gennaro paone: former head tailor of rubinacci

[itsstillmatt]

There seems to be a similar (unimportant) collapse on Kolecho's right side.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]



There seems to be a similar (unimportant) collapse on Kolecho's right side.

Is kolecho the last pic? I'm not seeing the collapse.

 

[Despos]

The defect becomes the effect

Didn't you watch O'Mast?

 

[TheFoo]



Anyway, my point is that in the constant and ongoing discussion we've been having about tailors/stylists/fitters it's important to remember that there is a lot of value in having someone who actually works with cloth measure/fit you. Chris was only able to resolve similar fit issues as yours though constant experimentation and a non intuitive (even for him) solution. Would someone who merely measures and points out issues at fittings be able to have this kind of invaluable insight? Obviously not. Pictures, chalk marks, pining, and measurements only tell so much of the story. It takes someone with intimate knowledge of how the fabric needs to be cut and manipulated, body mechanics and structure, and how the two work together to actually get it right.

Your point is a response to a proposition never made. No one ever claimed that a stylist alone is better than a tailor alone.

INFO FOR POSSIBLE US TOUR

Alright, everyone. I'm hoping to organize a US trip and I need to get a headcount of who's interested. Gennaro is considering flying to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City -- but the possibility of him coming out obviously depends on how many orders we can drum up.

If you're interested in ordering something, let me know what city you're in and what you think you'd like to order (a suit, two sport coats, a pair of pants, whatever). I'll then tally things up and see if we can organize a US tour. This would be for an April visit, with a subsequent one in June (obviously more after that, but that's too far away).

You can PM me, email me at my SF handle @gmail.com, or post a comment here. Prices are about $3,700 for a suit (excluding the price of cloth), but that can change a little depending on travel costs, etc. Sport coats (and odd pants) are obviously less, but I don't have exact prices.

Here are some things Gennaro has made, so you have an idea of what his "house style" looks like. Rounded silhouette, soft, slightly drapey, and just a little extension in the shoulders. This being bespoke, you can tweak things here and there, but that's the "default."

Spoiler

Many of those photos are of Iammatt's clothes, which Gennaro worked on while at Rubinacci. Matt's shed light on at least a few key decisions made through dialogue with Mariano. Hence, I don't think it's fair or accurate to use his clothes as examples of what Gennaro would have executed on his own, for better or worse.

Out of curiosity, what is the appeal of using Gennaro? I like him and his work, but I've worked with him directly and very much like my clothes from Rubinacci. On the other hand, I think it's fair to say Matt and I are probably the most prolific LH clients on the forum, and virtually everyone in this thread who has had anything to say about our clothes from Rubinacci is that it is not so great.

 

[dieworkwear]



Many of those photos are of Iammatt's clothes, which Gennaro worked on while at Rubinacci. Matt's walked through at least a few of the decisions made as a result of dialogue with Mariano. Hence, I don't think it's fair or accurate to use his clothes as examples of what Gennaro would have executed on his own, for better or worse.

Out of curiosity, what is the appeal of using Gennaro? I think it's fair to say Matt and I are probably the most prolific LH clients on the forum, and virtually everyone who has had anything to say about our clothes from Rubinacci is that it is not so great looking.

Matt's clothes seem to deviate a little, but all those photos I posted feel like they share the same DNA.

I like Matt's clothes. I would use Rubinacci if they traveled with a tailor, but at those prices, I don't feel comfortable working with just Luca. Flying to Naples for fittings -- and possibly again in the future for more orders -- isn't practical for me.

Gennaro is half the price, and I would be working directly with my cutter. That's very appealing.

 

[Despos]

Quote: Working directly with the Tailor/cutter who may, when working on his own, may execute clothing in his own way and present something that represents his own work rather than try to make something with the point of view LH may have stood for. This may be what some prefer, you may not. Notice I did not say make something better.

The availability of have something made in Naples, with Neapolitan styling and construction without traveling there.

Supporting a man who is starting out with a new business

 

[Despos]

Quote: The issue I find with this approach is the client needs a personality and presence that equals the Iconic, cinematic looking suit. If not, the suit wears him.

 

[TheFoo]



Matt's clothes seem to deviate a little, but all those photos I posted feel like they share the same DNA.

I like Matt's clothes. I would use Rubinacci if they traveled with a tailor, but at those prices, I don't feel comfortable working with just Luca. Flying to Naples for fittings -- and possibly again in the future for more orders -- isn't practical for me.

Gennaro is half the price, and I would be working directly with my cutter. That's very appealing.

Gennaro is not close to half the price. From what you describe, he's $3,700 CMT per suit, or roughly $4,000 all in (assuming standard cloth). Rubinacci is not anywhere near $8,000 per suit--more like $6,000, given the current dollar/euro exchange rate. If you can avoid VAT, it's more like $5,000.

Also, since you are working with them, you may want to advise that they commit to regular visits. Trying to gauge interest beforehand implies they'll stop coming whenever there is a drop-off in orders, potentially leaving U.S. clients high and dry. Needless to say, this has been a problem with other Neopoltian tailors and caused much public ire.

 

[dieworkwear]



Gennaro is not close to half the price. From what you describe, he's $3,700 CMT per suit, or roughly $4,000 all in (assuming standard cloth). Rubinacci is not anywhere near $8,000 per suit--more like $6,000, given the current dollar/euro exchange rate. If you can avoid VAT, it's more like $5,000.

