces on the site, I notice the sizing seems a little small (based on their size guide a measurements) what size have you been wearing.

LUCA FALONI

Hi Adam,
Thanks for your question.
Based on our customer feedback we recommend to buy the size you usually wear. For most people it is a true to size fit.
In any case we offer free exchanges and returns, so you can always change your size, the process is very easy. If you have more questions feel free to contact our customer service.
Hope this is helpful.

Scott

Hi Luca. My knitwear of choice for several years has been Smedley and Loro Piana. So Simon’s recommendation is intriguing. With the Smedley garment I wear the easy fit model size large, favorites being the vneck Bobby and the polo Dorset. In Loro Piana I wear size large. These sizes work for me as they fit an athletic build very well. Based on your previous response to Adam, the size large in your knitwear should fit me just fine, correct?

LUCA FALONI

Hi Scott,
Thanks for your interest.
Size L for Smedley seems to compare well to our L (50). In any case we exchange products/sizes for free so there is no risk in trying.
You can contact our customer service by email or phone and we can help further based on your specific measurements.
Thank you

Jon

I’ve recently ordered a few items from Luca & I’m exceptonally pleased with every aspect of the garments & services. The polos are exactly what I wanted, classic Italian without being “old fashioned” with a lovely big collar. I was unsure on my size so called customer services and spoke to Luca himself, who I found very accommodating with a great passion for him craft. Can’t fault Luca’s pricing either.

Lewis

Thanks, Simon. I’ve had my eye on a few of Luca’s pieces for a while so it’s good to hear that the quality is high.

Just a quick question about his shirts… They look quite short in the body. Is the tail long enough to be worn tucked?

LUCA FALONI

Hi Lewis,
We try to design our shirts so that they are long enough to be tucked in, but not too long so they can remain outside for more casual looks (especially for linen). Of course it also depends on body proportions. On the website you can find pictures of the brushed cotton shirt tucked in (on the category page). Current customers have not reported this issue yet.
In any case, we offer free exchanges and returns internationally, so you can send it back if needed. Feel free to contact customer service for more questions.

Anonymous

I am absolutely gob-smacked at some of the rude comments here. Simon, you really are thick skinned. I’m actually tempted to try one of the shirts from Luca Faloni, so thanks for the article.

jj

How does the polo collar work under a jacket?

Winot

Looks great but the biggest sizes on the knitwear seem to be 52 so only good for the slimmer gentleman.

LUCA FALONI

Hi Winot,
As you point out currently our biggest size for Knitwear is 52.
From next autumn we will add more sizes across the collection and for some of the best selling items this will happen before.
In the meantime you can contact our customer service and based on your requirements we can see what we can do.
We hope this helps.

Kev Fidler

Have just acquired a Luca brushed cotton shirt. Excellent in terms of fit and one of the few RTW shirts I have where the sleeve length is right for me. Lovely, soft cloth too and as you say, Simon at a very versatile weight. Following your comments I’m very tempted now by the sweaters.

Anonymous

Kev,

How have you found the length of the shirts? They don’t look like they can be tucked in. Simon suggested they wouldn’t stay tucked in.

Kev Fidler

No problems so far. The shirts are not particularly so long as to need tucking in but the one I have certainly is not of the modern variety that immediately come out of your trousers. As someone commented a lot depends on your body proportions.

Dimitrios

Simon, thank you for introducing us to this brand and certainly timely given the onset of autumn weather. I personally never feel pieces like this are advertisements; indeed, far from it. I look forward to a piece on how best to pair sweaters with casual jackets! Kindest regards,

facebook_Edward Rising.790775634

I have a few pieces from Luca and the quality of the fabrics are amazing. The linen shirts have indeed improved in terms of fit with the latest design. My older linen shirt, though maybe a little tight, has softened beautifully over time and is a firm summer favorite. I have a couple of the crew-neck sweaters and your article has persuaded me to try something a little more daring next; perhaps a hoodie or polo-sweater…

Burt

Their polos are not meant to be buttoned up, I suppose?
The pictures on their website show open collars that seem to collapse a little.
Not for the long-necked people, I guess 🙂

Phil

I am very impressed with this brand. The linen shirts are superb, good service too.

