Sartoria Panico grey-flannel suit: Review
August 8th 2018Apologies to those that had been waiting a while for coverage of this suit. It was finished in the Spring, but Japanese magazine Men’s Precious asked me to wait until it had been shot as part of a feature before publishing. The photographs her...
Sartoria Panico grey-flannel suit: Review
Match in comments:
Hi AK, I'm also living in Singapore. I was living in Paris for a few years and have a great flannel suit from that time. I'm sad to say that I don't think there is an equivalent fabric we can wear in the tropics. Cotton ...
Prologue: China-made sartorial-style tailoring
July 16th 2018One of the most interesting things about the growth in tailoring in recent years has been the way models have changed, split or evolved. We have bespoke suits being cut in London but made in India (eg Whitcomb & Shaftesbury); we have tailors...
Prologue: China-made sartorial-style tailoring
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Not especially I'm afraid, but I think if you asked them to do something and they were uncomfortable with it, they would seem uncomfortable rather than just say no. If they seem that way, I wouldn't push them to do it...
The first fitting process – with Sartoria P...
July 6th 2018First, there must be coffee. With the Italians, always coffee. Being English I find it hard to relax and chat. I want to get straight to the fitting, rather than sit down and exchange niceties. But it is a nice social ritual, and does build relation...
The first fitting process – with Sartoria P...
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A few thoughts from a tailor’s point of view. When looking for a tailor I would suggest that research is key. Put the time into looking for someone who you feel you can talk to. If the company has sales people, ask to ...
Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown
June 8th 2018A nice thing about our Finest Tailors series is that, as we add more tailors to it, each becomes a reference for the next, making comparisons easier. This Henry Poole suit, then, makes an interesting comparison to the Richard Anderson tuxedo we fea...
Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown
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Agreed -- and this is why I find a 6 x 1 looks best -- more shirt and tie shows, more "swagger" in the coat dimensions. But depends on your body type....
Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory an...
June 4th 2018I always enjoy visiting factories, and seeing Eduardo de Simone’s tailoring factory last month outside Naples was no exception. Indeed, it is right next to the first such tailoring factory I visited - Kiton back in 2011. Such factories do star...
Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory an...
Match in comments:
No, sorry Rainer...
The Tailor Styles series
May 24th 2018The reviews of bespoke suits I’ve written over the years haven’t always been the same. Some included more on the experience (particularly when it was bad); some focused on the fit; others were more about style or make. Their length and ...
The Tailor Styles series
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The back neck (the measurement on the back between the two places the shoulder seams meet the collar) varies a little, yes, though perhaps not enough to be a big enough factor for tailors to think they should mention it....
Dealing with losing and gaining weight
April 13th 2018I've been on holiday for the past two weeks, swimming every day, and have noticeably lost weight. I'm tightening the side adjustors on my trousers where I didn't before. It reminds me how frequently readers ask about such fluctuations in weight, and...
Dealing with losing and gaining weight
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Hey Ryan They may give a little over time but won’t stretch in the same way a t-shirt or piece of knitwear might. Depending on the type of cloth, you might experience a little give there - it’s one of the reasons Sim...
Sartoria Panico fitting (and a roll neck for a lo...
March 30th 2018One of the less-discussed sides of Pitti Uomo is the number of tailors that set up in a hotel or appartment at the same time as the fair, in order to see customers. Although most visitors to Pitti are buyers from around the world, those buyers are o...
Sartoria Panico fitting (and a roll neck for a lo...
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Not really. Bear in mind no one really wore T-shirts until after WW2....
Sartoria Vestrucci charcoal-flannel suit: Review
March 28th 2018Right. Let’s do this by first running through the Vestrucci style and cut, and then going into the more subjective areas of reaction and experience. The suit being discussed is a Holland & Sherry charcoal flannel that I had made over...
Sartoria Vestrucci charcoal-flannel suit: Review
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OK, understood. To be honest I think charcoal can be just as useful a smart suit as navy, but the jacket is a little harder, certainly...
Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit
March 5th 2018Given Japan’s reputation for quality and craft - particularly in denim and bespoke menswear - it would be natural to assume its suit manufacturing was of the same level. But until recently, most factories in Japan produced at a fairly low qual...
Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit
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The Armoury was never exactly the agent for RJ in Europe, as it was done by Taiwa, which no longer exists....
Sartoria Ciardi Neapolitan bespoke suit: Review
February 23rd 2018A friend used to say that he knew whether a suit was going to be good at the first, basted fitting. I’m not sure I entirely agree. The first fitting is largely for the tailor, to make sure the fundamentals of balance etc are correct. It is at ...
Sartoria Ciardi Neapolitan bespoke suit: Review
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I haven't I'm afraid Shahab...
Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...
January 1st 2018One thing readers asked for in our 'We are 10' post was more reflections on bespoke pieces. When covering bespoke, I tend to write both an initial piece giving the background and approach of the maker, and then a fuller review when the piece is read...
Reflections on bespoke: Stoffa, Richard James, Ca...
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I never did a full piece on it I'm afraid. But those trousers were in heavy Pardessus cloth that Holland & Sherry no longer sells, made by Elia Caliendo. The shirt is in Everyday Denim made by Luca Avitabile, and the sho...
Sartoria Ciardi – The next generation
November 27th 2017Renato Ciardi, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was truly one of the greats of Neapolitan tailoring. Succession planning is rarely one of a bespoke tailor’s strengths, but fortunately the Ciardi family began planning for this several y...
