The London Lounge

I have a fair number of Bresciani cotton lisle socks purchased from Sierra Trading Post. They are very durable. I needed some black socks so I purchased lisle socks from Pantherella and Dore Dore. I do not know how long the Pantherella socks will last, but they are noticeably more fragile than either the Dore Dore or the Bresciani. I would rate the Dore Dore the best of the three by a small margin, not considering wear, which will take me time to observe. But the Pantherella are definitely in third place, unless they reveal an improbable strength over time. Just a report.

Pantherella are the worst. They are thin, transparent, when will get smaller and smaller as you wash them.

The top socks in my opinion are Dore Dore and Gallo (who owns Dore Dore anway); wonderful cotton, handfinshed and reinforced.

Giona.

I concur with Giona. I've used Dore Dore for several years now and found their products to be top rate. I have had none shrink on me (Pantharellas have a nasty tendancy to do this), nor suffer any undue wear.

Gallo is fabulous!
I stocked up when I was in Milan 6 months ago. From their small Via Monzoni shop which has the complete Gallo collection. Had a very pleasant conversation with the lady there who I believe is from the owner's family.
Very interesting patterns, subtle, not garish colors and a very nice, sophisticated accessory to have.
I'll be sure to make Gallo a regular stop whenever I get over to Milan.
For about $20, as I remember, they add a great touch. So far, they are holding up well too.

Yes, Uppercase, Gallo is in Via Manzoni and Via Durini. Price is between 10€ and 15€, but now it's sale times. They can find you almost any style you are searching.

Jona wrote:Pantherella are the worst. They are thin, transparent, when will get smaller and smaller as you wash them.

The top socks in my opinion are Dore Dore and Gallo (who owns Dore Dore anway); wonderful cotton, handfinshed and reinforced.

Giona.

Giona:
i disagree. I have had very god experience with my Pantharella socks, though I have one comment which might explain our divergent views.
My housekeeper is particularly destructive, as I have detailed here before (you may also recall that I have no authority or influence in this matter, so please, no helpful suggestions). Despite repeated pleas not to place my socks in the dryer, she won’t listen - the closest I got to obedience was “o.k., o.k., I dry a little bit.“ My cotton Pantharella socks have shrunk and thinned as you described. The wool blend ones are, surprisingly, impervious to harm. They are also very comfortable, even in summer. I prefer over the calf, year round. If you like their patterns, I highly recommend them.

Dopey, I was the one who 'warned' Giona about Pantharella.... but you know these Milanese ...

I never put my dress socks in the dryer, yet my Pantherallas have shrunk. They really are no comparison to DD in my opinion.

Jan

Since the unhappy extinction of several excellent American makers, years ago, most of my woollen hose and silk hose have been made by Pantherella, most of my cotton, by Dore Dore. I've no significant complaint (after all, even with careful darning, any cloth worn on a walker's feet will wear out) save boredom: most are plain, solid colors, though I do have a few pairs (for the most part, Italianmade) with simple windowpane or similar patterns.

Would that clocked silk hose were still readily available in over-the-calf individual sizing! (Following a lead on a thread on AAAC, I do intend to visit Alan Flusser's shop in New York city.)

Probably there are Pantherellas and there are Pantherellas.

My Sea Island socks, sold under "Charles Tyrwhitt" label but made by Pantherella, are among the most durable socks that I have. I have worn one pair probably fifty times, and this pair is still serving me well!

On the other hand, my wool "dress" Pantherellas as exactly as you described -- thin and probably not very hard wearing.

BTW, recently I saw very attractively knitted socks on Pakeman's web-site: http://www.pakeman.co.uk/prods.asp?CatID=128. From the retailer's description, "this style of sock was created in the 1920s and there is only one small sock maker who still has the machinery to make them". Gents, do you know the name of that maker? If my memory serves me well, I also saw socks in a similiar style at New & Lingwood.

Andrey

I used Pantherella for years, especially their birdseye designs, which seem to have been transforemed into some kind of 'forme fruste' a year or two ago. i believe Pantherella was sold or acquired by some sort of conglomerate, and the quality has clearly declined.

That being said, you can get them at very nice prices from Sierra Trading Post, for dress or casual use. Or, list price from Herzfeld ("we never have a sale"), NYC.

Gallo, is the class act, and we recently returned from Perugia where every year we buy our 7 year old son their socks---absolutely fantastic. The Gallo branded socks are much more attractive in my opinion than the Dore variants. It is a shame that Gallo does not sell or distribute in the US or outside of their shops in Italy.

Terry A. Teplitz

Andrey,

I would bet a pair of socks that those at the English web site you posted, are in fact made by Pantherella (so called "private label").

J. Press has an English made beefy cotton birdseye, quite nice but thnly distributed under their current owner. The Pantherella birdseye is made in a cotton version for summer, and wool version for winter, same/similar designs, colors, nylon component. The heavier wool version has disappeared from the Pantherella line. I have pursued this in London as well as NYC to no avail.

Dopey,

"The Dryer" is a machine we italians discover in our trips to USA.

Anyway I tried few Pantherella socks in cotton; as new, they already were too transparent for my taste. I washed them, machine wash at 40 C degrees, and then hang-dry as everything else. Shrinked. Maybe hand-washing would be better, but it's not my case. I never tried the wool ones, though.

Since the Gallo cost less, here, I'm stuck with them.

Jona wrote:Pantherella are the worst. They are thin, transparent, when will get smaller and smaller as you wash them.
.

All I can say is that this has not been my experience. I have worn Pantherella cotton lisle socks for years, and I have not treated them very well. I have dried them in the drier and otherwise abused them. They have not shrunk appreciably, and even the older pairs are still going strong.

My socks are machine washed and tumble dried (practicality, I fear), and subjected to very hard wear. I prefer walking to using cars or public transport in London. All my socks are knee-length.

I like cotton socks supplied by Berluti (which I believe to be manufactured by Dore Dore). They wear very well and keep both shape and colour. The wide range of available colours is a benefit.

For wool I prefer a German manufacturer called Falke. I find their Bristol range unequalled for comfort and durability. Only the dark colours are attractive, however. They have an online shop offering their full range.

The best black silk hosiery I know was supplied many years ago by a German firm called Perl. I believe they discontinued it, but I am trying to order whatever remains in stock in my size.

Falke offers several ranges in silk and cashmere, both short and knee-length. Very few bright colours, though. I have no experience how well they are made, but their general reputation is excellent.

Thomas Drastik

Unfortunately, I never see patterns made by either Dore Dore of Falk, so I'm left to choose between Pantherella or solid colored hose. I try to avoid solids but for the occasional bottle green or maroon.