Kashif Zia

Simon, thanks for yet another informative post. I have been looking for a cashmere hoodie and may end up getting the one by Luca Faloni. One question I have is how do you compare the quality to other makers such as Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana (I have a few cashmere/silk pieces from Cucinelli which I really enjoy wearing and which have held up really well over time)? I know these are entirely different price points so may be a flawed comparison but will appreciate any color you can provide.

Many thanks.

Scott

Simon, I’m a big fan of Smedley knitwear and you’ve highly recommended the company in the past. How does the Faloni knitwear compare to Smedley in terms of design and craftsmanship?

Scott

That’s a very bold statement sir. If this in fact the case, then the Faloni knitwear is a superb value indeed. Would you expand on this favorable comparison a bit more please. Quite frankly it’s somewhat hard to believe as Loro Piana and Cucinelli are considered top of the line in terms of materials, design, and workmanship.

Scott

Thank you sir. This is a fascinating subject. I like simple, functional knitwear that’s well made and designed and Smedley has always filled that need quite well. The Faloni garment adds an additional element of the more wintry look which can be very useful. If I understand you correctly, the Faloni knitwear while not on the same quality level as LP is still quite high and designed well. Thanks again for the additional discussion, very helpful. Finding these interesting small companies is one of the best features of Permanent Style.

LUCA FALONI

Hi Scott – Thanks for your interest.

For what concerns pricing, we are better positioned to give higher value for money for the following reasons:
1) We sell exclusively from our website directly to consumers, skipping the wholesale channel. Independent store/retailers keep 60-65% of the retail price. By using the online channel we do not have to price our products to account for that extra mark-up.
2) We try to develop pieces that remain always in fashion. This decreases design costs, but most importantly reduces the proportion of unsold items (we keep everything season after season)
3) We never do sales. Most brands (including some of the names you mentioned) have high full prices but actually sell a high proportion of their items during sales
4) At the moment we do not operate own branded stores. This keeps overhead low in terms of rent and headcount.
5) Cost structure aside, we believe there is a price for quality, but some brands took it a step too far. We are aware we could charge more but it is not our strategy.

For what concerns quality, I usually prefer to talk about our own products rather than comparing to other brands (for which I have by the way the greatest respect for the high quality products they create).
I will try to be factual. I can say that we use only cashmere from the Cariaggi Fine Yarn Collection. This is the very same supplier used by Brunello Cucinelli (public information). I cannot comment as much on Loro Piana as I have never worked directly with their product; however the cost of their raw cashmere yarn (which besides using on their own jumpers, LP also sells to independent producers like us) is in a similar range as Cariaggi. So even if we used Loro Piana Yarn our pricing would not change significantly.

This is a long and fascinating topic. I hope this quick view helps.

Scott

Thanks Luca for your excellent comments which are very helpful. This is indeed a fascinating topic.

Amos

Dear Simon,
First of all, thanks for all your informative posts. I learned a lot reading your blog during the past months.
How does the knitwear compare in terms of size to John Smedley’s Standard fit? I wear an “L” for their cardigans (pe. Bedminster in Chestnut). Usually my problem is that I should go with “L” for most measures, except for sleeve length where XL mostly is better.

Dan K

That brown melange V neck is extremely tempting! Looks really excellent. Now to spend a week or two justifying the purchase to myself…

MR

These look good however it’s a shame the weave is quite plain. I used to find beautiful sweaters with ribbing that gave texture and a unique look. All I see now is plain looking sweaters that all look the same.
I also agree the comments here are harsh and unfair.

Oskar

Hi Simon, very interesting discussion here with regards to the relative quality vs. LP etc. How would Luca Faloni compare to Ballantyne/Berk who you recently wrote about? I assume more contemporary fit, more “Italian” set of colours.. any view on the quality itself given the price delta?
After reading your article on Ballantyne the other week I checked and found I have an ancient pullover from my father’s long-gone uncle. Superb hand after decades and not one single trace of pilling anywhere. Hence my interest.. Many thanks!

Karl

Hello,

I am now the owner of a Luca polo in grey (I am actually wearing it as I type). It’s great, though the collar took a little getting used to.
With regard to the sizing I do feel they are not in line with other brands. I am pretty consistently a large, took the polo in L and XL and could barely get into the L. The XL is a little bigger than I need it, but it’s the one I kept. I would recommend ordering your usual size plus the next one up to check.
It hasn’t diminished my admiration of the product and what Luca is doing. Dealing direct via the web gives a good product at a good price. Free returns are essential to keep this going – I would like to see other options for this, especially the Collect+ service which is convenient.
My next purchase will be a linen shirt, and I suspect I will need to order a couple of sizes and regular and slim fits to try. I hope Luca doesn’t mind this ! I’d love to see a shirt sleeve version fir the summer

LUCA FALONI

Hi Karl,

Thanks for the feedback and the compliments. I am glad you like the Brera Polo.

On sizing, we are generally in line with most Italian brands (although Cucinelli fits often smaller and Loro Piana is bigger), we are probably smaller than some American brands like Ralph Lauren, but we are in line with John Smedley Standard Fit. Also it is advisable to compare the number, not the letter. For us a 50 is an L, for some brands like Loro Piana L is 52. The chest gap between sizes is 4cm so most customers will find a good fit.

On the returns we have explored Collect+ but decided for the moment to stick to DHL given the value of the products. We might add more options in the near future. So far most customers seem to be happy with DHL pickup given the 2 hours windows and the low effort required. And yes, you are welcome to buy more sizes and return what does not fit.

As for new linen products, please send us an email and we will be happy to review your suggestions and might add them to our pipeline.

Thanks

shem

Hey Simon,

Would you have any recommendations for where I can look online for quality turtlenecks which are priced appropriately? And if there is any difference in wear between a Wool one vs cashmere/silk blends? Thanks!

M

Hi Simon,

How would you compare the weekend bag in terms of value / quality vs. say a Frank Clegg weekender? Would you also use it as a gym bag or too big?

Cheers

M

M

Understood, thank you Simon. I am looking for something which is in between a nice weekend bag and a gym bag (so rather functional but not too big) – perhaps you have any other suggestions beyond those two brands? Maybe Bennett Winch but then it is canvas rather than leather?

Btw, we missed each other by a few minutes yesterday as I was also paying a visit to Fiorenzo! I was extremely pleased by my trial fitting and it looks like it will be on top of all shirtmakers I have tried so far also in terms of fit, not only handwork and finishing… note that the address of the hotel on the PS trunk show calendar was not updated btw (still shows the Duke’s Hotel where he was last time).

Cheers,

M

Mike

I understand that both Brunello Cucinelli and Luca Faloni use the same Italian cashmere supplier: Cariaggi. So the quality of the fabric should be similar.

Another relevant factor is contruction quality. Can somebody please elaborate on this? Is it on a par with brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Cruciani, Ones or Fedeli?

Damian

Hi Simon,

What is your view on the merits of a V neck or crew neck under a sports jacket or, specifically, under a navy blue jacket (what colour with grey trews).

Thanks,

Damian

LUCA FALONI

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your interest.

For what concerns the cashmere, as you correctly pointed out, we source from the same collection, ‘Cariaggi Fine Yarns’.

For what concerns the knitting, what I can say is that we do it in North Italy and our partner has 40 years of experience producing for some of the most renown brands. We selected this partner after comparing its quality with several other options in Italy.

I usually do not like to comment on my competitors, and I am also not 100% sure about where they do the knitting and the finishing. I am sure Simon can give you a better point of view on that. In Italy there are some very valuable producers that supply multiple brands, and I assume that after a certain level of quality the products are fairly comparable.

