Sartoria Gianni Volpe - Naples

Hi Alan,

Thank you for your comprehensive comment. Just one previous thing, the trousers have a single pleat and are medium-high rise.

Regarding both the jacket and trousers. I don't know if I would go for a fuller cut. I have fuller trousers and even if they fit ideally better, I don't feel that much comfortable with them. Maybe I'm still too used to too slim fitting trousers. In some years, as I get older and fatter, I'll probably go for a fuller cut, though.

aristoi, i already said but i say again. You can't fix this jacket it's badly cut, it's not sitting properly on you. You can ask Volpe to fix this but probably he will clean the back and you will end up with an unconfortable jacket. It happened to me with another tailor in Naples and i wish i didn't ask him to make changes, believe me. It's better to wear a comfortable jacket with a back in messy situation rather than a jacket that's tight.

My advice is look for another tailor. You tried Volpe, it didn't work out, now next one.

@dfoverdx on what basis this jacket cannot be fixed? What tailoring knowledge do you have which we are missing?

The second set of pictures already shown that the initial observations by many were based on poor pictures and a poor posture.

Even the last picture from the back is taken whilst aristoi stands slightly tilted.

I do agree that based on these pictures the jacket is not sitting as expected on the collar, and that it is easy fixable for a bespoke jacket.

Neapolitan bespoke jackets do have excess fabric between the sleeve and the shoulder blades and so a perfectly flat back won't be achieved, however from "the pictures" it looks like there are other things that needs to be looked at.

Aristoi paid for this work, if in real life (aside of trying to take picture that may or may not show what the suit really looks like in normal posture) is not happy by this suit, he should really go back to Volpe and ask to look at it. He has 50 + years of experience doing this, so I am confident if there is an issue in real life he can fix it. Telling him not to go back to him based on your experience with another tailor of not being able to fix an issue you has is not really the solution. (Edit to add) You seem to have tried Panico, Solito and Volpe, amongst three of the best from the old school, and you ended up not being happy with neither of them and selling the stuff made? How did it look during fittings?

I have used Volpe service on and off since about 1997 and there has never been a situation where I did not get something sorthed, even with my massively fluctuating weight and almost remaking a suit from 1999 in 2012...

marcodalondra said:

@dfoverdx on what basis this jacket cannot be fixed? What tailoring knowledge do you have which we are missing?

The second set of pictures already shown that the initial observations by many were based on poor pictures and a poor posture.

Even tithe picture from the back is taken whilst aristoi stands slightly tilted.

I do agree that based on these pictures the jacket is not sitting as expected on the collar, and that it is easy fixable for a bespoke jacket.

Neapolitan bespoke jackets do have excess fabric between the sleeve. As the shoulder blades and so a perfectly flat back won't be achieved, however from the pictures it looks at other things that needs to be looked at.

Aristoi paid for this work, if in real life (aside of trying to take picture that may or may not show what the suit really looks like in normal posture) is not happy by this suit, he should really go back to Volpe and ask to look at it. He has 50 + years of experience doing this, so I am confident if there is an issue in real life he can fix it.

I have used his service on and off since about 1997 and there has never been a situation where I did not get something sorthed, even with my massively fluctuating weight and almost remaking a suit from 1999...

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I tried many tailors in Naples; Panico, Solito, Ambrosi, Formosa, Petrosino, Marco Cerrato, Volpe, Nunzio Pirozzi. Currently i am using none of them, i have a tailor in Sicily. What i have and maybe you are missing is simply objective view.
This jacket is simply fitting badly and the sad situation is the fact that a tailor is letting his client to go with such a suit. The question is not whether the jacket is fixable from a technical point of view but this attitude of not to care clients. If i say this jacket is not fixable, it's not because of impossibility, but lack of willingness of the tailor to deliver a good jacket for his client. From my experience when jacket is in that state you can improve is slightly but there's no miracle. Unless you are ready to unsew everything and start from 0, which is a lot of work.

I always encourage people to go and try tailors. The more you try tailor different approaches you see. You acquire knowledge by seeing different works. I also got this kind of jacket from different tailors and by time i understood what went wrong. That's why i encourage aristoi to try another tailor and see how are the results. I also brought back many suits to tailors but never achieved the result that i wanted to achieve. I am objective and i encourage him to try another tailor.
I tried Volpe, results was ok, much better than what aristoi got. I've nothing against him but above work is not something of good.

