For the last few days in Napoli I had rented a scooter. It is much more expensive than renting a small car due to insurance costs, but more fun and much quicker than a car. And because traffic is, uh, a bit more liberal than elsewhere, you can easily find shortcuts through pedestrian areas, against traffics, etc.
Friday was my last day in Napoli. In the morning I picked up my ties at Capelli's. They were beautifully done and the first thing I noticed was the conservative design choices I'd made. Next time I promised myself to be more bold. During the day I stopped at another tie maker, Ulturale, as I was looking for a gift for an Azeri friend with a bolder taste and there I found exactly that, including their trademark talisman hidden on the back. Seems also well made, but in a different style.
And then at 4, my appointment with Pirozzi. A very warm welcome, a very concentrated hour or so of adjusting, discussing options for pockets, trouser width, button height, darts, etc. We all agreed French pleats made for a nice volume on a tall person. They accepted the length of the SB coat I had brought with me as the correct length. But for the DB they insisted on a slightly longer coat, appr. 2cm longer, because of the heft of the front. Is this something you recognise as correct?
But then. The daggers came out, those same daggers alden had already warned me for. I noticed to my surprise that the linen suit had a structured front. I must admit, a very light structure, but there was one. And I had explicitly requested no structure. The 2 brothers started to spit fire. Whether I really wanted some cheap suit like from Z., one of the most successful high street chains specialising in self disintegrating clothing, with a half life of around 5 months. Did I know what it means to have no structure in such suit? How could I even bring it up? I suspected at some point one would jump on the shoulders of the other and punch me in the eye. Although my Italian was still nowhere near useful, I took that as a no.
They guaranteed a very soft look nonetheless. And continued to feel strongly about it for at least 15 minutes after I relented and the daughter had repeatedly told them so. Herein lies lesson number 1, I'm sure. But what lesson I don't know yet. Maybe I'm lucky I haven't paid for everything yet.
The sample shirt they had put together needed the most adjustments, arm hole, shoulder, body length, sleeve length. I tried to explain that in my opinion the coat follows the shirt regarding arm length, but I got the impression they were more relaxed about that link. In the end it seemed to work, though.
Now is my last day in Italy before heading back home. I managed to find a few linen/cotton and linen/silk/cotton mixed socks, inspired as I was by Costi. Pure linen I could find nowhere. There were a lot of white socks, mainly British made and a few German ones it seemed, none red, a few tanned. Thank you for pointing this out alden.
And I purchased a shoe to go with the chocolate brown linen suit! The suggestions from all of you have been very helpful in making the choice, even if you don't recognise it immediately. A very pale beige loafer with tassels, nice with a thin sock and without I believe:
http://www.guji.jp/blog/upload/2012/02/IMG_8255.JPG
You can shoot me now over the choice, but know that I die knowing it will be in style... Seriously, I would appreciate any comments. Burn and learn, I tell myself.
A side remark regarding minimal levels of style. I was surprised at the levels of lack of style I also saw amongst many Italians. Is it true that some can be even more style challenged than the most challenged in other countries? Do they do it on purpose to bring balance to the overall cultural fabric? Compared to some outfits I saw this week, the American uniform of sweatpants and sweater seems almost dressed up. I never thought I was going to write this! And it is not my intention to offend Italians nor Americans nor other nationalities, if I ever did.
A final final remark: however nice the bespoke experience was, the talk with a passionate tie maker, the food and the wines, the highlight of this trip was an hour's run on the empty and sunny Via Appia Antica this morning. The sense of history, the ancient walls, the fields, the sheep make for an inspirational combination. Next time, when combining the right shoe (maybe an old army boot would do, but it would look strange with my tights and t shirt) and using my own running technique, I may even attempt mimicking the sound of a cohort going to the battle field!
Please keep the comments flowing, this has been a most helpful, at times hilarious and always entertaining thread. Be sure I will ask for more advice when the 2nd fitting comes. You're my teachers.
Ciao ragazzi!