The London Lounge

Gents,

I am at last reconsidering my objection to OTC socks, as it's coming into what seems like a very cold winter here in Terra Australis.

The pairs I'd previously purchased were from Gallo, in a fairly dense weave, and I am hoping that ribbed cotton will be a little more comfortable.

As Pantharella are on the wane, and I can't seem to find a source for Bresciani in small sizes (other than dandystore.fr, which are all pretty bright - though the cotton/linen for summer will go nicely), I am toying with a pair or two of these:

http://en.meschaussettesrouges.com/les-marques.html

I'm particularly drawn to the fact that they come in exact sizes. Can anyone comment as to their comfort and quality? Is it all just a bit of clever marketing?

Thanks in advance,

Bird

I have bought these.
It may be clever marketing but they do come beautifully packaged and do much to make you feel a little more important than you might be.
They are lovely socks, very comfortable to wear.I like the green , which I wear with nearly everything now.
However when I ordered I think there was a choice of wool;Is it still available? The cotton ones are light and cool and allow the wind through; fine if you happen to be a cardinal in hot Rome? Are they warm enough for an Aussie winter?
Definitely worth a try though.

I have a couple of pairs in cotton (Mazarin) and agree that they are light in weight and have a somewhat open weave, definitely meant for summer. There is a nice luster to the cotton and on my feet the socks reach to just above the calf. Quality seems good up to now. But I am not sure on the exact sizing, it could be that a same sized sock is sold for several sizes.

See Will of A Suitable Wardrobe, also a member of the LL, for a great selection of Bresciani.

Much obliged, chaps.

I might have to give Bresciani a look. There is a selection of solids in their web store, by the looks of it, as well as some silly patterns. Still, shipping is cheap: 10 euro for up to a kilo of socks!

I think I'm a 10 in sock sizes, most of Will's offerings start at 10 1/2, but that won't be a big problem, right?

Another quick question: I gather than the Bresciani OTCs are somewhat translucent. Are the Gammarelli in the same boat? I'm not sure that it even troubles me, just curious...

BirdofSydney wrote:Much obliged, chaps.

I might have to give Bresciani a look. There is a selection of solids in their web store, by the looks of it, as well as some silly patterns. Still, shipping is cheap: 10 euro for up to a kilo of socks!

I think I'm a 10 in sock sizes, most of Will's offerings start at 10 1/2, but that won't be a big problem, right?

Could you share a link to the web shop? I can't seem to find it. I am around a 10 as well and in my experience the smallest sizes of most brands are often still too roomy, obviously very annoying. This seems to hold true even more for cotton than for wool.

I couldn't find it at first: there's a link from the main Bresciani site but I suspect only the Italian part. Nor does it show up in Google.

www.solocoseitaliane.com

Not a big range, alas.

Thanks. Those in ribbed cotton look quite nice (some of the others don't ). It isn't possible to specify a destination outside of Italy, so I have sent an email and asked if that could be arranged.

As they list an overseas postage rate, one would hope so!

Be sure to let us know how you fare.

My first pair finally arrived (my request for expedited shipping went unheeded), in navy blue. The tag was marked with my size, and they do fit perfectly. The quality is evident, and while they are a touch more translucent than I like, they are substantial enough not to feel like stockings!

I'm not sure I'm brave enough for 'framboise' yet, but I shall certainly be ordering again...

BirdofSydney wrote:Another quick question: I gather than the Bresciani OTCs are somewhat translucent. Are the Gammarelli in the same boat?

No, they are not. Gammarellis -although rather thin- come in solid rich colors.
You might find the discussion about socks on the following link useful:

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... =15#p60120

BTW, I just finished my first batch of A. Gammarelli wool socks which I ordered last year (and the word "finished" will give you a hint).
Results: great colors (red and purple). As expected, very nice feel and look, but way too thin for cold winter days. They advertise "reinforced toes" but they didn´t last very long.
The cotton lisle ones (filo scozia) are performing much better.

Thanks Hector.

I did have a read of that thread, although I have the opposite problem, taking the smallest size in most socks.

As I mentioned, I found the Mazarin socks a touch more transparent than others I've had (Pantharella, Marcoliani), but not enough to seriously trouble me.

I think that I will try Bresciani next (in 10 1/2 if I must) and compare results before buying more...

BirdofSydney wrote: I think that I will try Bresciani next (in 10 1/2 if I must) and compare results before buying more...

Dear BoS,
go ahead and try the Brescianis by yourself. I would like to know how you compare them to Mazarin´s.
I´ve been lucky enough that in the past I´ve been able to buy Bresciani socks in a nice gentleman´s store a few blocks from my house. IMO, they are OK but not a great value. Although maybe this is due to the very limited styles and sizes available there.
In my experience in the last 30 years I haven´t found a single brand of socks with consistency in its high quality and availability, and I have had to jump from one to the next, and back.

Hello,

My first post here - I have a bunch of experience with Mazarin, Bresciani and Marcoliani and think I can help you out here.

I own one pair of the Mazarin (navy OTC cotton socks), 10 pairs of Bresciani (navy OTC cotton socks) and 3 pairs of Marcoliani (all OTC, all cotton). I should note that all socks are washed together on a delicate cycle and then hung to dry.

Few observations:
- the Mazarin's after 2-3 wears lost the elasticity in the calf and tend to work their way down during the day. These are thin socks. The seam where the toe is sewn on is quite large, and at times has been annoying for me. I like these the least of all my socks and wear them only when I have run short on socks. They have been worn once a month for the last 1.5 years and show no other signs of wear other than the calf elasticity issue.

- the Bresciani's stay up all day and are a joy to wear. These are thin socks as well. The seam where the toe is sewn on does not cause a comfort issue. These are by far my favorite socks and my go to. I have a pretty consistent rotation with all 10 pairs, wearing each 2 or so times a month for the past 1.5 years. There has been one wear issue - I had holes develop in two socks (not pairs). One was under the balls of the feet and the other in the heel. Other than that, the other 18 socks show no signs of wear.

- the Marcoliani stay up all day and are also a joy to wear. These are a little thicker than the Mazarin's and Bresciani's. I like these but when it comes down to it, I find myself reaching for my Bresciani's over these when I go to work. I consider these more of a weekend sock for me. These are worn once or so a month for the last 1.5 years and have shown no signs of wear. Given the thickness of the socks, I have a hunch these will last the longest of all my socks. They remind me of the thickness of VK Nagrani socks (without the wacky designs).

In terms of accessibility, I find the Bresciani's are the easiest to find (both on Mr. Porter - free shipping/returns - and Will's store at asuitablewardrobe - Will has a nice selection which I intend to branch out and try in the future). I wear a US 8 / UK 7 / EU 41 shoe size and the mediums work for me. The Marcoliani's are available at Howart Yount who are a pleasure to work with (reasonable shipping costs). The Mazarin's are available at Mes Chaussettes Rouge and ship from the EU (which is a pain due to shipping costs if you are in NYC like me).

I value durability and comfort in my socks (as I think most do), so I kept it to cotton for now. I'm not much of a wool sock fan, even in the winter I prefer my cotton socks.

Anyway, I know this is probably more than you were asking for but I figured I'd share my little "experiment" with everyone as my first post.

Good luck.
-M