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Even as made-to-measure and ready-to-wear suit-makers across the globe blaze a trail of their own by offering Neapolitan crafted suits, it has become obvious that those predictions from the past that told us that Neapolitan suits are likely a fad, have proved the contrary, and Neapolitan tailoring has shown its viability and entrenched itself firmly into the league of becoming a classic in its own right ORIGINS: A SMALL STORY ABOUT ITALIAN TAILORING Typically, the sleeve is bigger than the sleeve head resulting in little wavy fold in the area of the sleeve next to the sleevehead. The Italians call that grinze, we call it shirring. See the pictures in the gallery below.
The shoulders are soft and natural, without any or very little padding. Regular suits often come with con rollino shoulder, sport coats often with spalla camicia. Basically, these two terms explain how the fabric seams of the shoulder and sleeve are folded, see below. Another father-and-son team, Gennaro and Luigi Solito, specialise in remarkably light, surprisingly reasonably priced bespoke suiting, primarily in the traditional Neapolitan style but with a willingness to deviate from the spalla camicia if the customer desires. At Sartoria Caliendo, they’re less pleased to eschew shirring in favour of a smoother look — “For me, this detail is a rule!” wrote head cutter and founder’s son Elia Caliendo of the signature Neapolitan ‘waterfall’ effect. Priced between these two sits Sartoria Dalcuore, founded in 1966 by Luigi ‘Gigi’ Dalcuore (then aged 26, he’d already been studying his art for a decade before setting up shop). Gigi’s ultra-snug, soft yet somehow structured-looking house style has won him a legion of far eastern fans in recent years, his daughter Cristina and son-in-law Damiano Annunziato having pursued new markets and social media presence with gusto. Antonio Panico, who started tailoring aged 12, spent 22 years with Rubinacci before opening his own workshop on Naples’ Via Carducci. Here, the maestro oversees an atelier of a dozen craftsmen turning out bespoke creations, with his heirs Luigi and Paola in the wings. Meanwhile, alongside his son Pino, Orazio Luciano (an alumnus of Kiton and Isaia, who established his eponymous house in 1992), augments a small bespoke operation with a rapidly expanding ready-to-wear offering — both of which are crafted in much the same way, to the same exacting standards, by Luciano padre e figlio’s team of 25. Once at the market, Gianni spotted a double breasted suit right away that he bought for 2 Euros. Of course it was entirely hand sewn by an old Neapolitan tailor – what a find! It is across the shoulders, however, that Neapolitan tailoring is at its most distinctive, exacting and remarkable. The heavily padded, rigid suiting made by Britain’s more martial and Rome’s most macho tailors can hide a multitude of physical and sartorial imperfections. The soft, ever-so-lightly or entirely unstructured shoulders of a Neapolitan suit, meanwhile, leave zero margin for error. It takes a true magician to create a shoulder that is soft, rounded, unpadded, but that still remains flattering to the wearer.
The color is navy. Naples is located by the sea and as such this maritime color is omnipresent and the men I met had their first suit all made in navy- and about 50% of their wardrobe consists of some form of navy garment! Sprezzatura, an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castoiglione’s book, The Book of Courtier, states that sprezzatura alludes to a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it. In knowing part of the story of Italian tailoring, it becomes easier to understand that just because a suit hails from Naples, it does not mean that the suit is a classic Neapolitan suit, as the roots of tailoring in Naples also include a very present early English influence, which is why Naples also crafts a substantial number of Roman style structured suits. The front is often single breasted with 3 buttons and 4 cuff buttons. Even in October, it may get very hot in Naples and as such a single breasted suit will wear a little cooler because there are no overlapping layers of cloth. At the moment, trousers are cut narrowly with cuffs that do not show much of a break and you will always find belt loops even though it may be worn with suspenders as well.
Peering out past the sweep of the great bay of Naples, there is a sense of ancient history steeped in sedimentary stone, as well as rich stories of the past echoing in the eyes of the people. When we think of historical cities, often our minds turn towards the art that represents the region.
On the way to the next market, we passed areas with piles of garbage on the street and when I asked to stop for a picture, Gianni took the opportunity to try on his new acquisition – on the street of course, where else!? You can get name and number printing on any kit available within our store, in the same style the players wear on the pitch. Choose ANY name - including your own.
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