Also, since you are working with them, you may want to advise that they commit to regular visits. Trying to gauge interest beforehand implies they'll stop coming whenever there is a drop-off in orders, potentially leaving U.S. clients high and dry. Needless to say, this has been a problem with other Neopoltian tailors and caused much public ire.

I'm not going to ask Gennaro to commit to regular visits for the next 12 years, so people can order 12 suits, but thank you for your suggestion.

Also, I was not quoted $5,000 when I enquired about organizing a Rubinacci SF visit. I was quoted something like $6,500. So yes, not $8,000, but more than I'd like to pay if I'm not working with a tailor.

 

[ctp120]



Working directly with the Tailor/cutter who may, when working on his own, may execute clothing in his own way and present something that represents his own work rather than try to make something with the point of view LH may have stood for. This may be what some prefer, you may not. Notice I did not say make something better.

The availability of have something made in Naples, with Neapolitan styling and construction without traveling there.

Supporting a man who is starting out with a new business

I think part of what foo means to ask is why use Gennaro if you don't like what you see from Rubinacci, given that the two will almost surely share close similarities. Where I think he's wrong in his assumption is the part about so many people on the thread disliking his and iammatt's Rubis. I think they're great and don't sense that I'm alone. Apart from a smallish but very vocal minority, I think most believe the Rubinacci stuff to be quite good, though certainly some admirers still complain about the price.

 

[TheFoo]



Working directly with the Tailor/cutter who may, when working on his own, may execute clothing in his own way and present something that represents his own work rather than try to make something with the point of view LH may have stood for. This may be what some prefer, you may not. Notice I did not say make something better.

The availability of have something made in Naples, with Neapolitan styling and construction without traveling there.

Supporting a man who is starting out with a new business

I think you are missing my point.

There is no shortage of Neaopolitan tailors visiting the U.S. nowadays, and they typically charge meaningfully less. So, it stands to reason, if one is willing to pay more for Gennaro, he must particularly like Gennaro's work. Yet, the most prolific examples of that work (which have been through Rubinacci) are repeatedly criticized here.

That all makes me wonder to what extent the criticism is real or whether people simply want to buy the next fashion.

 

[TheFoo]



I'm not going to ask Gennaro to commit to regular visits for the next 12 years, so people can order 12 suits, but thank you for your suggestion.

Also, I was not quoted $5,000 when I enquired about organizing a Rubinacci SF visit. I was quoted something like $6,500. So yes, not $8,000, but more than I'd like to pay if I'm not working with a tailor.

Who said anything about committing to 12 years? I just mean that a regularized schedule is key to getting good service from your foreign tailor. People will not be happy if the visits are sporadic and trail off. Genarro and his son will not be happy if their reputation is hurt by this venture.

Out of curiosity, do you have a regular tailor you work with?

 

[David Reeves]



The issue I find with this approach is the client needs a personality and presence that equals the Iconic, cinematic looking suit. If not, the suit wears him.

I agree actually. My clients tend to be people that are, Business owners, CEO's, retired military officers (usually British), creatives, admen, musicians, people in a forward facing role. Its a more confident kind of customer that is attracted to what I do and they are the people that can wear it. More Richard James than Gieves.

 

[David Reeves]



I think you are missing my point.

There is no shortage of Neaopolitan tailors visiting the U.S. nowadays, and they typically charge meaningfully less. So, it stands to reason, if one is willing to pay more for Gennaro, he must particularly like Gennaro's work. Yet, the most prolific examples of that work (which have been through Rubinacci) are repeatedly criticized here.

That all makes me wonder to what extent the criticism is real or whether people simply want to buy the next fashion.

I think they are just Jelly Foo. A cheaper option is always well received on SF as well.

 

[dieworkwear]



I think you are missing my point.

There is no shortage of Neaopolitan tailors visiting the U.S. nowadays, and they typically charge meaningfully less. So, it stands to reason, if one is willing to pay more for Gennaro, he must particularly like Gennaro's work. Yet, the most prolific examples of that work (which have been through Rubinacci) are repeatedly criticized here.

That all makes me wonder to what extent the criticism is real or whether people simply want to buy the next fashion.

Who are the Neapolitan tailors who visit the US right now? NSM is the only one I can think of and their prices are very similar to Gennaro's. Their cut is also a world apart from what Gennaro makes, so I'm not sure if there's any similarity in what they do besides the fact that they're both based in the same city.

The people who don't like iammatt's suits will probably not order. I've always liked his clothes and have been in touch with Rubinacci for a couple years about possibly either bringing them out to San Francisco, or me just meeting them in Los Angeles. I stopped pursuing the idea when I found out Luca doesn't travel with a tailor.

Who said anything about committing to 12 years? I just mean that a regularized schedule is key to getting good service from your foreign tailor. People will not be happy if the visits are sporadic and trail off. Genarro and his son will not be happy if their reputation is hurt by this venture.

Out of curiosity, do you have a regular tailor you work with?

It's pretty common for tailors to gauge interest before coming out. I brought Steed out to San Francisco based off of an initial eight orders -- four of which were mine (full price, no blogger discount, for conspiracy theorists). They now get enough appointments here to justify coming out regularly. I'm hoping to do the same with Gennaro.

Yes, I have tailors I work with. No, I don't own 12 suits from one of them.