For the love of d'Avenza

[thegreatgatsby]

Thank you very much for the fast response.
I see, so probably only look for jackets / sakkos for me. In the worst case i can wear a nice „tailored“ jacket and see how slim the pants may go.

Iam guessing d‘avenza Also writes on it, how long & „shaped“ it is with L / R etc. and the Drop ? Because my arms are also long .
As I guess the older ones does not come with drops indicated (newer does) have they all been the same sleeve length?

Best

Good questions. Most of the pieces do come with drops specified on the internal size tag or paper sleeve tag. As for sleeve length: as long as it's not marked as short or long, then yes - standard sizing applies. The challenge with many d'Avenza jackets is that they don't (typically) come with sleeve buttons for finishing. You can't "match" the front buttons to sleeve buttons you buy from a supplier, so you'll need to replace the full set. It's not a big deal (it's about $25 bucks for excellent buttons, and about $10 to have the buttons sewn on). If you can find a d'Avenza jacket with buttons already in place (sewn on - including sleeve buttons), then you're in luck. D'Avenza used the strongest Chinese shank of silk. From The Guardian UK profile:

"The buttons of buffalo horn (deer horn is too weak, and less delicately patterned) are attached by a thick shank of Chinese silk, spun in Italy. They are designed to last the life of the garment."

Bespoken for

Richard Johnson wanted an extra-special suit for his wedding day. How would the world's finest tailors measure up?

www.theguardian.com

 

[haloitsme]

Good questions. Most of the pieces do come with drops specified on the internal size tag or paper sleeve tag. As for sleeve length: as long as it's not marked as short or long, then yes - standard sizing applies. The challenge with many d'Avenza jackets is that they don't (typically) come with sleeve buttons for finishing. You can't "match" the front buttons to sleeve buttons you buy from a supplier, so you'll need to replace the full set. It's not a big deal (it's about $25 bucks for excellent buttons, and about $10 to have the buttons sewn on). If you can find a d'Avenza jacket with buttons already in place (sewn on - including sleeve buttons), then you're in luck. D'Avenza used the strongest Chinese shank of silk. From The Guardian UK profile:

"The buttons of buffalo horn (deer horn is too weak, and less delicately patterned) are attached by a thick shank of Chinese silk, spun in Italy. They are designed to last the life of the garment."

Bespoken for

Richard Johnson wanted an extra-special suit for his wedding day. How would the world's finest tailors measure up?

www.theguardian.com

Thank you very much indeed. As I am now rotating my wardrobe, maybe some D‘avenza come my way.

 

[thegreatgatsby]

Hear! Hear!

 

[monkey66]

Its done, dice rolled. Flat fronted, 3 roll 2. Trousers are right (34) but jacket is too big at 44 (I'm 42). Sleeves and hems unfinished. Not bad for £99.99.

Now I just need to find a good enough Tailor in North London or South West England, open to suggestions.

 

[thegreatgatsby]

That's an amazing find! It was about $4,653 USD when it was first made and put "on the rack" at the d'Avenza showroom.

In 2001 a basic, entry level suit at d'Avenza cost $2500 British Pounds Sterling. That would be $4,653.00 USD today.


Here's the article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/24/shopping.fashion1

From the article:
"All my friends who shop for "quality" rush to high-end boutiques and pay for a brand name. It doesn't make sense. Boss and Cerrutti come up with the modern designs, but it's madness when you can buy tailor-made copies for the same price. "Your DKNY is fine for a factory suit," sniffs Clay. "Probably made inside an hour. But you've paid £1,000 for a designer label, and you've only got £300 worth of suit. You could have bought a D'Avenza for about £2,500 or a Chester Barry for £1,000. They make for Ralph Lauren, who charge £1,700 for the same suit. With designer labels, you pay for the marketing. What a waste."

Wish I could help with the tailor in your neighborhood, but I'm in NY.

