How great things age: Nicoletta’s 50-year-old jacket
In the coming months I will be writing more posts again in our ‘How great things age’ series , which aims to illustrate the beauty of quality clothing over time. Basically, it’s an antidote to the new clothing that it&rs...
How great things age: Nicoletta’s 50-year-old jacket
In the coming months I will be writing more posts again in our ‘How great things age’ series , which aims to illustrate the beauty of quality clothing over time. Basically, it’s an antidote to the new clot...
Postcard from Milan
When I was young, my family used to play a game on holiday. The question for all of us was: what can you see that tells you you’re in a different country? It could be the types of trees, the style of road signs, the way people gesticulate. It ...
Postcard from Milan
When I was young, my family used to play a game on holiday. The question for all of us was: what can you see that tells you you’re in a different country? It could be the types of trees, the style of road signs, the w...
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
A reader recently asked about what constituted the ‘finishing’ of a suit - and what indicates quality. I initially planned a response going through every aspect of this, with examples, but that quickly became unwieldy. There are just to...
Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing
A reader recently asked about what constituted the ‘finishing’ of a suit - and what indicates quality. I initially planned a response going through every aspect of this, with examples, but that quickly became unwi...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
I think L'Étiquette is the best menswear magazine in the world at the moment. The main reason is its ability to cover bespoke tailoring and high-street casual - Caraceni and Converse - in a way that feels both easy and relevant. This applies ...
Interview with Michel Barnes – and L’...
I think L'Étiquette is the best menswear magazine in the world at the moment. The main reason is its ability to cover bespoke tailoring and high-street casual - Caraceni and Converse - in a way that feels both easy and...
Ferdinando Caraceni herringbone suit: Style break...
Following on from French bespoke style with Camps de Luca, we now arrive in Milan with Ferdinando Caraceni. Milanese tailoring has quite a distinct style, with light structure overall but a strong shoulder. So while tailors from Milan will talk about...
Ferdinando Caraceni herringbone suit: Style break...
Following on from French bespoke style with Camps de Luca, we now arrive in Milan with Ferdinando Caraceni. Milanese tailoring has quite a distinct style, with light structure overall but a strong shoulder. So while tail...
Double-breasted cotton jacket and striped shirt
When I first had this cotton jacket made, I noted that it was a tricky one to work into an outfit. The vintage cotton cloth ( more details here) is rather rough and casual, yet the cut and style are quite smart. Having it as a double-breasted jacket...
Double-breasted cotton jacket and striped shirt
When I first had this cotton jacket made, I noted that it was a tricky one to work into an outfit. The vintage cotton cloth ( more details here) is rather rough and casual, yet the cut and style are quite smart. Having ...
Ferdinando Caraceni double-breasted cotton jacket
This is my final cotton jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni - which fortunately I received a few weeks ago and was therefore able to wear a fair bit before the weather turned. It is obvious even now that this is a piece that will wear in beautifully. As...
Ferdinando Caraceni double-breasted cotton jacket
This is my final cotton jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni - which fortunately I received a few weeks ago and was therefore able to wear a fair bit before the weather turned. It is obvious even now that this is a piece tha...
Five double-breasted styles compared
Last month we talked about how small changes in the proportions of a double-breasted jacket can have a radical effect on its style - and therefore on the people or situations it suits. This week I've used five of my own jackets to demonstrate these...
Five double-breasted styles compared
Last month we talked about how small changes in the proportions of a double-breasted jacket can have a radical effect on its style - and therefore on the people or situations it suits. This week I've used five of my o...
Coarse vs fine cottons in tailoring
We covered the appeal of cotton as a tailoring material generally last week, but didn't talk about the different types of cottons. There are corduroys and moleskins of course, gabardines and seersucker. But a difference I find particularly interesti...
Coarse vs fine cottons in tailoring
We covered the appeal of cotton as a tailoring material generally last week, but didn't talk about the different types of cottons. There are corduroys and moleskins of course, gabardines and seersucker. But a differenc...
Ferdinando Caraceni bespoke cashmere jacket
My final jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan is superb in many ways, including fit, make and finish. The style, however, is interesting and not necessarily what I expected. I started this project last year with Nicoletta Caraceni, the daughte...
Ferdinando Caraceni bespoke cashmere jacket
My final jacket from Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan is superb in many ways, including fit, make and finish. The style, however, is interesting and not necessarily what I expected. I started this project last year with...
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
Last week’s explanation of how I put an outfit together seemed to be popular, so let’s try that again. This outfit is simpler than last week’s. There are fewer colours, there’s no tie to worry about, the handkerchief is pla...
Grey cashmere and brown flannel: Caraceni and Abb...
Last week’s explanation of how I put an outfit together seemed to be popular, so let’s try that again. This outfit is simpler than last week’s. There are fewer colours, there’s no tie to worry about, the han...
Herringbone jacket fitting – Ferdinando Car...
At the Milan event last month I had my final fitting on the cashmere herringbone jacket being made by Ferdinando Caraceni. The more I get to know Nicoletta – Ferdinando’s daughter, although not a cutter unlike her father ...
Herringbone jacket fitting – Ferdinando Car...
At the Milan event last month I had my final fitting on the cashmere herringbone jacket being made by Ferdinando Caraceni. The more I get to know Nicoletta – Ferdinando’s daughter, although not a cutter un...
Ferdinando Caraceni: jacket fitting
When I was in Milan two weeks ago I had a first and second fitting with Ferdinando Caraceni in a day. This isn’t something that all tailors are happy doing, but for some such as Caraceni – which has a lot of foreign clients hoping to ha...
Ferdinando Caraceni: jacket fitting
When I was in Milan two weeks ago I had a first and second fitting with Ferdinando Caraceni in a day. This isn’t something that all tailors are happy doing, but for some such as Caraceni – which has a lot of forei...
Ferdinando Caraceni: central Italian tailoring
Back in February I began working on a jacket project with Nicoletta Caraceni, of Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan. There are, as you know, several tailors with the name Caraceni in Italy. They all stem from Domenico Caraceni, the founding father, and h...
Ferdinando Caraceni: central Italian tailoring
Back in February I began working on a jacket project with Nicoletta Caraceni, of Ferdinando Caraceni in Milan. There are, as you know, several tailors with the name Caraceni in Italy. They all stem from Domenico Cara...