Naples Bespoke Tailors

[lordsuperb]

I’m there September 4th-11th

Be sure to spend some time in Ischia while you're in Naples.

 

[9thsymph]

Be sure to spend some time in Ischia while you're in Naples.

Def part of the itinerary...

 

[Luke/plasticbottle]

Hi guys, any one can tell the normal process and how long it takes to finish a suit with Neapolitan tailors? I live in Australia and planning a trip to Europe is year.

 

[Marty J]

Hello, I am new to the forum! I am going to Naples in Sept. '24. Can any of you recommend what might be "entry level" bespoke? Maybe a newer, less famous house? Thanks,

 

[yanagi]

Hello, I am new to the forum! I am going to Naples in Sept. '24. Can any of you recommend what might be "entry level" bespoke? Maybe a newer, less famous house? Thanks,

Don't go (solely or even mainly) by price. Go by whether you like what they're making/what you're seeing on people actually wearing the finished suits etc.

For what it's worth, I have jackets from Sartoria Tofani and Zizolfi and happily recommend both.

 

[jonathanS]

Hello, I am new to the forum! I am going to Naples in Sept. '24. Can any of you recommend what might be "entry level" bespoke? Maybe a newer, less famous house? Thanks,

You have plenty of time. There is a thread called “on going bespoke” start at page 1 & go through it. You’ll find plenty of recommendations there. Once you’ve gone through the entire thread, I think you’ll be a lot more knowledgeable about the journey you are about to embark.

Alternatively, Simon Compton’s blog permanent style will help aid you in the process. Your question is overly broad & there’s a lot of unknowns that could impact the recommendations (e.g. budget, time constraints, your location, fittings, whether you speak Italian etc.). Good luck!

 

[JohnMRobie]

New guy: Hey does anyone have a tailor recommendation in Naples?

Styleforum: Here’s why you need to go read 850 pages of random posts before you can even ask that question

Hello, I am new to the forum! I am going to Naples in Sept. '24. Can any of you recommend what might be "entry level" bespoke? Maybe a newer, less famous house? Thanks,

Can you explain by what you mean re: “entry level”? Is there a price point you had in mind or wanted to stick to?

The other thing to consider are whether you’re after a more classic Neapolitan silhouette and a more modern one. The more modern options are cut a little shorter, a little closer to the body. The more classic will still be shorter and closer cut than a lot of English offerings and is distinctly Neapolitan but has a little extra fullness.

The final thing to consider is how long you’ll be in Naples and if you will have time for fittings while you’re there, need to find a tailor who visits a city near you and how you’ll want to go about ordering in the future.

 

[Marty J]

I agree that my question was overly broad, or even vague. By entry level, I meant that I don't need to go to the "best" or the most famous house. I was implying that I was willing to take a risk on a lesser known or established tailor in exchange for a lower cost. I have read this entire thread, and several other threads. There is certainly a lot of collective wisdom amongst the members of the forum, but it is rather daunting at times to filter the information. Thank you everyone who has responded. FYI I will be there 4-5 days during a two-week vacation in Italy.

 

[circumspice]

You are not going to get far with 4-5 days. Bespoke generally looks something like:

Get measured, pick fabric, discuss style choices
Have a first fitting - the garment will just be in a skeletal shape
Have a second fitting

With that being 3 appointments spread apart. When I got started with B&Tailor in Seoul I was able to make that happen in 2 weeks, with the suit being shipped to me after, because I brought the suit fabric with me AND I had confirmed with them that we could make this happen in that timetable.

What you could conceivably try is if anyone is doing guided measurements via Zoom, etc - during Covid, some folks were trying new things in this vein. I think @Jmr928 may have done this with Sartoria Pastena when he got started with them.

But basically - if they could sustain measuring remotely AND you could pick your fabric remotely, then POSSIBLY you may be able to find someone where you could do 2 fittings in 4-5 days, but honestly, that is asking a lot.

It would be much better to give them > 1 week between fittings.

 

[JohnMRobie]

I agree that my question was overly broad, or even vague. By entry level, I meant that I don't need to go to the "best" or the most famous house. I was implying that I was willing to take a risk on a lesser known or established tailor in exchange for a lower cost. I have read this entire thread, and several other threads. There is certainly a lot of collective wisdom amongst the members of the forum, but it is rather daunting at times to filter the information. Thank you everyone who has responded. FYI I will be there 4-5 days during a two-week vacation in Italy.

Re: lower cost - Tailoring in Naples will generally be less expensive than other places. Rubi is the main one that is fairly expensive but there is a pretty big range beyond that.

As @circumspice mentioned with 4-5 days means you may be limited in how many fittings you’ll accomplish and what cloth you can use - Either you can bring something or see what they have in their Sartoria that’s ready to cut - Throwing together a first fitting should be doable in that timeframe.