If your question refers to our lower price point (compared to some of the brands in your list), that is due to the fact that we skip the wholesale channel and go directly to consumers. Third party retailers apply a mark-up of 2.5 to 3 times, which we do not have to price in. Also we do not have our own physical retail presence so we save more there.

Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions.

Thanks

Luca

Murray

I’m going to try a cotton polo, I’ve been buying Smedley stuff for years (20 to be precise) but am at the end of my tether with their sizing, the appalling “standard” fit is almost the final straw….too short in the body still and far too tight in the tummy, but perfect across the shoulders and arm length, if I size up to XL it just becomes ludicrously baggy across the top half.
Smedley have clearly milked things on the back of their relatively new found fashion status, they have fewer and fewer items from the “easy fit” range available and what is left is shrinking……good for them and it is great to see them doing so well however, the danger of going down the fashion route is you can just as easily become unfashionable and if you’ve abandoned the customers who kept you going in the first place, well…..
Anyway, sorry to stray from the topic in hand…I’m going to try one of the lighter blue polos as they look really nice. From what I’ve read on here, sounds like an XL may be the better bet.
Kind regards to one and all

Jon

Completely agree with everything you say Murray. I’m 5ft 8 and find Smedley’s slim/standard fit far too short in the body. A lot of the newer pieces don’t have the turn back cuffs either.
I usually wear a medium in Smedley’s easy fit. I have the polo you mentioned by Luca and took a large. In my opinion Luca’s garments are a great buy. I’ll be ordering some more polos soon.

Anonymous

Hi John
Sounds good….

Anonymous

Hi,

I usually wear an orlebar brown Sebastian polo, in a size large (classic fit). Does anyone know which would be the equivalent size with Luca faloni’s long sleeve polo t shirts?

Many thanks in advance.

LUCA FALONI

Hi,

I am not familiar with the sizing of the precise polo you are comparing us to.
In a couple of months we will include on our website a size comparison with several other brands.

In the meantime, I would recommend to base your size choice on the table on our website, with particular focus on chest dimension. Or please write an email to [email protected] with your precise measurements (chest, waist, height) and we will tell you the best size for you.

I would not base your size decision on other customers, because periodically we analyse all feedback and we use it to improve the fit. So other customers might have bought an older batch. Also some individual item could vary a little bit from the sizing table due to technical reasons.

Thanks for your interest, please write us an email for more.

Mark

For what it is worth, I tried on and then purchased one of Luca Faloni’s hoodies at the pop-up shop a month or so ago. I couldn’t be more pleased with it. It is simply the nicest piece of knitwear I have ever owned. I confess I don’t own any Loro Piana knitwear – I am far too mean to pay their prices – so I can’t compare them. But I can say that Luca Faloni’s product is beautiful.

Jonny

Hi Simon,

I was wondering if you would feel able to compare the Luca Faloni cashmere knitwear (particularly the cable knit) to the offering from RLPL, which comes in at about three times the price.

Would you consider the material and workmanship of the Luca Faloni sweater to be of equal quality, or is that just wishful thinking for a product a third of the price?

Jonny

Thanks Simon! Are you able to say what makes that extra 10%? Is it quality of raw material/the dye/workmanship, etc? Or a bit of all of the above.

I’ve been wondering if one can compare the potential savings from a direct to consumer model from a small artisanal brand to the per unit cost from a much bigger brand like RLPL due to sheer order volume.

It’s a highly speculative question, but would you assume that RLPL with their marginal increase in quality are probably paying less per sweater from the factor than LF?

I imagine that with most things, after a certain level of quality comes rapidly diminishing returns, and for Luca to get that extra 10% quality, it would result in his prices increasing a lot more than 10%.

Luca Faloni

Hi Jonny,

It is a long and interesting topic.
I am not going to comment on the specific quality comparison with RLPL as I do not own their knitwear. I agree with Simon on where our business model is different and here is some more details if you are interested:

1) We do not use third party retailers and this is the main factor that allow us to charge less. Third party retailers multiply by 2.5X to 3X the price they pay from brands. Instead we sell directly to consumers online so we do not have to account for that wholesale mark-up, although that means we have other costs: mainly in operations, to ship items and exchange size, and we need to have internal customer service, etc.

