Antonio Liverano, Florentine tailor

[unbelragazzo]

There are tailoring houses that claim to be all things to all men. To be a chameleon with shears. A gentleman shape-shifter. Antonio Liverano is not one of these.

Signor Liverano's house style is very distinctive, among the most easily recognizable of today's internationally known tailors. And if you go to Liverano, the house style is what you're getting. Signor Liverano has a vision for how he wants you to look, and expects you to submit to it. He views himself as a professional who claims dominion over your sartorial matters, just as the doctor is lord of your physical health, the lawyer your legal well-being, and the bartender your spirits.

He has earned that respect. Just as the best men of every line of work, Signor Liverano has dedicated himself to his craft. One can see the threads coming to life in his imagination when he talks about what are "his kind of fabrics" - the heavy English wools of old that tailor so beautifully. The iGent of an acquisitive disposition will notice a kindred spirit in the curator of the shed full of silks for ties behind the Liverano workshop just off Piazza Augusto Conti, a few paces from the Arno.

Signor Liverano describes his style as typical of Florentine tailoring, but as the most well-known bespoke tailor in Florence, the look is now closely associated with his house in particular. It involves an extended, convex shoulder, besom hip pockets (this part is negotiable), and most distinctively, a dramatic )( shape formed by a wide roll to the lapels and extremely open quarters.

His personal style is also distinctive – you'll most often find him in a patterned suit with a thick necktie, and if it's chilly, a colorful knit waistcoat. In most pictures I have seen of him, as on the occasion we met, he uses colors in his pocket square to refer to colors in his tie and waistcoat. The effect is of an outfit that is coordinated but not in a “matchy” way.

Of course when you become a client, he will give you what suits you best. In order to facilitate this, initial appointments usually involve some introductory conversations so that he and his able assistant Taka can familiarize themselves with the client's needs and lifestyle.

If you like the Liverano style, its distinctiveness demands that you procure it directly from the man himself. In so doing you will remove yourself from the legions that Signor Liverano sees while walking to work in the morning, whose typical dress he described as “terrible”. Currently you can make appointments at his workshop in Florence, and in cooperation with The Armoury in Hong Kong and London. Signor Liverano did express a willingness to visit the United States if there is enough interest. Inquiries should be made here. Expect prices that reflect the international bidding war for the services of tailors of Signor Liverano's caliber.

The storefront.

The workshop.

The ample, three-dimensional Liverano lapel roll.

Besom hip pockets come standard.

Unlined sleeves on a summer jacket.

The courtyard behind the workshop.

Inside the silk warehouse.

Taka, wearing a coat of which Signor Liverano was particularly proud.

Antonio Liverano.

 

[dieworkwear]

Great post, unbel.

I've gone back and forth on whether I really like Liverano's house style, but after seeing a video of him made by a friend of mine, I think I'm decidedly on the pro-camp. It really does look great, particularly on men of a certain build (Mark Cho of Armoury/ Drake's looks spectacular in it, IMO).

A friend of mine described the silhouette once as something like what the idle rich would wear in the mid-century. Something you'd wear while sitting at cafes all day smoking cigars and eating food. I thought it was an amusing comment, and though I've never seen that distinctive style in old photos, the spirit and sensibility does seem there.

In any case, it would be great if he came to the US. Do you know how much sport coats and suits cost by chance? And do you know if it's more affordable in Florence?

By the way, did you get a look at his tie selections? Any comments? In many of the photos of Liverano himself, he always seems to be wearing a particularly great tie.

 

[aravenel]

Great post.

The Liverano cut is definitely distinctive. I, like DWW, haven't quite made up my mind yet.

That overcoat does look fantastic though.

 

[jhilla]

I recently had a chance to try on and inspect a Bespoke Liverano jacket. I should mention that I was already enamored by his cut and the way he's able to create such an incredible shape without the use of a front dart. It speaks to my OCD pattern matching side but also fulfills my desire for clothes that seem to have a life of their own, even when on a hanger. I'll say that this jacket was one of the few pieces of tailored clothing that absolutely exceeded my expectations. The hand work is incredibly fine and uniform (for instance, they finish the side vent the same way smalto/cifonelli does, with a diagonal finishing stitch). The feeling of the coat is hard to describe - it's incredibly light and comfortable. I think the thing that stuck out to me most (besides the feeling of the extended shoulders), was the buttoning point (the friend that let me check it out is of a similar build). For me the crux of the jacket is where it's buttoned as both sides come to meet in that half moon shape - it truly felt like the jacket was anchored from that point. It was an incredible garment.

