Tailors
from Naples are back in style
The experiences of Neapolitan suitmakers show the challenges of beauty amid decay..
When it’s made by hand and stitched by hand it means that its form moulds to the body. It lasts longer. It becomes better with time,” he says, turning an unfinished grey cashmere jacket inside out to expose a neat double line of stitches. He is in a dark suit and striped tie. If Italy is a study in contrasts, Naples and its tailors provide one of the most striking. While the southern city is racked by decline and urban decay, some of its streets in the grip of organised crime, the fortunes of its tailors — whose hand-cut, handsewn suits fit with the city’s languor and regal beauty — are rising.
The experiences of Neapolitan suitmakers show the challenges of beauty amid decay..
When it’s made by hand and stitched by hand it means that its form moulds to the body. It lasts longer. It becomes better with time,” he says, turning an unfinished grey cashmere jacket inside out to expose a neat double line of stitches. He is in a dark suit and striped tie. If Italy is a study in contrasts, Naples and its tailors provide one of the most striking. While the southern city is racked by decline and urban decay, some of its streets in the grip of organised crime, the fortunes of its tailors — whose hand-cut, handsewn suits fit with the city’s languor and regal beauty — are rising.
The
idea that beauty — for which read fashion, food, culture and
tourism — will save Italy is in fashion among the Italian political
and business elite. The possibilities and the limits of the idea seem
to be encapsulated by Naples tailors.....The experiences of Neapolitan suit makers show the challenges of beauty amid decay..
FINANCIAL
TIME
Naples, a Haven of Hand Work
Over
the last century, the personal tailor, working one to one with a
client, has become as symbolic of Naples as its Roman sculptures and
Baroque churches. Many men socializing with friends on the city
streets or sitting on public benches wear elegant jackets, in tweed
or linen, lightweight, unstructured — and indisputably tailor made.
And
the Neapolitan tailors seem to be more successful than the chaotic
city itself in moving further into the 21st century. Like the waters
of the bay that rise and fall along the coastline, they have had good
years and bad. But, today, the bespoke suit is back and doing well,
even against the challenge of factory-made ready to wear.
To
show that the tide of tailoring has turned, the big names in Naples
have opened stores around the world. They also fly experts to their
clients or offer them a home-away-from-home welcome in Italy.
NEW
YORK TIME
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/22/fashion/Naples-a-haven-of-tailoring-by-hand.html
Pietro Orza
New York January 18th ,2017
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