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
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I would leave that up to the tailor to decide George, based on the proportions elsewhere. By the way, I assume you mean flapped as well, not just a jett?...
Olive covert-cloth suit, from Sartoria Vergallo
It's hard not to feel that the future of the suit lies in more practical cloths than the fine worsteds of the past 30 years. We may move towards a situation where these cloths will be reserved for formal wear, while everyday suits and jackets are ma...
Olive covert-cloth suit, from Sartoria Vergallo
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It definitely will be. It was very much an old fashioned blazer cloth, where something could be very sharp and hard-finished because everything else was that smart - it wasn't a sports jacket....
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
These things always seem to come in bunches. First Esquire named me in a top 10 and now Plaza Uomo have published their latest edition, with a profile of me as the cover story. Plaza is a Swedish fashion magazine, and Plaza Uomo has an English ver...
Cover story in Plaza Uomo
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Hi Neil, Has your copy come through yet?...
Reflections on bespoke 2: J Panther, Tom Davies a...
My last ‘reflections on bespoke’ post back in January was very popular. Readers seemed to respond to the assessment of bespoke commissions with the wisdom of hindsight, and I have to say I sympathise. Here, then, are five more, ...
Reflections on bespoke 2: J Panther, Tom Davies a...
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A tiny bit of room with some side straps......
Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...
Last year a reader commented – quite rightly – that there is a tendency here to cover freshly received suits/shirts/shoes, but not follow up on them later, when they have bedded in. He was right also to say that this is a defic...
Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...
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I usually take my jeans in at the waist when I get them, because my hips are much wider than my waist, and again take them in after they're worn in and stretched. I've never heard a denimhead voice an opinion on this and...
How an overcoat should fit (Cifonelli fitting)
A reader recently asked me how an overcoat should fit – around the armholes, in the shoulder width – and given that I already had a post planned on this fitting on a Cifonelli overcoat, I thought I would combine the two. The central pro...
How an overcoat should fit (Cifonelli fitting)
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I see. Even then I can't recommend anything specifically, I would just look at articles on PS regarding fit. How a shirt should fit, how a suit should fit etc. And in every review of a suit or jacket there will be commen...
Loden top coat from Vergallo
At the end of last year I began a project to create a versatile top coat with Sartoria Vergallo – the Italian tailor based in Varese that I have used twice in the past, for a navy cashmere suit and a silk houndstooth jacket. The aim of the coat...
Loden top coat from Vergallo
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I wouldn’t stress that point. You want it to cover the jacket sleeve end, but after that a little longer or shorter is fine - it’s not like a jacket sleeve length...
Green is the third colour
Navy and grey are the kings of colour. They should be your first choice for almost every item of clothing – suit, jacket, trousers, overcoat, knitwear, even ties. Navy in particular for jackets and ties; mid-grey or charcoal for trousers. The c...
Green is the third colour
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Ice Cotton is a branded yarn, a high twist I think...
Sartoria Vergallo houndstooth blazer
Gianni Cleopazzo of Sartoria Vergallo is one of those tailors that is always interested in new ideas. He was intrigued, therefore, by the bells and whistles I suggested putting on this houndstooth jacket we made last year. I wanted, primarily, to giv...
Sartoria Vergallo houndstooth blazer
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I think it is a little, yes John. In general I'd say herringbone is safer. But it does depend on the amount of contrast between the two colours in there...
Reader question: Cashmere suits
Dear Simon, Hello and congratulations on your blog’s recent milestone! I have a question regarding cashmere suits. I am thinking of buying a suit that is 100% cashmere. Now I have come across many suits that are wool/cashmere blends, but...
Reader question: Cashmere suits
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That cashmere is a tiny proportion Chris, it will make no difference to the feel of the suit. Better to go for a nice merino. And it's not a good sign that they include polyester as well... no good suit cloth will...
Pettegola shirts
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 329 1879 Euromoney PLC 15 3 2307 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Gianni Cleopazzo of Sartoria Vergallo was talking to me recently about an old-fashioned style of shirt he makes for a couple of customers – the &l...
Pettegola shirts
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Well, obviously MTM should not require that trimming. On a RTW shirt, you can take material from the side seams as well, but it's easier for anything large often to use darts, as you're controlling the small of the back...
Henri Urban pockets, Sartoria Vergallo
These are shots from the inside of an old jacket made by the French bespoke tailor Henri Urban. A customer of Gianni at Sartoria Vergallo brought it in to show him and to see if he could copy the design, particularly the embroidered initials. I photo...
Henri Urban pockets, Sartoria Vergallo
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That kind of hidden detailing is excellent. It's an inner smile, like Wittgenstein writing at a self-designed desk held together by bespoke screws forged to work 'the other way'....
Sartoria Vergallo, final suit
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 tai...
Sartoria Vergallo, final suit
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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 ...
Sartoria Vergallo, second fitting
Some pictures here of the second fitting of a navy suit from Sartoria Vergallo, in a wool/cashmere mix. Feeling much better now – as they say, the first fitting is for the tailor and the second is for you. I can feel the shape of the jacket, wh...
Sartoria Vergallo, second fitting
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Hi LC - suit is in and I'll take some shots of it, just haven't had a chance yet. Will probably also alter it in a couple of places...
Sartoria Vergallo: A visit to Varese
There are a few provincial bespoke tailors in the UK, but not many. Italy has more, though again far fewer than there used to be. The advantage of a provincial tailor is normally a quiet preservation of tradition; and price. While in Italy a couple o...
Sartoria Vergallo: A visit to Varese
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Lots of things - slightly different curve and opening to the fronts, lapel line, shoulder size. In the end, it's a soft jacket that's great in its own right, but don't get it if you want the Neapolitan cut specifically...
