Many tailors and some of their customers love (fine) vintage cloth, because it easier to shape with the iron than the modern tissue paper fabrics. In general tailors can deliver a bespoke suit, which drape more elegantly, if they use vintage cloth. The downside is the coarseness and the weight, which you must get used to.
Here’s me posing in a bespoke blue suit made up in Italy from a vintage multi-ply Red Tower type of fabric. It has the famous and to some infamous shirt sleeve shoulders (spalla manica a camicia). Personally I really like, how the jacket shoulders can become smooth like a second skin with the shirt sleeve shoulder construction. However, I realize that they might not be the better solution on a formal navy blue suit or formal charcoal suit or a dinner jacket, which perhaps need more straight lines. Moreover men with sloping shoulders should be carefull with the construction.
Shoes are bespoke from red Italian leather. The tie is an unlined grenadine tie.
Photo: The Journal of Style
One of your better suits – very nice indeed. Not all tailors, in my experience, are happy for you to bring along your own cloth, do you have a method for persuading them? Other than paying more for the ‘privilege’, that is.
A wise man once said: “Do not use a tailor who does not accept that you bring your own fabric. It is not a real tailor.”
And I agree. It is an excellent suit.
I’ve heard about tailors reluctant to use customers’ fabric. I haven’t experienced it myself. They don’t always lower the total price but they have taken fabric that I’ve brought to them.
Beautiful suit, though the tailor information was kept private? Then again, i don’t think you have shared your Italian tailor. Maybe he is a MBT.
Truly beautiful suit, i even appreciate the lower gorge as most of the Neapolitan suits one sees today run the gamut of high to very high gorges. Your red shoes have developed an interesting patina;)