Neapolitan Shirts in NYC

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

edhayes
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:15 pm

Orlando, a terrific hatmaker in NYC who now runs the Worth and Worth hat business(which he has improved)now has custom made shirts made in Naples. They are different then what I am used to but I like them very much. They have those shirred shoulders which is a attractive handmade touch, they make the collars without removable stays and bigger then what I have had but they have a stylish appearance and presence.
There is more handwork which gives them a more special and unique feel-he charges 185 a shirt which I thought reasonable.
uppercase
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:11 pm

I think that Neapolitan shirt must be my favorite.

They have that soft, blousy fit that rides comfortably and lightly on the shoulders. The collars are softer and the fit looser than the very tailored English bespoke shirt.
Their sensibility is very much sunny, casual Mediterranean to complement the Neopolitan suit! I think that the Neopolilitan shirt is a must for a soft, deconstructed suit. Either that or a button down Brooks Bros.

It would also be interesting to know what Worth&Worth has in terms of Summer hats as well as their bespoke shirt program and it certainly seems worthwhile to pay them a visit when next in NYC.
manton
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 4:35 pm

$185 is an astoundingly good price for a shirt with so much as a single hand stitch. Ed, I must visit this gentleman!
dopey
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:58 am

Ed:
I too am interested in this. Do you know how the fitting and pattern making is done. Who takes your measurements and checks the fit initially?
edhayes
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:27 pm

Orlando has very good panama hats, I have serveral and like them, he measures you for the shirts at his showroom and they are made in Italy. I gather he can give good prices on the hats and shirts because he does a big wholesale and web business on the hats and gives the customers in the showroom good prices.
The shirts are made in Italy , I gather the Italian who is his partner has one of those setups where they have both a factory and a lot of ladies who do the handwork at home.
They do look very good with the soft suits I like.
alden
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:47 pm

Ed, your testimony is very much appreciated. For a long time I have been telling the story of handcrafted shirts and have been received like someone claiming the earth is round.

I think you will notice increased comfort with these shirts and as you say, they do go perfectly with the soft tailoring we prefer.

I suggest the members in the NY area gives these shirts a look.
Concordia
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Mon Apr 11, 2005 3:31 am

edhayes wrote: they make the collars without removable stays and bigger then what I have had but they have a stylish appearance and presence..
I've never worn Italian shirts before. Is this thing with the collar stays typical? And if so, how do you deal with the laundry? I know that if I leave my collar stays in, it comes back from the cleaners looking just awful for weeks.
alden
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Mon Apr 11, 2005 8:05 am

In many bespoke Italian shirts, collar stays are not provided for at all i.e. there aren't any.

If the collar is cut and constructed properly, there isn't really any need for them. I haven't used a collar stay in 20 years though I have a wonderful collection of them in tortoise shell.

Most importantly, when you take a shirt out of the washing machine, hold the extremities of the collar and give it a good tug back into shape. The collar tends to shrink a bit with each washing and a brisk stretching is required.

Giving bespoke shirts to the laundrey is a frightening idea. I do admit to taking pleasure in maintaining my own clothes as much as possible, but for some of you this may not be possible. How many of you iron your own shirts?

Cheers
Thracozaag
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Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:48 pm

I enjoy hand-washing and ironing my shirts; a relaxing diversion, and of course, it's much better for the shirts. 185 dollars is an astounding deal, by the way!

koji
RWS
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:37 pm

alden wrote:In many bespoke Italian shirts, collar stays are not provided for at all i.e. there aren't any.

If the collar is cut and constructed properly, there isn't really any need for them. . . .
I've long thought this and am pleased to have my thought confirmed.

Do French shirtmakers employ collar stays? In my limited experience, the larger English bespoke shirtmakers think foregoing collar bones a bit strange (though that hasn't deterred me from having most of my shirts made without them); and two, at least, American bespoke shirtmakers were utterly baffled to know that anyone would prefer a shirt made without [removeable] collar stays.
alden
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 5:08 pm

French makers use collar stays, unless they are asked not to do so.

I try to get bespoke artisans to make my collars as soft as possible almost to the point where one would imagine needing a collar stay.

To pick up again on Ed's comment that a soft shirt shoulder goes hand in hand with soft tailoring. Yes, soft collars maintain the harmony as well. Could you imagine a natural shouldered coat, hand sewn shouldered shirt and huge starched collar? I hope not.
imageWIS
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Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:35 pm

uppercase wrote:I think that Neapolitan shirt must be my favorite.

They have that soft, blousy fit that rides comfortably and lightly on the shoulders. The collars are softer and the fit looser than the very tailored English bespoke shirt.
Their sensibility is very much sunny, casual Mediterranean to complement the Neopolitan suit! I think that the Neopolilitan shirt is a must for a soft, deconstructed suit. Either that or a button down Brooks Bros.

It would also be interesting to know what Worth&Worth has in terms of Summer hats as well as their bespoke shirt program and it certainly seems worthwhile to pay them a visit when next in NYC.
Blousy, really? I would have imagine that they cut them like their suits, close to the body.

Jon.
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Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:02 pm

I went to Worth and Worth and it was a disaster. The staff knew nothing about the shirts, and when they called that fellow Pasquale, he had nothing, no shirts, and he said his samples were with a client. He also had not sent me samples he promised to send me over the phone.

Does anyone have Bugelli's contact information?
Guest

Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:11 pm

This is the info I have:

(390-5557-7600 Bottega di Settignano, Via Fra' Bartolommeo 21 rosso Florence 50132)
edhayes
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Fri Jun 24, 2005 12:33 am

I just got three more shirts from Orlando. He went to Naples to study fitting and design and just returned. I think he is organized now and I am quite pleased with the shirts. The collar is bigger, higher and softer then I am used to and the shoulders have that gathered look. Also the sleeves are longer and the cut is more form fitting.
I like the look and the fabrics are excellent. I think he is selling the shirts for 205-220 and they are excellent quality.
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