 

[ViatoremDiEfa]

Sadly, this article was one of the (very) few marketing articles of the brand. I hope that the revival effort will somehow bear fruit in a few years, when the economy recovers. Formal D'avenza pieces are not a part of my wardrobe, but I do own a few odd jackets from the brand. The Fabric, cut, and drape is like nothing I have seen. I just regret that I have not been in the scene when the brand was still alive.

 

[thegreatgatsby]

I feel fortunate to have met Mark from NYMilan/High End Merch (on Ebay) about 8 or 9 years ago. He and Eric from Top Shelf Apparel had picked up about 20% of all d'Avenza pieces ever liquidated. They had first dibs. I got some of my most cherished pieces from these two outstanding sellers. There are definitely some strange, dated and awkward d'Avenza suits, outerwear and jackets, but when they got it right, it's like no other.

I think that a revival of the brand has a 1% chance of success. If Bill White couldn't do it, and if a multi-brand company like Brand Amour couldn't do it, then who could? If d'Avenza were worth saving, then Cucinelli would have bought it and marketed it like no one else. But he wanted no part of the company (other than their skilled workers). I think that speaks for itself.

Alessandro and Raffaele from LuxGentelmen deserve a special shout out. From them I picked up a d'Avenza shearling vest (one of just two made), and a remarkable 3 season sport coat (delicate gold and red plaid) with a paisley 100% silk lining. In terms of who got the most "special" d'Avenza pieces, the award goes to these gents.

 

[ViatoremDiEfa]

Now you just make me jealous. Please make a picture of the shearling vest! I wonder how the Italians interpreted this classic piece.

I remember seeing a sports jacket with Sting Ray leather on the elbow patches. The 1200 USD pricetag could not be rationalized.

 

[thegreatgatsby]

I'll see what I can do!

 

[MarkWinter]

We are always happy to hear the love towards D'avenza, as it is still one of the best RTW tailoring products ever made. There is still a great selection available for anybody who appreciates well-made overcoats, suits, and sportcoats.

As Stocks flows arround from the last 20 years, have they slim-fit cuts?
[/QUOTE]

Look for the D'avenza 'Young' label. Those pieces are certainly slim fit with shorter jackets and flat-front trousers.

The one big caveat - which I just learned recently - is with pleated pants. About 70% of d'Avenza suits have single pleats. Even the best tailor in the world can only slim your legs so much when pleats are in the way. A pleat really does hamper how "slim" you can go (a pleat does help, marginally, with letting out pants, but not the other way around).

Pleated trousers had a welcome comeback in recent years and in more modern cut than before. They can look really nice with a bit of taper to them. As @thegreatgatsby said, you shouldn't slim them down too much, just take them in slightly for a neater fit. We've done this with several D'avenza trousers for ourselves at the office and the results were spot on. Nicely high waisted with some volume on the upper part, tapering to a proportionate leg opening. A great look on many body types.

Sadly, this article was one of the (very) few marketing articles of the brand. I hope that the revival effort will somehow bear fruit in a few years when the economy recovers. Formal D'avenza pieces are not a part of my wardrobe, but I do own a few odd jackets from the brand. The Fabric, cut, and drape is like nothing I have seen. I just regret that I have not been in the scene when the brand was still alive.

Another tailoring brand that doesn't get the praises it deserves is Sartoria Castangia. They are still active and produce a beautiful handmade RTW suit. We certainly rate them in the same category as D'avenza, Kiton, and Brioni.

Without further ado, I selected some of the most special pieces from our D'avenza selection. Just in time before a special offer coming later this week. Watch out for unbelievable deals on these items and more.

