The London Lounge

Gentlemen,

my godson has turned 20 and I'm taking him to the tailor for the first time. I also want to visit a shirtmaker in Milan - does anybody have a recommendation? Has anybody made experiences with Camiceria Olga or Ambrosiana?

Cheers, David

David, I had two shirts made by Ambrosiana back in 2003. The family was very friendly and they sent the shirts by mail after taking measurements at their premises. Both shirts are still in use, so far no issues at all, not even did a button ever come off. This is quite remarkable as I chose a collar with two collarbuttons which are not so easy to open and close and therefore have been subject to more strain than a single button would have been.

Your godson is a very lucky young man. Enjoy Milano!

davidhuh wrote:Gentlemen,

my godson has turned 20 and I'm taking him to the tailor for the first time. I also want to visit a shirtmaker in Milan - does anybody have a recommendation? Has anybody made experiences with Camiceria Olga or Ambrosiana?

Cheers, David

I tried Ambrosiana and not impressed, it's very basic. I haven't tried his shirts but Musella Dembech is a good (and serious) tailor and i think he's now offering shirts as well. Otherwise forget Milano and simply go to Naples, you will have great food as well, it's much more fun.

Hi David,
unfortunately, I do not have direct experience with either of them, so relata refero, but I heard good comments about Olga.
Obviously Siniscalchi is the most famous, and you pay dearly for that.
I'm happy with a small shirtmaker a bit out of town, which provides good fit, once you have the paper model down on the first one with a pair of fittings, and requires about a month (CMT or shirtmaker's cloth) but no hand stitching.
Saluti
M.

Gentlemen,

many thanks for your feedback, this is helpful. Napoli is no option - we see a tailor in Milan, and need to see a shirtmaker there as well. I have two three names to consider now, will see. The visit at a shirtmaker is more educational than anything else. I want the young man to understand the difference between bespeaking a suit and a shirt. It is rewarding to see him being enthusiastic about the adventure

Cheers, David

Gentlemen,

as I'm just returning from Milan, I'm happy to report about my preliminary findings
I had a list of three shirtmakers, called them and made an appointment at the camiceria Barone because I found their fitting process convincing. They were ready to accommodate for 2 fittings with a trial cloth and 2 additional fittings with the chosen cloth within 3 days. I thought that this way, the young man would learn something about making a decent shirt.

Camiceria Barone is not a fancy shop. Actually, it was a true sweat shop, given the 36C temperature and the lack of air condition The cloth selection is a bit limited perhaps, but we found some good irish linen in two shades of blue, which is a good start for the tweed coat he is getting. In terms of process and finishing, we got everything I asked for - different types of collar inlays to choose from, nice collar shapes, shank buttons in mother of pearl and extremely friendly and accommodating service. The only thing I could wish on top is hand made button holes which they don't provide. But then, the price is hard to beat - 135 EUR, including the cloth.

We will see the final result when we return to Milan for a second fitting with the tailor - but so far, an excellent experience at this shirtmaker. The young man had a lot of fun - this was an eye opening experience for him.

Cheers, David

Great idea David to start the young man out with a bespoke shirt. The shirt is key to everything.

Good luck

Cheers

davidhuh wrote:Gentlemen,

as I'm just returning from Milan, I'm happy to report about my preliminary findings
I had a list of three shirtmakers, called them and made an appointment at the camiceria Barone because I found their fitting process convincing. They were ready to accommodate for 2 fittings with a trial cloth and 2 additional fittings with the chosen cloth within 3 days. I thought that this way, the young man would learn something about making a decent shirt.

Camiceria Barone is not a fancy shop. Actually, it was a true sweat shop, given the 36C temperature and the lack of air condition The cloth selection is a bit limited perhaps, but we found some good irish linen in two shades of blue, which is a good start for the tweed coat he is getting. In terms of process and finishing, we got everything I asked for - different types of collar inlays to choose from, nice collar shapes, shank buttons in mother of pearl and extremely friendly and accommodating service. The only thing I could wish on top is hand made button holes which they don't provide. But then, the price is hard to beat - 135 EUR, including the cloth.

We will see the final result when we return to Milan for a second fitting with the tailor - but so far, an excellent experience at this shirtmaker. The young man had a lot of fun - this was an eye opening experience for him.

Cheers, David

David,
If they don't provide by default or it's not their way of doing then don't ask handwork. I did this with Ambrosiana and the result was a poor handwork which was not very solid.

dfoverdx2 wrote: David,
If they don't provide by default or it's not their way of doing then don't ask handwork. I did this with Ambrosiana and the result was a poor handwork which was not very solid.

DF, correct - especially with a first order. The goal of the commission is to fix the young man's shirts, not their buttonholes

Cheers, David

Malandro wrote: I chose a collar with two collarbuttons which are not so easy to open and close and therefore have been subject to more strain than a single button would have been.

I think this is a subject that would deserve some discussion amongst the knowledgeable LL membership. Maybe this is not the most appropriate thread but my initial quick search here did not land any results. Any recollections of this topic being addressed in the Forum?

When I was young and ready to start driving, my father pointed me in the direction of cars which were proportionate and appropriate to where I was in life. My grandfather, who was a chef of some repute, occasionally fed me stellar food, but made sure I ate what was sensible on a daily basis. So I learnt that what was about right for me at the time was what I should be happy with, whilst realising that there was bigger and better to come; something to look forward to in the future. So the Bugatti or Ferrari were for tomorrow, as were the truffles and lobster.

So it is with clothes, surely? I am with Davidhuh on this; hand made button holes can come later in life.

Gentlemen,

just back from Milan, and I promised to report on the Camiceria Barone. The young man took delivery today, and he is as proud as a young peacock in spring

This is not the ultimate luxury shirt maker. But what we collected today were two very well made shirts at a very good price. The young man's comment "this is cheaper than my Hugo Boss stuff, but it fits ten times better". They are very friendly people, accommodating and easy to deal with. Cloth selection is not very wide. Picky people better choose it somewhere else.

We also collected his first bespoke sports coat with flannel trousers from a well known tailor, so the young man is in peacock heaven now

Cheers, David

davidhuh wrote: The young man took delivery today

Thank you for the report on Barone, David. It´s always good to know about alternatives.
But isn´t waiting from July (first visit) to March (delivery) way too much for just a "well made shirt"?

hectorm wrote:

davidhuh wrote: The young man took delivery today

Thank you for the report on Barone, David. It´s always good to know about alternatives.
But isn´t waiting from July (first visit) to March (delivery) way too much for just a "well made shirt"?

Dear Hector,

the shirts were ready long time ago, and so was his other tailoring. The young man is a busy student in Berlin, I'm busy elsewhere - organising the second trip was quite a challenge

Cheers, David

Which tailor did you use?