Bespoke shirtmaker

[Scot]

I still find the notion that people have taken the definition of bespoke and narrowed it to a hilariously specific set of motions fairly odd. If you are having a shirt, suit, or any other particular item made from scratch to your shape and specifications, it's bespoke.

Personally, I'd never want a 100% hand sewn shirt, they will never be as good as a shirt made by a skilled seamstress with a machine.

Thank God. Sanity at last.

[Milanese]

Sartorius, I have using Avitabile for a long time and I can only speak well of him. His necks are great for example.
He's having great success in London and I would simply suggest to go and try and make your opinion yourself. He comes every 6 weeks to the Travellers club.

[Sartorius_2]

Does anyone have any recent, first-hand experience of Fiorenzo Auricchio at D’Avino? I gather he is based in Naples but visits London regularly.

[Concordia]

Has anyone gathered definite plans of Maria Frittolini? I saw her in Paris and know she's moving to Italy. Whether that is only to rest, or to resume work I couldn't say for sure. [Given her illness, I wasn't sure how far to pry in that department, especially since her English, while miles better than my French or Italian...]

She did say that there will be more work space available in an Italian studio than in her Paris flat. So perhaps that implies an eventual return to the saddle.

[Concordia]

Frittolini did a muslin fitting after a photo/video measurement. The subsequent shirt #1 had some problems, which were brilliantly fixed on #2. did a muslin fitting-- with what seemed like a whole committee in the fitting room. The resulting first shirt from the order had many of the same problems that Frittolini's did. Perhaps that is a measure of Parisian taste or tolerance for certain compromises. I go back later this month for a revision, and I'm sure the rest of the order will be great. And somewhat different from other Paris or London products.

Follow-up: As mentioned Frittolini's work seems to be a great success. I now have two excellent shirts, and will see how her cut and construction translate to different levels of formality.

Charvet is still a work in process. The post-muslin Shirt #1 was exquisitely beautiful when I stood straight, but its sleeves worked up the arm when I moved in even a slightly contorted way. A lot of pulling on the elbow and the armpit. Also, the collar appeared to be too short to peek above my highest-collar jackets (A&S).

The reassembled committee decided to tighten the armscye-- a lot. Something like an inch of hiking up the front of the shirt, and who knows how much in the back. Maria, I think, had loosened the elbows a bit to add some bending room; Charvet will be slimming the upper arms to solve the same problem.

It turns out that the collar circumference was over a half-cm above the measurement, which did not amuse the manager. Tightening that up will keep if from sliding down the neck, as well as not looking terrible with a tie. They had talked of altering the shirt, but now that there will be a new collar, they may just end up re-cutting from scratch.

So, we now have my most expensive shirtmakers adding the amortized cost of yet another train trip to Paris to their prices. Here's hoping! If nothing else, the full bespoke work has the potential of going well beyond demi-mesure.

[uppercase]

Unbelievable !!
Don't you sometimes just wish that you could find, and fit into, a RTW shirt ??!
I have.

[Concordia]

Yeah-- but I hate shopping. So much nicer to send an e-mail and know that you're set.

[davidhuh]

Don't you sometimes just wish that you could find, and fit into, a RTW shirt ??!

Dear Uppercase,

as human beings, we do not come off a production line...

Cheers, David

[uppercase]

Ha!
I think the RTW makers have my number.
It's call 40R.
And in shirts 15/33.
Uncanny that they figured that out!!

[Sartorius_2]

Has anyone gathered definite plans of Maria Frittolini? I saw her in Paris and know she's moving to Italy. Whether that is only to rest, or to resume work I couldn't say for sure. [Given her illness, I wasn't sure how far to pry in that department, especially since her English, while miles better than my French or Italian...]

She did say that there will be more work space available in an Italian studio than in her Paris flat. So perhaps that implies an eventual return to the saddle.

She told me only that she needed to take some time off, which implied she would be returning although she clearly wasn't putting a date on that.

On a related subject, I haven't had any feedback from members on Fiorenzo Auricchio, Courtot or Lucca. The couple of other makers who members do seem to use have had mixed reviews. I contacted Lanvin but their prices are absurd (690 - 1390 per shirt, plus Eurostar fares of course).

[J.S. Groot]

I've tried Courtot, but not recently. Craftsmansship and fit does not rival Mary's, but I found them very accomodating and pleasant to work with. The results were very decent, and I am quite confident that if I had worked with them a bit longer and had a better idea of what I wanted, I could have had quite a satisfactory relationship with them. A drawback was lack of online communication, but that might well have changed since.

[hsw9001]

I finally received my order that was placed in July. It seems Mary is back in Italy these days. I hope she goes back to making soon. I have 5 more shirt lengths waiting for when she returns.

[Concordia]

Let's hope it all works. I was the very last customer in her Paris shop. And I still have a small handful of shirts yet to be delivered.

If I understood her correctly, she has chosen a new location where she can have a good workspace, so presumably shirts are still in her future. It may be that leaving Paris had as much to do with Paris as her health.

[ismailalmurtadza]

Gentlmen,
Where in italy is Mary's Studio(shop) exactly?.Appreciate if someone here could forward her address.

Nik

[Concordia]

Better wait until she's taking new business. As of now, she is on sabbatical.