AmericanGent
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 665
- Reaction score
- 140
I have been living in Napoli for almost 2 years now. Since my arrival I have been trying to find a way into the next level of Neapolitan tailors- the places where locals buy their clothes. With the help of an Italian co-worker/friend I have made a small breakthrough.
A few months ago my friend took me to a shop in his Secondigliano neighborhood named “DiNocera”. http://www.sartoriadinocera.it/index.html
The shop owner Gennaro DiNocera is about 40yrs old and he is not a tailor- rather he is a "modella" and he has tailors, shirt makers, pants guys who do the work in their homes. His tailors work full time for Attolini, Rubinacci, Kiton and the other big houses but in the evenings they do suits for him. While we were there, a little old guy in his 70s showed up to pick up some garments. He was one of the tailors that this shop uses. In talking with this man I learned that he started making clothes when he was 12 years old.
DiNocera doesn't employ anyone in-house because of the taxes and costs of having employees. Gennaro said he can only do about 2 suits a month. He showed me a semi-finished suit made by a tailor who works for Rubi and said that this suit would sell for 4000+ euro. He sells the same suit for about 1000 euro.
He also does shirts so I decided to start out by getting a shirt and some linen pants made. I told him that I was looking to have about 10 shirts made- but he told me I could only have one. He told me that after I wear it and wash it a few times I could bring it back and that he would make it perfect and adjust my patterns. Then I can order more. The semi- hand made shirt costs about 130 euro.
The shirt maker Cosimo (Pictured below with glasses) received the initial measurements from Gennaro and came to my first fitting with a "prova" shirt for me to try.
Cosimo took the prova and corrected it, then we had another fitting about 10 days later. (You can see them fussing over my righ shoulder- I stand a bit crooked).
After the adjustments from my second fitting were made he used the measurements to create my final shirt. Now I will wear and wash it 3-4 times and then take it back for the last fitting. From then on my pattern will be on file and I can get a shirt in about 7-10 days.
Here's the final shirt in Styleforum approved blue:
I asked for semi hand-sewn. Cosimo did way more than I paid for. He did buttons and buttonholes, front yoke, armscye as well as long seams on the arms and body and a rolled stitched bottom.
Hand embroidered monogram. I asked for a convertible cuff- there is a long lead on the button which allows you to push it through to the outside and use it like a normal barrel cuff or push it back inside and do a single cuff with a link. I have never had one before and I have no idea how I feel about it yet, but I think it suits my needs. I love a double cuff, but it limits the shirt to wearing with a suit.
I picked blue linen for these pants to go with a blue gingham jacket I have.
Above is the first fitting- I went back for one more fitting and then picked them up. Below is the finished product.
Band sewn buttons and holes, pockets and front placket
Shirting used as the inner material. With the hand sewing these were about 180 Euro.
Gennaro is quick and very professional, he is eager to please and earn more business. I think it would be hard to use him if you were here for only a few days, but if here for a week it might be a possibility.
I'll report back after a few wearings and let you know how things are going.
A few months ago my friend took me to a shop in his Secondigliano neighborhood named “DiNocera”. http://www.sartoriadinocera.it/index.html
The shop owner Gennaro DiNocera is about 40yrs old and he is not a tailor- rather he is a "modella" and he has tailors, shirt makers, pants guys who do the work in their homes. His tailors work full time for Attolini, Rubinacci, Kiton and the other big houses but in the evenings they do suits for him. While we were there, a little old guy in his 70s showed up to pick up some garments. He was one of the tailors that this shop uses. In talking with this man I learned that he started making clothes when he was 12 years old.
DiNocera doesn't employ anyone in-house because of the taxes and costs of having employees. Gennaro said he can only do about 2 suits a month. He showed me a semi-finished suit made by a tailor who works for Rubi and said that this suit would sell for 4000+ euro. He sells the same suit for about 1000 euro.
He also does shirts so I decided to start out by getting a shirt and some linen pants made. I told him that I was looking to have about 10 shirts made- but he told me I could only have one. He told me that after I wear it and wash it a few times I could bring it back and that he would make it perfect and adjust my patterns. Then I can order more. The semi- hand made shirt costs about 130 euro.
The shirt maker Cosimo (Pictured below with glasses) received the initial measurements from Gennaro and came to my first fitting with a "prova" shirt for me to try.
Cosimo took the prova and corrected it, then we had another fitting about 10 days later. (You can see them fussing over my righ shoulder- I stand a bit crooked).
After the adjustments from my second fitting were made he used the measurements to create my final shirt. Now I will wear and wash it 3-4 times and then take it back for the last fitting. From then on my pattern will be on file and I can get a shirt in about 7-10 days.
Here's the final shirt in Styleforum approved blue:
I asked for semi hand-sewn. Cosimo did way more than I paid for. He did buttons and buttonholes, front yoke, armscye as well as long seams on the arms and body and a rolled stitched bottom.
Hand embroidered monogram. I asked for a convertible cuff- there is a long lead on the button which allows you to push it through to the outside and use it like a normal barrel cuff or push it back inside and do a single cuff with a link. I have never had one before and I have no idea how I feel about it yet, but I think it suits my needs. I love a double cuff, but it limits the shirt to wearing with a suit.
I picked blue linen for these pants to go with a blue gingham jacket I have.
Above is the first fitting- I went back for one more fitting and then picked them up. Below is the finished product.
Band sewn buttons and holes, pockets and front placket
Shirting used as the inner material. With the hand sewing these were about 180 Euro.
Gennaro is quick and very professional, he is eager to please and earn more business. I think it would be hard to use him if you were here for only a few days, but if here for a week it might be a possibility.
I'll report back after a few wearings and let you know how things are going.
Last edited:
