Jetted pockets: Signs of a good finishing

June 22nd 2020

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

Match in comments:
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?...

June 22nd 2020

Olive covert-cloth suit, from Sartoria Vergallo

May 31st 2017

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

Match in comments:
Lovely to hear, thanks Alan...

Cloth - SuitsMay 31st 2017

Cover story in Plaza Uomo

December 16th 2016

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

Match in comments:
Hi Neil, Has your copy come through yet?...

Coats - HatsDecember 16th 2016

Reflections on bespoke 2: J Panther, Tom Davies a...

February 18th 2015

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...

Match in comments:
A tiny bit of room with some side straps......

Bags - Glasses and jewelleryFebruary 18th 2015

Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...

January 7th 2015

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...

Match in comments:
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...

Denim - Hanks and scarvesJanuary 7th 2015

How an overcoat should fit (Cifonelli fitting)  

September 5th 2014

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)  

Match in comments:
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...

CoatsSeptember 5th 2014

Loden top coat from Vergallo

January 23rd 2014

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

Match in comments:
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...

CoatsJanuary 23rd 2014

Green is the third colour

November 25th 2013

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

Match in comments:
Ice Cotton is a branded yarn, a high twist I think...

StyleNovember 25th 2013

Sartoria Vergallo houndstooth blazer

May 6th 2013

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

Match in comments:
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...

May 6th 2013

Reader question: Cashmere suits

April 22nd 2013

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

Match in comments:
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...

Cloth - Reader questionsApril 22nd 2013

Pettegola shirts

July 16th 2012

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

Match in comments:
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...

ShirtsJuly 16th 2012

Henri Urban pockets, Sartoria Vergallo

March 30th 2012

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

Match in comments:
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'....

March 30th 2012

Sartoria Vergallo, final suit

March 21st 2012

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

Match in comments:
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 see...

Suits - March 21st 2012

Sartoria Vergallo, second fitting

December 26th 2011

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

Match in comments:
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...

December 26th 2011

Sartoria Vergallo: A visit to Varese

December 12th 2011

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

Match in comments:
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...

December 12th 2011