2) We keep the collection stable over the years. We add/remove some colours and introduce 1-2 designs per season, but we essentially keep all designs from previous season (of course applying improvements based on feedback when necessary). Also our collection is more focused on classic products where the fashion element is not as important. This saves a lot in design costs (team, prototyping, testing, etc).

3) We do not have to mark down or ‘burn’ stock. What we do not sell one year we keep for the next. So our inventory waste is much lower than other brands (essentially only limited to faulty items) and we sell everything at the full price.

For your questions on unit prices (what we pay to factories for a sweater) I assume RLPL pays a bit less, but not much. I am sure their volumes allow some better negotiating power with the yarn producers so they pay a bit less than us for each kilo of cashmere. On the manufacturing side I do not think they pay much less, as it does not take much less time to produce an unit if you have a much bigger order and factories charge per minute of production, regardless of the client.

Hope this help.

Best, Luca

Mike

Hi Luca,

I am quite happy with the sweaters I bought. The sweater cuffs get stretched after some time. What can I do to fix or prevent this?

Also I would like to mention I would be very happy when slim fit knitwear will become available as well. The standard fit is ok, but young men usually prefer slim fit. Any plans of adding slim fit?

Luca Faloni

Hi Mike,

Glad you are happy with the sweaters.

For what concerns the fit, we do not plan to add a new fit and we are happy with the result/feedback of the current one so for the moment we will not change this either.
We are already on the slimmer side compared to other brands and, based on in-store interactions with clients and online feedback, we feel the current knitwear fit serves very well the vast majority of customers. Not sure which designs you bought, however the hoodie, the polo sweater and the silk-cashmere polo have a slightly slimmer fit compared to the classics (crew neck, V neck, and cable), as they follow the cut of a polo. So I suggest you try these if you haven’t already.

For the cuffs, what you are describing is natural for knitwear. One way to avoid the stretching is not to pull up the sleeves around the elbows. If the cuffs sit around the elbows then the stretching might happen earlier. I will investigate with production if there are ways to limit that on our end.
If you send an email to [email protected] we can look into an alteration for you on your existing jumpers. It is not something that has been requested to us in the past but we are happy to look into it.

Thanks

Bernie

Hi Simon,

Any additional recommendations for cashmere/merino wool hoodies? Looking for something that can be dressy casual but not sure how I feel about the three button hoodie you are writing about here. They do offer free returns so I might give it a shot.

Ian

Has anyone had experience of the silk cashmere jumper luca does? I always think they look nice but I am worried they may look a little creased on wearing and they may not look as good after a few washes/ months of wearing

Mac

Hi Simon

I wanted to get a couple of jumpers from the new faloni shop. Which two colours would be the most versatile out of his range of crew necks if worn with navy and brown jackets?

Mac

Thanks Simon
I actually popped into the shop on Saturday and bought a camel beige v-neck but my wife said the same as you about the Nocciola. I happened to see your instagram post just after I posted the question above, which colour roll neck did you get?

Rupesh

I have had the pleasure to visit two pop-ups from Luca Faloni, the first on Kings Road and the second which is now the permanent store in Marylebone. I have bought a couple of Linen shirts from the classic range in Navy and White slim fit. The slim fits are just right where you room to manoeuvre and not figure hugging and look will remain classic. I also own the royal blue Brera polo shirt which is an essential wardrobe staple and I can say that this is the best investment I have ever made as it provides the versatility of wearing it in different seasons. Recently, I invested in purchasing the cashmere polo in Camel beige and I can say for sure that it definately kept me warm even as a single layer when the temperature was 2 degree Celsius today. The quality and craftsmanship are visible in my opinion and would recommend anyone to visit the store and experience the range.
Simon/Luca, I am now keen to invest in another knitwear in either the crew neck and/or cable knitwear. Which colours would you recommend on being the most classic and versatile that you could pair with jeans or any navy/black/grey trousers. I know you mentioned Nocciola brown in your previous responses but I am not if the brown would suit all skin complexions as I have meditarranean/Asian skin.

