suitorial. gentleman's weekly.

Napoli - First time...

2012-01-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Gennaro from Chiaia while drafting the model of a shawl collar (never done that before, peak lapels seemed to be the general preference!) for a smoking jacket that was part of small and quite particular "showbusiness" order.
Of course there was no seam in the back of the collar (in case anyone wants to overanalyse the photos).

Porto di Bacoli

2012-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

The small port of Bacoli, with a picture of the ancient Tomb of Agrippina and the church of St Anna.

Antonio Mannina - Well worn tweed

2012-01-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Antonio, sporting an older, well worn jacket that is quite a typically Florentine number with soft, slightly extended shoulders and no front darts, made from heavier weight tweed.
The tailor who made this sportscoat, De Santo, used to be one of the most renowned Florentine bespoke tailors until he, unfortunately, retired relatively recently from regular business.

Prior opera...after missing flight

2012-01-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

A quick snack (some random sushi) prior to an opera performance (Ottone - Re di Germania, by G.F.Händel).
And a quick snack (random raw meat and only a few Manhattans) after I missed a flight and had to stay at a Hotel in Han(g)nover.

Napoli - Hand, Machine...or feet?

2012-01-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

...well, you know the answer.
Monograms stitched with a light "shadow effect" and finally neatly handsewn buttonholes.
There's enough sloppy handwork floating around for handwork's sake, looking rather like "made by feet" than by hand...
Also note that the entire placket in the second photo is handsewn and despite the ultra fine and quite light fabric (Rometino 170s) the stitching is almost invisible.

Napoli - Rubinacci/LH fitting room

2012-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

The "fitting room" at Rubinacci in Naples, basically a part on the ground floor just divided by an immense curtain, cut from heavy silk.
The armchair in the third photo is from the 16th century and quite comfortable btw.

Yes, we are well...

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Despite the, err, not so troublesome update cycles at the moment, we are pleased to report that we are well and busy as ever. Paolo is in Naples (again!), bossing around some of his latest, hand-sewing finds while Yours Truly is playing the attentive student. In between, we are enjoying healthy snacks like the one pictured — Austrian Faschingskrapfen.

Napoli - Umbrella & Blazer

2012-01-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Bespoke x2
(note to myself: making umbrellas obviously pays, see the last photo of umbrella maker Mario Talarico senior....)

Napoli - Gino Cimmino II

2012-01-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

A few more photos from Cimmino from Naples, showing some sample and experimental pieces here.
Note the rather correct double breasted suit with non-shirt set sleeves.
One of the particularities of traditional garment coming out from bespoke workshops from Naples is the extended front dart that is discussed with passion and sometimes commented upon as a "feature".
Well, you can either extend it all the way and have a cleaner side or the other way round, (what you usually see with darted jackets) and in Naples they used to do it like that, basta.
Easy eh?
If done well, the sides are visual much cleaner from bottom to the scye as there are simply less pieces/seams in an area that is extremely prone to creasing or waving when moving your arms.
Of course you have the extending part of the dart "visibly" in the front (even though most people dont notice it) while you would have it covered by your arms when extending it on the side of the jacket(as long as you dont move).
Nothing for or against it, except that it's more traditional and authentic for bespoke garments for a certain region of the tailoring world.
For those who have seen that stuff only in the internetz, please dont be shocked that it is not a feature alone, added to "normally" darted jackets or something like that.
Personally I am neither a great fan (nor opponent) and have no jackets with extended front darts myself btw.
I just get paid a lot by the extended front dart society™.

If I were to wear glasses...

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

... they would have to look something like this model from Lunor. Classic elegance, engineered with cutting-edge technology. This specific piece is made of italian cellulose acetate, drum-polished for several days (most manufacturers have their frames polished only for two to three hours in order to save time and money) and assembled by hand in Germany. Lunor also made Steve Job's famous round, non-frame glasses.

Same shit - different day

2012-01-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

And the game goes on and on and on and on...

Napoli - Inside my pants

2012-01-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

And I mean it.

