Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-12-23 09:44:04)

It's interesting that the title of this thread entails three quintessentially Neapolitan clothing makers--Rubinacci, Matuozzo and Ambrosi--that combine to comprise most of a man's typical outfit, jacket, shirt, trousers.  Interesting because it seems to me one aspect of the Neapolitan style is less flexibility, less interchangeability with other styles, so that pretty much everything has to be in the Neapolitan style to work together harmoniously.  Nothing wrong with that.  For instance, I don't see a Mimmo Siviglia shirt, with its strong, structured collar, integrating well with a softer Neapolitan jacket.  A Turnbull & Asser shirt might not work for the same reasons.  Perhaps a Brooks Brothers button-down collar shirt might work.  At the same time, I don't see a less-structured Matuozzo shirt working with my more-structured Raphael jackets nor a typical English jacket.  Might it work with a more slouchy Press jacket?  Maybe.  Neapolitan trousers, with their extremely tapered legs, wouldn't work with anything other than a Neapolitan jacket, IMO.  A fuller cut trouser might look inconsistent with a more form-fitting Neapolitan jacket.  I think you really have to buy into the Neapolitan style in its entirety in order to build a cohesive wardrobe or, perhaps, just have a Neapolitan section in your closet for when that sprezzatura feeling comes over you.  Going to my favorite Neapolitan pizzeria decked out in Neapolitan clothes from head to toe would certainly add to an enjoyable experience.