Joel

Hi Simon and readers,

In Marlow (UK) today I came across a Knitwear brand called Vitter.

It looked really nice and had info on the label about micron count, Made In Italy, etc., all the stuff one might want to see, however, I didn’t buy it as I hadn’t heard of it and I like to find out what I’m buying with a little bit of research. I can’t find anything apart from a single tag on Instagram from a shop in Japan. The only thing I could see on the label in the shop was Baruffa.com.

Has anyone heard of it?

Thanks

Joel

Joel

Thanks Simon, I really appreciate your reply although now you’ve said that you’ve made me sad I didn’t buy a top LOL.

Joel

Hi Simon,

On Tuesday 19 February I popped into the Chanel shop on Bond Street because I had seen some men’s knitwear in Vogue Homme. I didn’t think Chanel did menswear but turns out every season they do a few pieces and a few more unisex pieces.

I checked out ties which were standard but they also showed me three amazing pieces, a Tuxedo jacket, a ski jacket and a thick/chunky sweater.

Prices were as expected astronomical. Have you been in? I would recommend it as I believe you spend RL Purple Label money.

Russ

Luca Faloni have just opened in Piccadilly Arcade. The linen shirts are gorgeous and great value (with and without collar). Very limited range however. I hope they will expand the offering – particularly in trousers.

Alex

Hi all, I just wanted to weigh in here with a contrary experience. I bought a v neck cashmere from Luca Faloni in March 2018 and it was immediately apparent that it was aging/pilling much more quickly than I had expected at this price point. I’ve had downmarket sweaters from Allen Solly or Club Room that have been slower to pill than Faloni, and upmarket sweaters from Zegna, Loro Piana, and Ballantyne that are still bulletproof despite a significant amount of wear.

I wanted to like my sweater from Faloni since the style, fit, and heft of the sweater are exactly what I’m looking for. Unfortunately the sweater dramatically pilled such that I stopped wearing it outside the house after maybe 4 uses. That’s happened to me with sweaters from J Crew and LL Bean, for instance, but I did not expect that here. It’s possible that I got a lemon given the numerous other accolades in this thread, but I want the readers here to know that your mileage might vary.

Alex

Hi Simon
Having been introduced to Luca Faloni by PS (and this article in particular) I wonder whether, 3-4 years later, your conclusions remain the same? I see that you’re wearing some of Luca’s newer pieces, such as the roll-neck in your ‘how to wear black’ piece.

In particular, I’m interested in how some of your older pieces have worn over a few years?

Many thanks, alex

Russ

I really enjoyed this company’s collarless linen shirts over summer. They could do with improving the finishing, however, as the fabric is left with a raw edge (think it’s called selvedge?) inside the button placket and that started to fray with washing.

Anonymous

I‘m not sure if anyone has asked it already, how does Luca Faloni compare to N Peal in terms of used cashmere and construction? Is N Peal Cashmere thinner?

Anonymous

After how many wears do you wash your cashmere sweaters, Simon? Someone recommended me after 3 wears.

Anonymous

Luca Faloni sweaters are 2 ply cashmere. Some similar high quality manufacturers are also using 2 ply, others like N peal are using 1 ply.

Regarding durability, how a sweater holds it shape etc., are 2 ply sweaters better than 1 ply?

Anonymous

Is it possible to compare the denseness of the knitting when one has to different sweaters in front of oneself?

When someone asks you how produces the best cashmere sweaters worldwide would you name someone else in addition to Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli?

Anonymous

What colours would you choose to pair with olive green chinos?

I like nocciola brown but I’m unsure.

R Abbott

I have a couple of Luca Faloni cable knit sweaters (nocciola and dolomite colors), and I’m flirting with the idea of getting one of their hoodies. Have you tried one, and if so, what are your impressions?