Thanks for the response.

As I said and have been proven between the two sets of pictures, is that those same pictures do not show consistency of so called defect or issue because there is foundamentally a posing for the camera issue which would not be there in real life.

The one thing I find strange, and have discussed with aristoi via PM as well, is the way the jacket sit on his neck/collar: whilst it does indeed hug his collar in a "Volpe" typical way, it does not actually sit as high at the back of the collar as I have known to be common in Volpe's work (seen in the Instagram pictures) and although he changed obviously posture, and the front looks better then in the previous set, I still believe the quarters are affect by the collar issue.

I don't really see a noticeable improvement in the second set of photos, to be honest.

dieworkwear said:

I don't really see a noticeable improvement in the second set of photos, to be honest.

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So the length of the jacket , the upper front, the vents and the trousers looks the same then in the first set? As I said I see something wrong with the pose and how is wearing the suit. It may still have issues or some even serious issues, but IMHO these pictures are not helping giving the real view of what is going on

marcodalondra said:

So the length of the jacket , the upper front, the vents and the trousers looks the same then in the first set? As I said I see something wrong with the pose and how is wearing the suit. It may still have issues or some even serious issues, but IMHO these pictures are not helping giving the real view of what is going on

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I don't know what else to tell you besides I think the suit looks bad in both sets of photos. I don't take still images as tell-alls about a suit, but the things I thought were issues in the first set are still there in the second set. If a tailor delivered that suit to me, I'd be bummed out.

Maybe Volpe is a great tailor. I don't know, I haven't used him. But Aristoi asked for honest opinions, so he's getting them.

My suggestion to Aristoi: if you're going back to Naples anyway, see what Volpe can do. Otherwise, get it fixed through a local alterations tailor and find someone new to work with. There are lots of tailors in the world; no reason to stick to someone in the hopes that a second commission will be a lot different from the first.

dieworkwear said:

I don't know what else to tell you besides I think the suit looks bad in both sets of photos. I don't take still images as tell-alls about a suit, but the things I thought were issues in the first set are still there in the second set. If a tailor delivered that suit to me, I'd be bummed out.

Maybe Volpe is a great tailor. I don't know, I haven't used him. But Aristoi asked for honest opinions, so he's getting them.

My suggestion to Aristoi: if you're going back to Naples anyway, see what Volpe can do. Otherwise, get it fixed through a local alterations tailor and find someone new to work with. There are lots of tailors in the world; no reason to stick to someone in the hopes that a second commission will be a lot different from the first.

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Fair enough, I have been saying what I believe to be an issue as well that can affect how the jacket fits as well.

If a tailor would have delivered something that does not look different to what I had had seen and agreed during the fitting I would be bummed out as well, however you have commented on the back (agreed) but also the front quarters (that to me are strange knowing Volpe work, but could also been asked at the fittings) and the excessive fabric at the seat, that is mostly gone in the second set although he is wearing a belted trousers without belt and the back seams to have slides still a bit lower then designed to (fabrics lines behind the thighs ).

As I believe Aristoi is going to Naples anyway, indeed he should get the suit back to Volpe and establish what needs to be done. He has already paid for it and should not go and spend money at an alteration tailor.

I think I made my point about what I believe are issues with posing/posture and the way the jacket sits at the collar, until I see something different or I hear that it could not be fixed after asking, then I do not know what else to debate.


BTW: I have tried to pull back/down from the collar one of my jacket and the front quarter came closer together so I am even more convinced of this now.

Was here today just before closing. Managed to get a selfie whilst Mr Volpe when to get the chalk sharpened. Will be back in a month for the 2nd and 3rd fittings. Also a picture from Instagram of my suit being cut

Mr Volpe posted a couple of pictures of my suit on his Instagram

Was one of the best men at a wedding in Apulia today. Lost 10kg from the first fitting (6kg from the 1st to the 2nd, 2kg more from the 2nd to the 3rd and 2 more since...)
Jacket fits perfectly (shirt French cuff could have been a bit tighter), waistcoat and trouser will need a bit of taking in if I reach my target weight.