French Tailoring Thread (e.g. Camps de Luca, Cifonelli, Smalto and etc.)

[dirnelli]

Courtot takes cheques.

Milanaise can be done here:

http://dirnelli.tumblr.com/post/61698781703/review-of-milanaise-followers-of-this-blog-know

 

[TheFoo]

Speaking of French shirtmakers, is there an in-depth review of Charvet bespoke anywhere? My Google-fu has proven unworthy.

 

[Dandy Wonka]



Having them send it to you is probably fine. One sugg: if you choose a patterned cloth and they send it to you and after the fittings there's any adjustment to be made on the sleeve length or shoulders, have them send it to you with fake buttonholes. Or at least the top and bottom ones fake. You can get them to put in real ones next time you're in Paris once you're sure the length is right.

The only problem with sending it is the bloody 30% tax I cop!

 

[Dandy Wonka]



Another sugg would be to show up at their doorstep with your own fabric in hand.

Thanks but I am not that professional.

BTW I read your comments in Thomas Pink collars with interest. My problem with them is that they frayed at the top almost straight away. Terrible quality. A disgrace really.

 

[Kuro]

...

 

[Griffindork]

^I've yet to find a shirt maker that fits anywhere close to charvet. They are stylistically agnostic so you have to know how to communicate your preferences, but if you can the results are magical in terms of fit. I need to change my pattern and will probably do so this year, but once I do I will likely stomach the $1000 per shirt and order more. I had some difficultly with longevity, but that is at least partially to blame on my fabric choices and the fact that I wear the hard. Hermes bespoke makes a wonderful bespoke shirt as well and if you care about hand stitching, there is lots compared to nothing at charvet.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]

Wow - a G per shirt!!!

A serious Q: given that other well respected Euro and NY makers are about $300 a pop, wouldn't it be pragmatic to order 2-3 initial shirts from them to fine tune the fit (as they don't offer muslins like Charvet, let's assume the first $1K is a total write-off). Even under that conservative approach, over the long-term (I assume all you have a wardrobe of at least 20-25 shirts) the cash savings will be considerable.

Or is it just that the Charvet offering is so markedly superior that you don't trust the other guys to get it right even after 2 or 3 iterations?

 

[Kuro]

...

 

[Griffindork]

I can't remember what the categories are, but my first shirt was 400 euro, which was the lowest priced category. That is roughly $520, and then figure another 30% for fedex to bring it into the states. So you are close to $700 at the lowest price point, and I never saw that price point again in any of the 20 shirts I ordered. 650 euro was about the average.

 

[Griffindork]



Wow - a G per shirt!!!

Or is it just that the Charvet offering is so markedly superior that you don't trust the other guys to get it right even after 2 or 3 iterations?

I would love to find someone as good for a similar price. A year and a half through my first shirt with budd and haven't gotten something I can wear. Napolisumiaura is ok but certainly far from great. Just started with turnbull and I hop it goes well. The French are just superior tailors.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]



I would love to find someone as good for a similar price. A year and a half through my first shirt with budd and haven't gotten something I can wear. Napolisumiaura is ok but certainly far from great. Just started with turnbull and I hop it goes well. The French are just superior tailors.

Maybe give Mary Frittolini (sp?) a go - she is based in Paris + Tuscany, and Alden at the LL thinks very highly of her. Closer in price to the English than to Charvet.

 

[TheFoo]



I can't remember what the categories are, but my first shirt was 400 euro, which was the lowest priced category. That is roughly $520, and then figure another 30% for fedex to bring it into the states. So you are close to $700 at the lowest price point, and I never saw that price point again in any of the 20 shirts I ordered. 650 euro was about the average.

30% for shipping and duty? That sounds exorbitant.

I figure on staying near the base price. No need for fancy fabrics.

At my first appointment, I found my fitter highly meticulous. My two fears are that no one could tell me much about any of the fabrics, other than that they are all "very nice," and that I can't know how well I communicated my fit preference. In most cases, I just explained something which they than classified as "classique."

Will be back in next two months for fitting. Any fitter to ask for?

 

[Griffindork]

I think you get whatever fitter happens to be there when you are there. I can send you a picture of the woman who thought was fabulous, but she only did my first two fittings and the third fitting was fine as well.

As for price, get ready for crazy fedex fees. it is mind blowing but I'm not exaggerating. I think you will quickly find that unless you only want solid poplin in blue, white and pink, your prices will be close to mine.

 

[TheFoo]



I think you get whatever fitter happens to be there when you are there. I can send you a picture of the woman who thought was fabulous, but she only did my first two fittings and the third fitting was fine as well.

As for price, get ready for crazy fedex fees. it is mind blowing but I'm not exaggerating. I think you will quickly find that unless you only want solid poplin in blue, white and pink, your prices will be close to mine.

My goal is 10 shirts for the price I'd pay for a suit. $500-600 per shirt is okay. More--no.

Maybe they have a nice blue chambray in the lowest price category.

 

[dirnelli]

Re Halary -- SeamasterLux shot him down for me, so I never checked up in person. Perhaps Seamaster will post here about his disappointment, as I am not sure exactly what the bone of contention was...

Re Charvet bespoke shirts -- RJ would be able to post a comprehensive review for us all, it's too bad... He used to chain order them to the tune of one per month. Anyway, what strikes me more about Charvet bespoke, rather than the fit (which is subjective for each customer), is the stellar range of fabric bolts on display upstairs. That sight alone is worth the trip. All the more upsetting to hear that the salespeople suck at describing the qualities of these amazing fabrics (I mean, how often do you get to handle Zendelyne?) Doesn't surprise me though: sales reps are generally less knowledgable than the average iGent these days... I'm sure Mr. Colban would be able to provide good answers though. His recent interview by Crompton was quite interesting: http://www.permanentstyle.co.uk/2013/12/interview-jean-claude-colban-charvet.html#.UwE21om9LCQ

Re Hermes bespoke shirts -- I wonder who actually makes them for Hermes? Camps de Luca makes the Hermes bespoke suit (it was made by Cifo prior to that, for many years), so I am assuming Hermes also uses a top notch shirtmaker for their bespoke offering. Perhaps the same shirtmaker that Camps and Cifo use when delivering bespoke shirts to their customers? Both houses outsource their bespoke shirts. I was told the name once, but I can't recall. Frittolini is also positioning herself to start making for Cifo as well, we'll see what comes of it.