He’s also correct in that I did some remote stuff during Covid with my tailor, Sartoria Pastena.

You’d have a couple options if you wanted to go that route if the tailor is willing. You could send over a well fitting garment to have the point to point measures taken - It’s not really copying but basically they’d take the shoulder measure, the length, the chest, waist, sleeve length etc and do an approximation. Snap some pictures or do a zoom of yourself wearing whatever you send so they can see how it fits and if it needs to be tweaked. The other thing you could do is measure yourself remotely if the tailor is open to it. Or both of those.

If you went that route it’s possible that they’d have a first fitting ready when you met them the first time and could probably fit the second fitting in while you’re there. Keep in mind Italy largely shuts down in August so make sure your fabric is there in June or early July so they have time to cut and baste before you get there.

 

[jonathanS]

New guy: Hey does anyone have a tailor recommendation in Naples?

Styleforum: Here’s why you need to go read 850 pages of random posts before you can even ask that question


Can you explain by what you mean re: “entry level”? Is there a price point you had in mind or wanted to stick to?

The other thing to consider are whether you’re after a more classic Neapolitan silhouette and a more modern one. The more modern options are cut a little shorter, a little closer to the body. The more classic will still be shorter and closer cut than a lot of English offerings and is distinctly Neapolitan but has a little extra fullness.

The final thing to consider is how long you’ll be in Naples and if you will have time for fittings while you’re there, need to find a tailor who visits a city near you and how you’ll want to go about ordering in the future.

Seems about right! Knowledge, to some extent, is earned over time. Just stick around and follow the on going bespoke thread. Ask questions when you have them (eg. Peoples experiences). But I’d humbly suggest asking everyone for the final answer isn’t the answer - tailors are a lot about a persons personality - how you want to be presented to the world. Your level of detail etc. You have to find what you like, not what some other person likes.

I agree that my question was overly broad, or even vague. By entry level, I meant that I don't need to go to the "best" or the most famous house. I was implying that I was willing to take a risk on a lesser known or established tailor in exchange for a lower cost. I have read this entire thread, and several other threads. There is certainly a lot of collective wisdom amongst the members of the forum, but it is rather daunting at times to filter the information. Thank you everyone who has responded. FYI I will be there 4-5 days during a two-week vacation in Italy.

Where do you live? With that timeline, I think your best bet is to either travel back or order from a tailor who travels somewhere that’s easier for you to visit / where you are. (Eg. If you live in Philadelphia, maybe a tailor who travels to New York).

Where else are you traveling in Italy? Must it be Naples? Why Naples over Florence or Milan? But 4-5 days is good for allowing a tailor to do one fitting, but you’ll need 2-3 fittings. How many jackets are you having made? So many factors.

 

[moltoelegante]

I was in Napoli a few month ago and met with a few tailors. Prices ranged from €1,500-€3,000 for a two-piece suit, fabric included. Turnaround time could range from 1-3 months.

Consider that you might need a day or two just to meet up with your short list of tailors to see how you communicate with them, see samples of their work for other customers, see which fabrics they have on hand, and to confirm prices and their current workload, etc. You should expect at least 2 fittings, which are normally weeks apart, so it's simply not achievable during a 5-day stay.

 

[jonathanS]

I was in Napoli a few month ago and met with a few tailors. Prices ranged from €1,500-€3,000 for a two-piece suit, fabric included. Turnaround time could range from 1-3 months.

Consider that you might need a day or two just to meet up with your short list of tailors to see how you communicate with them, see samples of their work for other customers, see which fabrics they have on hand, and to confirm prices and their current workload, etc. You should expect at least 2 fittings, which are normally weeks apart, so it's simply not achievable during a 5-day stay.

Quite a range! Unfortunately, that 1500-3000€ range could be for the same tailor! Depending if you’re a local or foreigner. That’s one thing I hate about Napoli, they charge different prices for locals vs foreigners.

I heard one renounced house charging a guy from Switzerland 5200€ for a suit!

 

[JohnMRobie]

Quite a range! Unfortunately, that 1500-3000€ range could be for the same tailor! Depending if you’re a local or foreigner. That’s one thing I hate about Napoli, they charge different prices for locals vs foreigners.

I heard one renounced house charging a guy from Switzerland 5200€ for a suit!

It’s always funny seeing this critique because charging different prices for different projects is so common in all aspects of the fee for service industry but for some reason people get mad when tailors do it. Similar to higher prices for trunk shows.

 

[jonathanS]

It’s always funny seeing this critique because charging different prices for different projects is so common in all aspects of the fee for service industry but for some reason people get mad when tailors do it. Similar to higher prices for trunk shows.

Same product*