I just got off of the phone with a friend who spends a bit of time in Naples. He knew that there had been some discussion of the Neapolitans such as Sabino, Scafora and Piccollo (sp?) and he asked of them to some well known related artisans (though not competitors) and knowledgeable folk from Noveporte. What he found out was:
Sabino- Years ago he was one of the better tailors in Naples. Today he is no longer considered a bespoke tailor, rather somebody who has a small factory and is halfway between RTW and bespoke. Call it a glorified made to measure. He did not hear any positive things about this "artisan".
Piccollo- Terrible. A third class shirtmaker who is a total waste of time and money. The regular shirtmaker who works with Sabino is somewhere int he second class, but he does not like to travel, so they got somebody to go along. Stay away was the recommendation.
Scafora- Good shoemaker. One of the two best in Naples, but that is not saying a ton. Styles tend to be a little exuberent, but the make is good and he is honest and flexible. The class of the group by far.
My suggestion based on our conversation would be to only search out Scafora, but that other shoemakers from other areas can be a bit better.
I hope that this was of interest.
Neapolitan trousermaker Salvatore Ambrosi is planning a NYC visit in the next weeks. I understand Mr. Alden at the London Lounge is organizing the event. I have several trousers from him, craftsmanship is top notch. Highly recommended (I will post pics soon).
Probably the only guy who actually qualifies as the best... hands down.
They make the trousers for Rubinacci, Solito, Panico, Formosa etc. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. I have not tried their own make, but I hear from the same friend I reference above that it is of slightly better make than they do for the various tailors of the area.
Yes, their work is excellent. I knew that they made trousers for the tailors you mentioned, but not Rubinacci. There's another tailor they make trousers for but I forget the name (Starts with a C?) That being said, Ambrosi trousers are not the only ones I love.
Last edited by Cruz Diez (2007-01-31 22:26:19)
Can Neapolitan tailors, in particular, or Italian tailors, in, general, make a good fishtail back for use with braces? I don't often see Italian men wearing braces and was told by one Italian tailor that he only makes braces for very overweight men.
Last edited by iammatt (2007-02-01 16:47:21)