• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Cesare Attolini Appreciation Thread

zr3rs

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Messages
429
Reaction score
2,349
I assume that the current format is a result of the Covid situation in Italy early this year.
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
Hello Gentlemen,

My first Attolini suit was a vintage model, with double pleated pants. Surprisingly, it had significant shoulder padding. I wore it for a while, and received compliments every time I put it on. I sold it a few years ago on the bay.....

Here is my first contemporary Attolini
Attolini Blue 1.jpg
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
Some of their pieces do have handwork, many do not. They are always doing things to a very high standard/quality, but it's hard to cross compare fully handmade suits to outerwear. Hope that makes sense.

Best,

Ian
ShopTheFinest.com

I actually had a question for all you Attolini experts out there. I can acquire an Attolini from Italy at a steep discount in my size, but its drop 4. The drop of a suit is supposed to be the difference between the chest and the waist. In this case, the tagged size is 41 and the pants are 37. I was planning to buy it and reduce the pants by 2 inches and trim the torso if necessary. Does the a drop 4 also mean the body will be roomy? Do you think my plans are feasible?
 
Last edited:

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
I'm also wondering, why are Attolinis and Kitons cut so long? I wear a 42R, but the jacket length on Attolinis and Kitons is often 31-31.5 inches beneath the collar, which is long for contemporary suits. The Attolini pictured above is 40R so its cut a little shorter (30 inches). The Attolini I intend to acquire is 41/51C drop 4, so its length beneath the collar is only 29.75 inches, which is the shortest length I'll wear. I was just wondering why Attolinis and Kitons seem to be cut so long?
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
Top notch! Great both in terms of fabrics and craftmanship.
Qualitywise i guess the two are pretty similar. But style and tastewise i find Attolini to be the preferrable choice.

I have a couple Kiton shirts, eight or ten Attolini, and about the same number of Finamore. Attolini and Finamore are definitely my favorite, mainly in the slimmer cut. I don't think you can go wrong with Kiton, and I have not found significant variation in quality of fabrics or construction between Kiton and Attolini. So, it comes down to personal preferences, and whether one feels the higher price point of Kiton is justified, if it may be a factor of consideration.

+1

I personally prefer Finamore and Attolini to Kiton shirts. Kiton shirts are fine indeed, but their collars are flimsy, and don't retain their shape. I had to have my tailor insert a double layer of stiff interlining in all my shirt collars, otherwise they droop after 30 minutes of wear. The exception is Tom Ford, whose double buttoned collars are so well designed that they generally retain their shape better than any other brand.
 
Last edited:

Ich_Dien

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
6,762
Reaction score
1,448
I'm also wondering, why are Attolinis and Kitons cut so long? I wear a 42R, but the jacket length on Attolinis and Kitons is often 31-31.5 inches beneath the collar, which is long for contemporary suits. The Attolini pictured above is 40R so its cut a little shorter (30 inches). The Attolini I intend to acquire is 41/51C drop 4, so its length beneath the collar is only 29.75 inches, which is the shortest length I'll wear. I was just wondering why Attolinis and Kitons seem to be cut so long?

I wouldn't call it long, I'd just call it traditional. Also bear in mind that a lot of their suits have a high degree of customisation for the intended customer, be it done by the RTW tailor or via their MTM process.

If the suit is a drop four, then yes, it will have significantly more room in the waist of the jacket as well. I wouldn't like to be messing around with alterations beyond a couple of inches, especially if there is a pattern to the fabric.
 

Aquafortis

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Messages
1,258
Reaction score
746
I'm also wondering, why are Attolinis and Kitons cut so long? I wear a 42R, but the jacket length on Attolinis and Kitons is often 31-31.5 inches beneath the collar, which is long for contemporary suits. The Attolini pictured above is 40R so its cut a little shorter (30 inches). The Attolini I intend to acquire is 41/51C drop 4, so its length beneath the collar is only 29.75 inches, which is the shortest length I'll wear. I was just wondering why Attolinis and Kitons seem to be cut so long?

I have found Kiton to be cut longer than Attolini, to generalize. I don't think 31 inches is excessively long for a 42. Makers have to pick an assumption for the average torso length, plus @Ich_Dien makes a good point about variations that can result from the majority of MTM with both houses.
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
I wouldn't call it long, I'd just call it traditional. Also bear in mind that a lot of their suits have a high degree of customisation for the intended customer, be it done by the RTW tailor or via their MTM process.

If the suit is a drop four, then yes, it will have significantly more room in the waist of the jacket as well. I wouldn't like to be messing around with alterations beyond a couple of inches, especially if there is a pattern to the fabric.

Thanks for your reply Ich_Dien,

The suit I wanted to purchase is 21.5 inches in the chest and 21.25 inches in the jacket waist. That doesn't seem to be too expansive to have it altered, does it? Do you think having the waist taken in 0.5-0.75 inches on either side is too radical an alteration? I've had that done successfully on many suits. The pants would have to be taken in by 2 inches overall, but I've had that done many times as well.
 

Ich_Dien

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
6,762
Reaction score
1,448
Thanks for your reply Ich_Dien,

The suit I wanted to purchase is 21.5 inches in the chest and 21.25 inches in the jacket waist. That doesn't seem to be too expansive to have it altered, does it? Do you think having the waist taken in 0.5-0.75 inches on either side is too radical an alteration? I've had that done successfully on many suits. The pants would have to be taken in by 2 inches overall, but I've had that done many times as well.

If that's the case it would appear to have zero waist suppression...are you sure the seller has the measurements correct? It could very well be the case, however.

What drop do you normally wear?
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
What drop do you normally wear?

Most of my suits are drop 6, some 7, and a few contemporary suits are drop 8 (especially Isaia).
I've never bought a drop 4 before, which is why I was asking. But I had the sales clerk measure the suit several times, and the dimensions he quotes don't sound outside of my experience.
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
If that's the case it would appear to have zero waist suppression...are you sure the seller has the measurements correct? It could very well be the case, however.

What drop do you normally wear?

For me....20.5 inches of waist suppression is as far as I will go. I'm not a fan of high degrees of waist suppression. It creates the dreaded X across the waist. I like jacket waists to button so that they fit perfectly without any creasing and certainly no tightness around my stomach area or the dreaded X across my jacket.
 

Ich_Dien

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
6,762
Reaction score
1,448
Well, as I say, if the fabric isn't heavily patterned then it would appear to be something of a blank canvas for your alterations tailor if there is already zero waist suppression.

Personally it would set alarm bells ringing for me as the person who commissioned or had the previous suit tailored must have been of rather unique dimensions if he was running drop <4. This will have no doubt effected the overall shape of the suit.
 

Professor Χάος

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
470
Reaction score
208
I have found Kiton to be cut longer than Attolini, to generalize. I don't think 31 inches is excessively long for a 42. Makers have to pick an assumption for the average torso length, plus @Ich_Dien makes a good point about variations that can result from the majority of MTM with both houses.

I have some suits that are 31 inches in length. They look long on me, but not excessively long.
I bought a Kiton a couple of years ago, and it was 31.5 inches in length, and I had my tailor reduce the length by 0.5 inches. It now looks more proportional to my body.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.3%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 15 10.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.3%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,124
Messages
10,578,693
Members
223,880
Latest member
EdvardHelene
Top