BLUE CASHMERE POLO COAT

GRAY PLAID WOOL SUPER 130'S SUIT

"VERCELLI" DARK GRAY STRIPED WOOL FLANNEL DB SUIT

"VESPUCCI" HANDMADE BROWN CASHMERE PEACOAT

HANDMADE BLUE WOOL-CASHMERE UNLINED JACKET

HANDMADE BURNT CASHMERE UNLINED BLAZER

HANDMADE GRAY PLAID WOOL-MOHAIR-CASHMERE JACKET

HANDMADE SAND LINEN-COTTON BLAZER

"BANDERAS" GRAY WOOL SILK LINEN FIELD JACKET WITH LEATHER TRIMS

"FORTE" HANDMADE GRAY FLANNEL UNLINED BLAZER

DARK BROWN LEATHER WOOL LINED VEST

 

[thegreatgatsby]

I did pick up (a few years ago) a wonderful d'Avenza summer blazer from Mark (at Sartoriale) - a linen, silk and wool blend windowpane number, in a cream/ivory (not-quite-white). I had seen it in Esquire's Big Black Book in the late 2000s, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I also didn't want to pay full retail (it turns out that Tyrone's Menswear in Roslyn (Long Island) was the only seller of d'Avenza in New York at that time, so, again, not an easy product to find). Years later, it shows up at Sartoriale: deadstock, new with tags. A nice bit of serendipity. They even gave me free shipping from Italy to NY. (It's sad to note that Tyrone's has gone out of business after 60 years. I really hope that men's boutique clothing stores don't go the way of used bookstores in this state: we used to have hundreds of them, now just a handful remain; the irony of the fact that I didn't support or patronize Tyrone's when they were open is not lost on me).

I'm definitely not a fan of the d'Avenza "Young" line. Mark is correct, of course. The "Young" line is slimmer, but I found the jackets to be proportioned for young boys -maybe that's where the name comes from). The jackets are far too short - or the pocket placement and the skirt of the jacket don't sit right (on me, anyway). I also find the Young line to be a bit flashy or loud (some of the pieces have hues that are too saturated - bright, bright purple, for example).

I love some of the pieces Mark has posted above, though. Particularly the plaid/check suit (photo #2). But I think the "Banderas Field Jacket" is a prime example of d'Avenza outerwear that probably looked dated even when it was first produced. I couldn't see myself wearing that (it just wouldn't flatter). Regardless, Sartoriale has some of the best products and the most remarkable customer service. I've never regretted anything I've bought from them - including a one-of-a-kind plaid suit by Tom Ford for Gucci. It's a stunner.

 

[ViatoremDiEfa]

I would say that traditionally dressed men with discretionary income just became rare. The only shop I know of that carried D'avenza in Düsseldorf (or maybe even Germany) has nothing near the quality or price tag nowadays.

 

[MarkWinter]

Very nicely put @thegreatgatsby and thank you for the kind words.

@ViatoremDiEfa Sadly this is a trend throughout the world. At the same time, if men start to become interested in dressing properly there is a myriad of options to choose from online. With the help of fellow enthusiasts on the forum, sizing issues and general aesthetic questions are always provided. We are also happy to answer any questions about our assortment.

 

[LuxGentleman]

Good evening to all lovers of the D'avenza brand

I wanted to remind you that on luxgentleman.com from today you can buy all the D'avenza products with the
EXTRA 30% discount

USE THE COUPON CODE : davenza30

Select now the model you like, stocks are limited SHOP NOW


** the discount code is not valid on products with OUTLET ribbons

 

[monkey66]

OK. I am blown away. This suit is more beautiful than I could have imagined.

Colour is a mid/dark-grey with a fine highlight pin-stripe. Material feels like silk and very light.

The fit is great on my physique, jacket is just a little big, sleeves need half an inch off, perhaps the jacket length too. Trousers come up a bit small, I take a 34" no problem but these are an Italian, modern 34, fit like my Pescarolo trousers, will probably take out an inch or so. Flat fronted, modern cut trouser.

Even un-fitted the jacket has that unmistakable feel of top class tailoring when you slip it on. The weight and hang are wonderful.

Will post proper pictures once fitted.

Be curious to know if the model/year can be identified?