Solito Thread

[leapyourbar]

If anyone is interested in following along, I am on IG @openquarters where I will be posting all of my solito-related content!

 

[Oligarch]

Considering trying Solito out at the upcoming trunk show, but mindful of comments in the past about reliability/quality… not sure if these are due to what appeared to be a one-off family crisis some time back or more chronic/recent. Any updated views/thoughts?

 

[leapyourbar]

Considering trying Solito out at the upcoming trunk show, but mindful of comments in the past about reliability/quality… not sure if these are due to what appeared to be a one-off family crisis some time back or more chronic/recent. Any updated views/thoughts?

I'd gather it is a one-off. I think most of us would agree that meeting Luigi in person will inspire quite a bit of confidence in his service. Granted, I was introduced by a friend at a couple of trunk shows, he is a really great guy and I think he does his best for his customers. Sure, emails may go unanswered or whatever, but he always gets back to you eventually. As a good friend and renowned tailor put it, "with made to measure, you pay for customer service; with sartorias, you pay for the product."

I'll give you my experience so far. I had an appointment with him in NYC in June, which I had to cancel because of a work obligation. I ended up booking an impromptu trip and was in Napoli a week later. He met w/ me on the Monday to do the measurements, but there was an issue with the timing of getting the fabric into his shop for my second fitting. Complicating things further was the fact that he left for London the next day for a couple of days; nevertheless, the Solitos cut my jacket, and had Gennaro stay late on the Friday night to do the fitting so I could leave for Rome on Saturday. He also was willing to meet with me on the Saturday if it didn't work out. For him to make this happen for me in five days, given that I flew with my wife and six-month-old son from North America, is pretty solid service.

I've since sent him a couple emails that initially have gone unanswered, but I wasn't really sweating it. I was so blown away with the progress on my jacket thus far at the first fitting, such that I am certainly willing to be patient with him because I know the end result will be epic (and it has only been ~8 weeks). I am sure he has a responsibility to fill many orders before mine, and I'm lucky he made my project work within the five-day timeframe, anyhow.

The takeaway is this: don't give him a project that needs to be done immediately. This is why I did a brown suit, as opposed to the navy I did through orazio luciano/gentlemen's footwear in San Diego, as the latter had a firm date and is direly needed by yours truly. I'd have loved to have both done by the Solitos, but I need the navy suit done in short order for my professional wardrobe.

Alternatively, Luigi could do what Corcos did (somewhat admirably) and tell everyone he's not taking clients. I'd rather give him some leeway on returning emails, to be honest, than to be on the waiting list. He is a busy guy for a reason.

 

[PSNY]

I can attest to this being one-off or at least something more prevalent 5-6 years ago. It is no longer much of an issue at least from my experience or the several other commissions I've seen from Luigi. Luigi is also quite response on WhatsApp.

 

[leapyourbar]

I’d supplement my last post with th this: my jacket is finished, having been started 85 days ago, and the only thing preventing me from retrieving it in NYC next week is my own schedule, lol.

 

[PSNY]

Had a second fitting today with Luigi. Very happy so far with how it is coming along. We made several adjustments last time in the first fitting that I am happy with, including the jacket length. Today there were some adjustments to balance primarily to clean up the back and to compensate for a slightly lower shoulder. The shirt sleeves are being shortened slightly which should make the jacket sleeves appear a little shorter as well. Luigi also recommended extending the shoulders just a touch, similarly to his personal jackets, I obliged and went with his suggestion.

Side note: For those on the west coast, Luigi Solito and Luca are traveling to SF and LA after NY. It seems that bespoke traveling tailors in NY are back in full swing. Now hopefully we see Sartorial Ciardi come back as well.

 

[leapyourbar]

Got my jacket -- coudn't be more pleased with it! Genarro and Luigi are really great fellas. I'll post some pics here eventually!

 

[brax]

Luca seems to be enjoying himself also.

 

[leapyourbar]

Luca seems to be enjoying himself also.