Also, I noticed for the first time that LF has several other sport-casual offerings – namely their “zip cardigan” and their “zip hoodie.” What are your impressions about these two designs, and if you had to choose, which one would you go for? The zip cardigan looks quite nice – perhaps slightly dressier and better suited with a collared shirt but maybe not as comfortable for lounging around the house. I suppose the primary advantage is the flexibility to zip down if you’re overheating.

Also, it’s hard to tell from the website photos, but the colors are different depending on the design. E.g., the traditional hoodie comes in “navy blue,” whereas the zip cardigan both come in “midnight navy.” Not sure how much of a difference there is but I’m thinking the midnight navy might be a better shade of navy. (If I went with a hoodie I would probably go with the “Atlantic Blue” (i.e., a slate blue) rather than the navy).

Thanks!

Ari M

A lot has been discussed about Loro Piana and Cucinelli wrt best quality cashmere. However, when Scottish knitwear is mentioned, there is only a link to Colhay’s (which btw does not have its own manufacturing). The “best” cashmere knitwear (wears hard, remains pill-less, lasts a lifetime) is still made in Scotland by companies such as William Lockie, Alex Begg, Johnstons of Pringle, Hawicko, Barrie. The Scottish knitwear is head and shoulder above anything Italian, although the cut, fit and design of the Italian made is arguably better.

John

Hi Simon, just wondering if you find Luca’s crewnecks to be thick enough to wear a shirt underneath? And i assume you take a medium (52cm chest). Many thanks.

John

Perfect, thanks Simon. As you may have seen, each year Luca gives you a 50 GBP discount off a 200+ GBP item if you complete their survey; a nice gesture that i will make the most of. Cheers.

Mr.PS

I disagree that Simon somehow favors advertisers, he’s openly critical of most of the tailors, shirt makers, and knitwear makers on his site, even if he is given discounts, free items, or they’re advertisers, most of it is not direct criticism, but more what I would call “pointers” on what can be improved, or where there was an issue. He frequently mentions he would not go back to some.

Joel

Hi Simon and anyone else interested,

Have you tried Rise & Fall?

Their method of operation is a little like Luca Faloni in that on its website it says it uses the best materials and cuts out all the steps between manufacturer and seller keeping costs low. It even compares its price to designer brands like Loro Piana.

Love to know what you think?

Many thanks,

Joel

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Joel

Thanks Simon, very much appreciated before I bought something.

Anonymous

It’s been a few years since you published this post. Do you still have the same opinions and thoughts on Luca Faloni cashmere knitwear today as you did when you originally wrote this post? Do you have anything more to add now that you’ve gotten more time with the product and have been able to experience it for a longer period of time?

Anonymous

Staying on the topic of Italian cashmere, assuming you’re not considering Scottish makes. What does the landscape of Italian cashmere look like to you? There’s Loro Piana, which you mentioned is on a level of their own and really has no competition. There’s Brunello Cucinelli, which you mentioned is overpriced and not worth the cost, as it’s a designer brand with hyper-inflated prices to match. Then, there’s Luca Faloni, which you mentioned is good value for the money.
Do you think this is accurate? Are those all the brands or are there any other players you would include?

Anonymous

Alright, got it. I came to that conclusion by combining several of your comments on various posts throughout this site. Thanks for clarifying.

Regarding my interest in Italian over Scottish cashmere. I’m basing it off of a comment you made about some of the colours that are available at Luca Faloni. Particularly, their Dolomiti Grey Melange and Nocciola Brown Melange. I recall you mentioning that these were the perfect examples of colours/shades that the Italians do very well – perhaps better than the Scottish. I wanted to pick up one (or both) of those shades, so I figured I would go with an Italian make. What do you think?

Albert

Hi Simon, if you have to recommend one cashmere sweater, will you recommend luca faloni / Mr P? Thanks!

felix

this article is 7 years old. how do your items from luca faloni hold up? do you still wear them? how did you care for them?