The London Lounge

Iammat, It looks like you established an extremely proficient relationship with Signor Mariano and the tailors at Rubinacci’s, and your taste for vintage cloth is consistently exquisite. I totally agree with Angelo: the last jacket is quintessentially Neapolitan in a subtle, understated and yet imme...

Someone should make a movie on the life of Malaparte: "From Mussolini to Mao" in one lifetime, how to be an excellent author, dandy, ladies man, fascist, communist, get condemned to reclusion on Lipari and Capri, and build a marvelous house that Tom Wolfe would write about......whew Cheers Curzio M...

Alden, Unfortunately, these days large checks are in serious danger of extinction because: 1. The demand for bespoke “sporty” odd jackets is constantly declining since many customers no longer use to wear a coat during the week-end. 2. Correctly matching large patterns implies that the tailor needs ...

Needless to say that the vintage Shetland tweed that Iammat picked from the “London House” vault in the Palazzo Cellammare (*) is absolutely exquisite in its “demode” colour palette and pattern scale. As far as the tailoring, from what I can see (... since the coat is on a hanger and not on Iammat's...

Its better not to even try it. I have rarely if ever seen a coat shortened that looked right. The biggest problem is the pocket placement that will appear much too low. Save up and get a new coat! I'm 100% with Alden. Can someone please explain how can a tailor shorthen the lenght of the coat and t...

These days, most RTW brands cut their jackets too long, and the same principle applies to the sleeve length and to the width of the shoulders. Any sartorially educated eye can clearly see that a long jacket with long sleeves and protruding shoulders is the standard way that the vast majority of adul...

The "calzoni napoletani" (Neapolitan pants) made by our best "pantalonai" are just as crucial to the overall elegance of the customer's attire as the look and fit of the (suit/odd) jacket. Most of Napoli's best tailors outsource the making of the pants but are extremely secretive about the name of t...

Rjman,
I'm really glad that you enjoyed your Roman holiday.

RJman, I’m afraid I'm not an expert in the specific field, but I believe that in Italy the best quality cioccolato is made in Sicilia and Toscana. Of course, you can always stay on the safe side visiting the local Godiva outlet, but I hope to provide you with additional options with the following li...

Just a side note before anyone prints the list ! The most traditional Roman dishes are far from sophisticated, and are actually based on very poor, “earthy” (some people even say “disgusting”) ingredients. Just think that the real “piece de resistance” of the local trattorie is the so-called “quinto...

Since the Robaina line was launched in the late nineties, I’ve always had mixed feelings about the brand. While some vitolas (Famosos and Unicos) were pretty good smokes as far as taste and aroma and provided reliable draw and construction features, other formats, including the flagship Don Alejandr...

To eat (and drink) well in Roma you don’t have to spend a lot (unless you want to). Since anybody can read online or paper city guides to find information about the most famous places, I would like to provide the LL community with a list of personal favourites in the “moderately priced” category. TR...

In Napoli, the standard is corozo buttons on suits and horn buttons on sport-coats. Some customers require black horn on charcoal and navy suits, while others like the natural, mottled look of horn on their “town” brown worsted and flannel suits as well as on their “country” weed suits. Since corozo...

The fabric is wondeful, but the suit's beauty lies in the waistcoat. If you take away the "gilet", all that is left is a well tailored coat with a lapel that is way too short and should have been left free to roll down to the second button. As far as the watch, the shirt cuff and the unfastened butt...

While the suits are indeed beautiful, I have the feeling that the Japanese are reaching too far in search of that "perfect" 30's look, and end up passing the line that separates "timeless classic" from "costume".