Always nice to see Luca too! Should have done some more shirts with him, but I gotta think it over on what I need more than I what I want XD.

 

[LuisD]

What are the current prices for Solito? Thanks!

 

[PSNY]

Email them, that will be your best answer. With most tailors it varies on whether you're in Italy or at a trunk show and so on.

 

[leapyourbar]

$2,500 for jacket, $3,200 for suits.

**Edit*** That is EU.

 

[BrodieDurden]

Hello all. I'm new here and to the world of bespoke tailoring, but to start out I have my first appointment with Mr. Solito this Friday. My plan now is to get 2 jackets and to post the progress in this thread. Being new to all of this, I have a couple of very beginner questions and any guidance is appreciated. I only have an otr suit I got at the mall years ago, so I'm basically starting from scratch and need the basics.

I live in a part of the country (gulf) where it is often hot and humid, with mild winters but a lot of rain. What type of fabrics should I look at for a sportscoat? wool / silk / linen?

I am also ooking for a Harris brown or grey Donengal tweed. Would he have these fabrics or just italian ones? I understand tweed is warm and it'll be for winter but I also want a tweed jacket.

Thank you for input and I'll post updates after I meet with them this week.

 

[PSNY]

Best advice is to not overthink it and let Luigi do his thing. Note your pain points when you have your first and second fitting. When you try the jacket on try to sit down, shake hands, walk, see if you are comfortable overall. Common pain points are the lat area, the body, the forearm when you bend your arm as if you are taking a drink, and so on.

Also, if you want a slightly longer jacket, convey that, but I think Luigi does a great job at recommending fit and fabrics based on body type and climate from personal experience. Most fabrics Italian tailors carry are light weight given the climate of Italy. You should stick to high twist wool, linen and silk blends, and have at least one jacket of light weight wool or cashmere for when temperatures dip or when you travel.

 

[leapyourbar]

Hello all. I'm new here and to the world of bespoke tailoring, but to start out I have my first appointment with Mr. Solito this Friday. My plan now is to get 2 jackets and to post the progress in this thread. Being new to all of this, I have a couple of very beginner questions and any guidance is appreciated. I only have an otr suit I got at the mall years ago, so I'm basically starting from scratch and need the basics.

I live in a part of the country (gulf) where it is often hot and humid, with mild winters but a lot of rain. What type of fabrics should I look at for a sportscoat? wool / silk / linen?

I am also ooking for a Harris brown or grey Donengal tweed. Would he have these fabrics or just italian ones? I understand tweed is warm and it'll be for winter but I also want a tweed jacket.

Thank you for input and I'll post updates after I meet with them this week.

Looking forward to following the progress on your jackets! Luigi is awesome, and you won't be dissapointed. I'd take a look at some of the Fox Air and Loro Piana fabrics online and get a general idea of what you want, but Gigi should be able to give you some advice too. In my experience, he's not picky with fabrics for jackets (for example, when I've used Ambrosi for pants, he will steer me towards English fabrics which he thinks make far superior pants - and I agree). Gigi may put you onto something from Cacciopoli, but keep in mind that they are a merchant and not a mill - a lot of the stuff branded as Cacciopoli is actually from Loro Piana. He can tell you which ones are branded Cacciopoli but are LP.

All to say, a wool/silk/linen or wool/linen wil serve you very well. I wore my wool/silk/linen Loro Piana jacket from Solito yesterday and was comfortable, with temperatures fluctuating between 60 and 80 degrees yesterday in Detroit. Fresco is also a decent option for jackets, although I find it scratchy on your body and kind of cheap. I can't get away with fresco in the winter time in Detroit because it gets well below freezing, so I've always opted for Crispaire (Holland and Sherry) which I find works well for winter and isn't terrible in the hottest days. Can't say the same for Fresco.

Fit wise, he might cut the sleevs a tad bit shorter than you'reused to. I've grown to enjoy it, but it was starkly different than anything I'v owned from Orazio Luciano and Isaia.

Are you meeting him in Napoli? Gotta swing by Trattoria San Ferdinando afterward if so!