 

[Knowledge is King]



I recently had a chance to try on and inspect a Bespoke Liverano jacket.  I should mention that I was already enamored by his cut and the way he's able to create such an incredible shape without the use of a front dart.

As an aside, there is a dart in their jackets, it's just a side dart (sounds like you know this but I thought I'd bring it up as a point of discussion). It's obviously atypical, but is there a fit reason for doing it or is it just one of those regional idiosyncrasies?

Some of the Camoshita by United Arrows jackets (made in Japan) have side darts. Kamoshita-San is a well known Liverano client and it seems like he made the Camoshita jackets in their image, right down to the lapel shape and curved/open fronts

 

[Stugotes]

Great post, unbel.

I've gone back and forth on whether I really like Liverano's house style, but after seeing a video of him made by a friend of mine, I think I'm decidedly on the pro-camp. It really does look great, particularly on men of a certain build (Mark Cho of Armoury/ Drake's looks spectacular in it, IMO).

A friend of mine described the silhouette once as something like what the idle rich would wear in the mid-century. Something you'd wear while sitting at cafes all day smoking cigars and eating food. I thought it was an amusing comment, and though I've never seen that distinctive style in old photos, the spirit and sensibility does seem there.

In any case, it would be great if he came to the US. Do you know how much sport coats and suits cost by chance? And do you know if it's more affordable in Florence?

By the way, did you get a look at his tie selections? Any comments? In many of the photos of Liverano himself, he always seems to be wearing a particularly great tie.

Florence prices for a 2pc start at 4500€.

 

[add911_11]



Florence prices for a 2pc start at 4500€.

Do they have good turnout time?

 

[jhilla]

As an aside, there is a dart in their jackets, it's just a side dart (sounds like you know this but I thought I'd bring it up as a point of discussion). It's obviously atypical, but is there a fit reason for doing it or is it just one of those regional idiosyncrasies?

Some of the Camoshita by United Arrows jackets (made in Japan) have side darts. Kamoshita-San is a well known Liverano client and it seems like he made the Camoshita jackets in their image, right down to the lapel shape and curved/open fronts

As I don't have nearly enough experience with bespoke clothing I won't speak to the reason. What I will say is that it creates an incredibly clean jacket and it's one of the biggest reasons that I love his cut. Not only has the dart been moved to the side, it's also angled a few centimeters forward to mimic the line of the wearer's arm, pitched slightly. As a result, when you have your arms to the side, your sleeve covers that dart and the only break in symmetry in the entire jacket is the back side vents. In fact, if you do a quick Google search for Liverano jackets, you'll notice how difficult it is to even spot the dart. Here is a clear picture from Ethan's Tumblr.

That is incredibly ingenious, almost scientific, if you ask me. Think about the cutting and ironing skillz you must have in order to get that much shape out of a single dart. Also, just to mimic the comments above by Derek, I don't think anyone wears the Liverano silhouette better than Mark.

Count me in as a total fanboy, I know it and don't care.

 

[TheFoo]

I wouldn't call Liverano's cut "incredibly clean." He allows for quite a bit of drape, actually.

Here's how I would describe what seems typical of Liverano:

1. Very extended, straight shoulders--not natural in any which way. I don't know who first called them "natural," but they are very much the antithesis of that.
2. Rounded, bowled chest, similar to Rubinacci.
3. Narrow, cupped skirt.
4. Extremely rounded and open quarters. It's as if the fronts are each shaped along a semi-circle, minimizing their overlap.
5. Lower buttoning point than much of what comes out of Naples. Not low, per se, but certainly not high. Perfectly moderate, actually.
6. Sleeves do not curve with the outer silhouette of the arms, probably as a result of the shoulder extension. Rather, they drop straight down, before curving inward toward the wrists. Not as much tapering as one might expect on a bespoke jacket.
7. Relatively short hem.