Christmas Day Lunch

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day is Heavy Lunch Day at the south-bavarian Suitorial headquarters, which traditionally means roasted turkey with Serviettenknödel (that is "napkin dumplings" in English, a regional variation on the sphere-shaped dumpling made of bread, milk, egg and parsley) along with some other, not bit less intense courses. Now that the meal is slowly starting to settle, here is what some of it looked like.

Casa de Torres - The old Perfecto

2011-12-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite (few) non-Cuban cigars, in that case from Nicaragua:
The Perfecto from the old Especial series from Casa de Torres (slightly larger and darker wrapper than their standard perfecto).

Opera

2011-12-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

Normally I tend to wear propper evening wear when going to the opera (obviously because it pleases me as jeans and a shirt with "a collar" do the same job these days).
However sometimes, in case of emergency, and that was that my my dinner suits were floating around wherever I was not, a formal lounge suit did this.
Btw. a few weeks ago I had dinner with the company that performed a baroque opera and some of them even noted that I changed places between first and second act (came in late and was seated elsewhere than reserved).
They were quite happy about someone giving formal (and obvious) tribute to the performance, but we agreed that somehow things are wrong in today's cultural life when the soloist note single persons within the audience (be it for not wearing hoodies or being at the theatre at all)...

Berlin - Hotel de Rome / Parioli

2011-12-28T04:50:00.000-08:00

Lunch at the Parioli Restaurant of the Hotel de Rome in Berlin.
Note: No aperitif, no lunch.

Anti-Napoli and Mystery Bespoke Knitwear ™

2011-12-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

“C’est une révolte?” – “Non, Sire, c’est une révolution!”
That is French for "Do there exist other desirable shoulder types than Spalla Camicia?" - "Yes" (loose translation).
Of course you noted that the concave Spalla Insellata is actually more true than our shirred-shoulder-favourite, at least as far as Napoli is concerned, but we'll talk about that later.
The jumper is made from extremely heavy silk/cotton thread and entirely hand knitted in a loose weave with some classic rhombic texture on it.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

Napoli - A random restaurant

2011-12-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

But a good one!
Sometimes it's best to rely on the advice of friends.

Napoli - Umbrellas like no umbrellas

2011-12-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

Some more specialties from umbrellla maker Mario Talarico.
The first two have handles from pure horn, but in very different "formats" and finishes, with the first being something that should better not be taken to the airport as deer antlers are probably considered as dangerous arms.
The second has a handle crafted from smaller piece sof horn that are hand carved, polished and set together to one form a single, planar handle.
As you may note, the handle does not perfectly match the umbrella's stick in circumference, so they are going to remove it from the unfinishd umbrella and recarve and repolish...
The last one shows one of the fun hand painted freestyle pieces by Mario Talarico Junior, the masters nephew.

Gennaro

2011-12-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Some shots of my dear friend Gennaro of Chiaia Napoli at the Berlin Trunkshow showing some interesting views of his modern and somewhat flamboyant interpretation of classic style, incl. some cool details.
The 2X1 double breasted suit is made from an English flannel by Hield, the turquoise/citrine bracelet is a bespoke piece as well.

Napoli - Another...Panorama

2011-12-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

A somewhat disturbing but at the same time fascinating view on a large, abandoned industrial compound near the seaside.
Note: Never try to produce anything else in Naples than suits, pizza or parties.

Napoli - Mario Talarico: Antique and Special I

2011-12-16T02:42:00.000-08:00

Some delicacies from umbrella maker Mario Talarico:
In the workshops he keeps several antique and vintage umbrella sticks and handles made from Sterling, brass or natural horn, mostly suitable for ladies' sized umbrellas.
Among the specialties recently made by Talarico (Mario Talarico Jun. in this case) is also an umbrella for HH Pope Benedict XVI with an ivory handle, handstitched gold bordure and hand painted coat of arms and portrait of the Pope.

Autumn cuisine

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Home made Orecchiette with chestnut and smoked duck breast — delicious autumn comfort cuisine.

As per your request...

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

... dear reader (whoever you are) who asked for pictures of my new bespoke shoes in the wild — here goes.