Palermo's tailors

[alden]

I have written in the past about the great tailors of Sicily and in particular a few masters from the lovely city of Palermo. I had the opportunity last week to spend a few moments with one of these excellent tailors, Gaetano Lentini.




The influence of Savile Row is present in Mr. Lentini’s shop and equally present in his desire to produce garments that are understated and elegant. “A jacket should not be overpowered by obvious sartorial details and effects. Instead, it should fit perfectly”, says Lentini.




“Savile Row has always been an inspiration to tailors throughout Sicily and Italy.” The inspiration is written all over the walls of his shop. The fact of English presence in Palermo throughout the 19th century also had an influence on the city and its way of dressing.




Mr. Lentini was born in the city of Villarosa in the beautiful region of Enna in central Sicily. After spending a few years in Milano, he moved to Palermo where he has been crafting garments for the fortunate residents of the city for over thirty-seven years.




Lentini is passionate about his craft and enjoys discussing every aspect of the bespoke experience. “The best clothes are made to satisfy the most experienced and most demanding customers. They know what they want and challenge us to realize their wishes completely.” The less experienced clients will be counseled and fitted with a garment that corresponds best to their needs, and over time, these clients become more educated and their clothes evolve with that experience.




It’s always a pleasure to be hosted by a tailor who understands the value of great cloth and is able to guide his clients with intelligence and taste. “I appreciate the qualities of the heavier, traditional fabrics but here in Palermo it gets quite hot so we have to be careful to suggest the cloth that corresponds best to the client’s usage and lifestyle.”



It’s a bit of a shame that the photographer was not very gifted.

The tailor is quite gifted

[Mark Seitelman]

Michael, you're an excellent photographer. We want to import you for one of our meetings.

It looks like a lovely shop. I always love old advertising and posters.

On a very unrelated side note, a friend of mine, Jack Rennert, is America's leading poster authority. He visited the Hart Schafner & Marx offices in Chicago to inspect its Edward Penfield materials. Penfield was a leading poster artist of the 1890's, and he did a series of posters in the teens. Rennert is writing a book on Penfield. Alas, the company has no good, surviving materials.

[Cufflink79]

Dear Mr. Alden:
Thank you very much for this nice post. I enjoy looking at the haberdashery posters along with the bolts of fabric. (if one sees something they like maybe it can be made ) In Minneapolis the mens department at Polo/Ralph Lauren is covered with those types of posters as well. Old haberdashery items give any men's shop or tailor shop a sophisticated look. In general, thank you for all of the posts on the stores you have been visiting I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into these posts and pictures.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79