In all, I'd say it's the closest thing to an Italian Anderson & Sheppard. It is different from Rubinacci in a few key respects: (1) Rubinacci does not to draw the shoulder lines out as far (thereby affecting the sleeve shape as well), (2) Liverano cuts much more rounded quarters (but then, Liverano's are rounder than pretty much anybody else's, (3) the sleeveheads are completely different, and (4) most significantly, the shoulder lines are straightened out by some means, not left to mould naturally to the wearer (notice there is no curvature).

 

[Eustace Tilley]

I'll probably get stoned for this, but I really don't care for the Liverano cut. It's always looked way too rounded to me.

 

[TheFoo]



I'll probably get stoned for this, but I really don't care for the Liverano cut. It's always looked way too rounded to me.

Good or bad, would you agree with my description?

 

[unbelragazzo]



By the way, did you get a look at his tie selections? Any comments? In many of the photos of Liverano himself, he always seems to be wearing a particularly great tie.

I didn't get to look at many of the silks in his warehouse, but we talked a bit about ties. He is not an admirer of the light, unlined tie. And certainly not the skinny tie. He's generally wearing a pretty beefy tie, usually with some texture to it to go with his texture suiting. Here's another picture that I took from your recent post:

I think it illustrates again the same concepts that you see in my picture of him in the OP. The stripes in the tie match the overcheck in the suit and one of the stripes in the shirt. The other stripe in the shirt matches the waistcoat.

I think it's effective in pulling the elements together, and you don't really notice the "matchiness" of it unless you try to pay attention to it. But it's a very different way of putting together different patterned elements than what you'll see from, for instance, Luciano Barbera.

 

[jhilla]

I wouldn't call Liverano's cut "incredibly clean." He allows for quite a bit of drape, actually.

Here's how I would describe what seems typical of Liverano:

1. Very extended, straight shoulders--not natural in any which way. I don't know who first called them "natural," but they are very much the antithesis of that.
2. Rounded, bowled chest, similar to Rubinacci.
3. Narrow, cupped skirt.
4. Extremely rounded and open quarters. It's as if the fronts are each shaped along a semi-circle, minimizing their overlap.
5. Lower buttoning point than much of what comes out of Naples. Not low, per se, but certainly not high. Perfectly moderate, actually.
6. Sleeves do not curve with the outer silhouette of the arms, probably as a result of the shoulder extension. Rather, they drop straight down, before curving inward toward the wrists. Not as much tapering as one might expect on a bespoke jacket.
7. Relatively short hem.

In all, I'd say it's the closest thing to an Italian Anderson & Sheppard. It is different from Rubinacci in a few key respects: (1) Rubinacci uses rounded shoulders and does not to draw the shoulder lines out as far (thereby affecting the sleeve shape as well), (2) much more rounded quarters (but then, Liverano's are rounder than pretty much anybody else's, and (3) most significantly, the shoulder lines are straightened out by some means, not left to mould naturally to the wearer (notice there is no curvature).

I think you may have misunderstood my intention of the word "clean". I wasn't referring to clean in the sense of the cut (i.e., clean chest versus a drape chest). I meant that pushing the front dart to a side position under the arm allows for the fabric to travel undisturbed down the front of the jacket, save a pair of jetted pockets. Foo, CYOA (Choose your own adjective).

 

[TheFoo]

I dunno, Unbel--seems pretty matchy to me. I like what he cuts, but I think his color combinations would warrant serious criticism in the good taste thread.

Most tailors can't dress themselves very well. Aesthetic taste and tailoring are too different gifts.

 

[TheFoo]



I think you may have misunderstood my intention of the word "clean".  I wasn't referring to clean in the sense of the cut (i.e., clean chest versus a drape chest).  I meant that pushing the front dart to a side position under the arm allows for the fabric to travel undisturbed down the front of the jacket, save a pair of jetted pockets.  Foo, CYOA (Choose your own adjective).

I wasn't implementing my own definition, just using what "clean" typically means in tailoring. Anyway, you are right, moving the darts to the sides definitely effects a uniquely uninterrupted front. I think the downside is that you get less shaping along the front-rear axis that way.