Sartoria Ciardi – The next generation
Match in comments:
Simon, Shame that Ciardi does travel to the US. Which of the Neapolitan houses do travel to the States?...
Buttons online – Bernstein & Banleys
October 23rd 2017It has always surprised me how many Italian tailors say they can’t source good, unpolished horn buttons. Particularly because, since its launch last year, even customers can buy them from UK distributor Bernstein & Banleys ( TheLiningC...
Buttons online – Bernstein & Banleys
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I see. I also wonder what material is used for button threads? Is silk a good material for this purpose?...
Musella Dembech double-breasted cotton suit ̵...
October 20th 2017So how shall we review a suit? Let me count the ways. One: style. Still the most important thing, as much as we encourage men everywhere to care more about quality and fit. [Read my first post, with the background on Musella Dembech and its style, h...
Musella Dembech double-breasted cotton suit ̵...
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I think it varies Shem, to be honest, I'm not sure there's that much to ready into it. Dembech was never a big one for example and they just cut back generally. Pommela were different too because Gianluca and Lino kind o...
Sartoria Panico – a last great of Neapolita...
October 18th 2017On the wall of Sartoria Panico in Naples, there is a framed picture of our Tailoring Symposium in 2016. Antonio Panico stands there with other greats of modern bespoke such as Edward Sexton, Antonio Liverano and Lorenzo Cifonelli, basking in the sum...
Sartoria Panico – a last great of Neapolita...
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Thanks, yeah it's really great isn't it?...
Musella Dembech: Growth at the ‘soft Milane...
October 2nd 2017It doesn’t feel like over three years since I covered Musella Dembech, but apparently it is. Of course, there was the Young Tailors Symposium in the middle of that, which featured Gianfrancesco Musella (above), but I haven’t written anyt...
Musella Dembech: Growth at the ‘soft Milane...
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I'd say Dembech has a very strong shoulder line, like Caracani and different to Zizolfi. But the lightness of the make is more Neapolitan and different to the Caracenis...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
September 20th 2017Thank you everyone that responded to my ‘You are the interviewer’ post a couple of weeks ago. The number of variety of questions was staggering, and I will try to answer as many as I can over the coming weeks. It may take time, but I wou...
Bespoke commissions – What I should and sho...
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For a cream linen suit? No, not at all. Jacket or trousers, yes, but the suit should not be regarded as a staple. For DBs, absolutely...
Michael Norman dry cleaning (previously Press2Dress)
September 1st 2017*Michael now has a basic website with contact details at www.mnbespoke.com* There are precious few dry cleaners out there that understand bespoke tailoring. They are likely to clean suits in bulk, with everything going into the vat together and no a...
Michael Norman dry cleaning (previously Press2Dress)
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Yes, that can be a pain. I'm normally staying in self-catering accommodation, so I don't have that issue. Hotels are usually for shorter trips, where I can take all the shirts I need. But I wouldn't worry about giving so...
Dalcuore: Gigi on expansion, craft and young tailors
August 25th 2017Gigi doesn’t normally talk much. The master cutter at Neapolitan tailors Dalcuore, he normally stands back, silently, as Damiano and Cristina do the talking. This is both his character and a result of speaking little English. It was nice to ha...
Dalcuore: Gigi on expansion, craft and young tailors
Match in comments:
Now that Gigi has died from COVID, do you know what is going to happen with Dalcuore? I see they are still doing trunk shows, but is the quality, fit, and cut going to be the same?...
Sartoria Vestrucci launches: Bespoke and ready-to...
July 10th 2017This summer there were several launch events at Pitti Uomo. Kenji opened up in Florence again, with his new Tie Your Tie store (small but lovely); Benedikt had his Shibumi showroom with new tailoring; it was effectively the launch of Neapolitan trou...
Sartoria Vestrucci launches: Bespoke and ready-to...
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Hey John, I don't on either I'm afraid - probably best to ask Tommaso if you can...
Olive covert-cloth suit, from Sartoria Vergallo
May 31st 2017It'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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I would try to widen the sleeve then if that’s still possible. I had also learned the hard way that my default setting should be “slightly wider” sleeves… I think what you are experiencing as “stiff” is just ...
Marcus Malmborg: Eidos made-to-measure in London
May 29th 2017This week, Thursday June 1st to Saturday 3rd, both Agyesh of Stoffa and Marcus Malmborg for Eidos will be back in London. I’ve written previously about the wonderful colours and design sense of Stoffa, but not about Mr Malmborg (above). Marcus...
Marcus Malmborg: Eidos made-to-measure in London
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Unfortunately I have to add that my own experience with Mr Marcus Malmborg is not a good one. At best I could describe his customer service skills as very poor, and at worst he is possibly dishonest. I would advise again...
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
May 26th 2017Last night was the (soft) opening of Anglo-Italian, the new shop in London being run by ex-Armoury buddies Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis. It’s been a long time coming. Various events have slowed things down, and even last night the mirrors w...
Anglo-Italian: Jake Grantham and Alex Pirounis op...
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It's very early days - I've only worn them one day. But my initial thoughts are that I like the low profile, the suede, and the low lacing - they all give them character. I wore them with workwear chinos and they were gr...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
April 24th 2017The Style Guide has been wonderfully received so far - at the launch events in London and New York, but also online and through personal messages. Thank you all. There are a few things I realise I haven't emphasised so far. One is that we proudly d...
Style Guide – the partners shoot
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Lots of things I think. Grey and navy as shown here, plus cream or white, and black. More tonally similar colours, like dark brown, might be Ok if there's some other contrast, such as a white shirt underneath...
