Cifonelli have a developed a new style of jacket that is the most unstructured they’ve done. They call it a ‘scarf’ jacket, though the name in English is a little misleading - in French it’s ‘foulard’, which captures the light, flyaway silk they have in mind. 

It has no canvas in the chest. The lapel is canvassed and hand-padded as normal, which gives it its shape, but the only other piece of canvas is a small section in the shoulder. 

This makes it extremely light, yet still pretty sharp. The sleeves are also unlined, and the body is self-lined at the front, as is the top of the back. In a lightweight linen, like the Solbiati pictured here, it is extremely light and comfortable to wear - even in 30+ degrees like these images taken recently in Naples recently. 

Lorenzo Cifonelli told me last year that he was keen to show me something new they were working on, and he was wearing a ‘foulard’ in the same black linen when I saw him. It looked really chic, and was a style overall from Cifonelli that really appealed.

I’ve had my issues with Cifonelli over the years, not from a quality or execution point of view, but just that as much as I love the finesse of the work, the style didn’t work for me.

I’ve given way a couple of pieces because they were just too tight in the sleeve or shoulder, or because the style proved to be too dramatic. I wrote a couple of years ago about an example there actually - giving my suede Cifonelli jacket to André because I realised that, much as I loved the work and love suede, it wasn’t the right cut. The fact it worked well on André despite being two sizes smaller than me was telling. 

But it’s innovation that keeps on bringing me back to Cifonelli. When I commissioned my first piece from them 15 years ago, it was suede cuffs, straps and jackets that fastened all the way up that got me. Then later on it was denim - something I still think they do better than anyone else. 

With this jacket it was that uniquely light, unstructured make - plus a cut that seemed more understated than things I’ve had in the past. 

The most obvious thing is the shoulder. Cifonelli are renowned for a thick, raised sleevehead on their jackets that adds drama without much padding. (Unlike the same effect created by someone like Edward Sexton or Chittleborough & Morgan.) That can be nice on a smarter suit, but it isn’t what I want most of the time. 

The foulard jacket has a more natural shoulder, as well as a more relaxed body fit and sleeve. This is for comfort from Lorenzo’s point of view - to make it more sweater-like - but I’d like it on any of my tailoring from them. 

And there’s enough character going on elsewhere anyway, given the big rounded lapels, the lower buttoning point and the ventless back that Lorenzo likes on this style. 

I’ve generally avoided ventless jackets in the past (particularly on black tie, despite it being traditional) because my shape doesn’t work so well on them - small waist, big bum - as well as because I use my trouser pockets a lot. 

Being ventless would be my only reservation about this new style, although it is tempered by the fact that it’s intended to look good unbuttoned. That’s one reason Lorenzo likes to cut it a touch shorter as well. 

I think it does look good unbuttoned - better than some DBs, where the two sides can seem to flap around from the body, almost like a couple of divining rods. 

I’ve shown the jacket here with two different shirt options, but the same trousers and shoes. 

The first shirt is a beige check, a sample of something we’re working on for Permanent Style. As I talked about in one of our recent ‘Walkie Talkie’ videos, I find pale greys, creams and beiges with a little pattern the perfect partner for black jackets - neutrals work best, but white is usually too stark. 

The second shirt is a black polo from Rubato, and this black-on-black look is one I consistently go to. It’s a great evening look, and can even be a black-tie-adjacent option. 

I’m timing these articles to go out at the same time as I’m wearing the outfits at Pitti, so that readers can see them at the event and then read about them in detail. Today at Pitti I’m wearing this same combination but with a PS Finest Polo, and in the evening I’ll swap the trousers for a super-smart cream gabardine (seen previously here) for a smart dinner. 

Very dark browns are a nice way to soften a black jacket like this, and the buttons here are that dark brown, as are the sunglasses (Buddy Optical via Trunk, no longer stocked). 

I’d probably always stick with black shoes though, and these are my Piccadilly loafers from Edward Green in London Grain. The version of the London Grain they’re using now is really nice - smoother than it was in the past and easier to wear smarter as well as a little casually. 

The watch is my Cartier Must, a simple quartz piece that came with a grey/green alligator strap I find to be a nice partner to blacks or greys, without being the more expected black itself. The trousers are in Fox Air cloth. 

The Solbiati linen is 260g, S04050 in the Tolomeo book. The jacket cost €5300. Available in the London store of Cifonelli by appointment and at other trunk shows, as well as in Paris.