Absolutely stunning. Puts Turnbull & Asser to shame. Thank you!

Am I alone in thinking that Marc's greatly appreciated shirt displays are better advertisements for Sig. Siviglia's shirts than anything dreamt of by a Madison Ave. ad exec?
Thanks for the reposts, Marc. It's really nice to see that kind od craftsmanship up close.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2007-03-15 11:04:48)

Great thread. 

A few questions:

1 - I find fused cuffs uncomfortable by the end of the day, because by virtue of being fused, the cloth is less breathable.  Are mimmo's shirts any different?

2 - Ditto for fused collars.  Even less breathability (because of the folded-over nature of the collar) and sometimes chafing.  Do mimmo's fused shirts not chafe?

As an aside, it's funny how things change when you start getting into really nice clothing.

When you're in high school, a stiff, fused suit and fused shirt looks stiff and appropriate.  It's a suit, right?  It's supposed to be stiff!

Then you realize that the softness of a canvassed suit and shirt actually looks more regal, because the clothing moves with, and accentuates, the man wearing such clothing. 

When I attend meetings and a banker, mezz lender, PE guy, corporate lawyer, or consultant extends his hand to shake mine and the whole, stiff mess of a coat moves with his arm, I think to myself "This man is hating every minute of wearing this suit" or "This man wears suits once a month, and he's not wearing the suit, the suit is wearing him."

I contrast that with a senior banker who wears an A&S suit, possibly from 20 years ago, or a Borrelli or Kiton suit which he wears like a cardigan, as well as a Kiton or Borrelli shirt with the softness of a blanket. 

It looks lived-in yet regal.

It looks soft but never sloppy.

It looks self-effacing yet tremendously dignified.

As such, any time I hear "fused", whether with a collar or a suit, I think -- this is something that cannot be comfortable.  Also, it can never look right, because it lacks the puckering, the slight unevenness, the rakishness of a custom/bespoke, "natural" article.

But I can of course be convinced otherwise.

Marc, I also wanted to comment on your position that a fully hand-made shirt may be gimmicky and may not last long. 

I have not found this to be the case. 

I own a Borrelli shirt which is handmade and I have abused it to death, yet it still performs like a winner.  Have you had bad experiences with hand made shirts?  If so, which brands (or which tailor made them)? There aren't a lot of fully handmade shirts out there, at least to my understanding.

Um, wow, that is tacky.

It reminds me of those perpetually "Grand Opening" stores or one of those discount bridal gown battlegrounds.

One of my favorite wholecut designs.  Too bad Santoni's NYC store doesn't carry it.