GIANLUCA ISAIA...Good or Bad Model

[bunnyoswaldo]

Greetings: Somewhat new to the forum and have done some reading of prior posts. I have my eyes on a a GIANLUCA ISAIA suit listed on the ebay. Item no 180508177722. I have read that there are some ISAIA's that are not of the level as the company's main and best known offerings. How does one tell from a label, observable construction standpoint? I guess my question is, absent asking someone to do the pinch and float test to determine if the canvas is fused, 1/2&1/2 or fully floating....are there any other telltale signs. Thoughts on this suit in particular? Its only at $15 with one day left....thanks and greetings to all.

 

[OttoSkadelig]

this is a mainline and will be fully canvassed.

btw this topic has been discussed before - do a search.

good luck.

 

[rebel222]

Originally Posted by OttoSkadelig

this is a mainline and will be fully canvassed.

btw this topic has been discussed before - do a search.

good luck.

Maybe you should do a search. It is fully canvassed, but it's not mainline.

 

[OttoSkadelig]

Originally Posted by rebel222

Maybe you should do a search. It is fully canvassed, but it's not mainline.

kindly explain.

this is quite clearly not the gianluca diffusion line. so is there a middle line i'm not aware of? to me this looks like an older (pre-red label) mainline.

 

[drducky]

pretty sure it is main line, though at least 5 yrs old

 

[rebel222]

. . .

 

[OttoSkadelig]

Originally Posted by vtechnwn

It's a great deal. From my understanding, there are 3 different lines. The Gianluca Napoli, the Isaia Napoli, and the Enrico Isaia, from lower to higher quality.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/f...Gianluca-Isaia

Frankly, I would have totally bid on this item if it fit me, but the sleeves are too short, even if they were let out.

thank you for posting this.

i read the thread but everyone is all over the place.

since there doesn't ever seem to have been any definitive resolution of this, let me take a crack at summarizing what i know.

i have always believed there were only two Isaia lines (in terms of substance, and putting aside what the label names are as i suspect these have changed over time):

1 - mainline, which is entirely canvassed, significant hand work, etc. -- prices ranging from ~$2500-~$3500. over the years, the labels have changed from white on black to black on red. the key obvious indicator of mainline or mainline-equivalent is the PRESENCE of the word "Isaia"

2 - diffusion line, which is fused. key obvious indicator is ABSENCE of word "Isaia"

the post you have linked to suggests that there is a level above the current mainline black-on-red "Isaia Napoli" label called Enrico Isaia.

Rebel222 contends that, additionally, "Gianluca Isaia Napoli" is different from "Isaia Napoli" (while I believe it's just an older incarnation of the current mainline.)

if all of the above is true, it would suggest there are four (!) levels, from worst to best:

1 - gianluca (fused)
2 - gianluca isaia napoli (canvassed, unclear how different from 3? doesn't seem to exist today anyway)
3 - isaia napoli (mainline)
4 - enrico isaia (super-mainline?)

is this really correct? something seems off here. my belief is that 2) is the same as 3) in terms to specs, and 4) is defunct as i've never, ever seen one offered anywhere (note also that the askandy thread dates back to 2006 and may possibly be not reflective of today's reality...)

 

[bunnyoswaldo]

and this would be?

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by OttoSkadelig

thank you for posting this. i read the thread but everyone is all over the place. since there doesn't ever seem to have been any definitive resolution of this, let me take a crack at summarizing what i know. i have always believed there were only two Isaia lines (in terms of substance, and putting aside what the label names are as i suspect these have changed over time): 1 - mainline, which is entirely canvassed, significant hand work, etc. -- prices ranging from ~$2500-~$3500. over the years, the labels have changed from white on black to black on red. the key obvious indicator of mainline or mainline-equivalent is the PRESENCE of the word "Isaia" 2 - diffusion line, which is fused. key obvious indicator is ABSENCE of word "Isaia" the post you have linked to suggests that there is a level above the current mainline black-on-red "Isaia Napoli" label called Enrico Isaia. Rebel222 contends that, additionally, "Gianluca Isaia Napoli" is different from "Isaia Napoli" (while I believe it's just an older incarnation of the current mainline.) if all of the above is true, it would suggest there are four (!) levels, from worst to best: 1 - gianluca (fused) 2 - gianluca isaia napoli (canvassed, unclear how different from 3? doesn't seem to exist today anyway) 3 - isaia napoli (mainline) 4 - enrico isaia (super-mainline?) is this really correct? something seems off here. my belief is that 2) is the same as 3) in terms to specs, and 4) is defunct as i've never, ever seen one offered anywhere (note also that the askandy thread dates back to 2006 and may possibly be not reflective of today's reality...)
Your original thoughts are correct - Gianluca Isaia Napoli and Isaia Napoli are the same line, just from different time periods. The blue tag with 'Gian Luca' in orangish lettering (no Isaia present on the label) is the diffusion line. The suit linked in the original post is mainline, circa 2001-2003. AFAIK, the Gian Luca line no longer exists. And I don't believe the Enrico Isaia line has been made within the past ten years. This was the only style of tag used by the Gian Luca diffusion line (everything else is mainline):

 

[OttoSkadelig]

as i thought. thank you for resolving.

 

[texas_jack]

Originally Posted by VMan

Your original thoughts are correct - Gianluca Isaia Napoli and Isaia Napoli are the same line, just from different time periods.

The blue tag with 'Gian Luca' in orangish lettering (no Isaia present on the label) is the diffusion line.

The suit linked in the original post is mainline, circa 2001-2003.

AFAIK, the Gian Luca line no longer exists. And I don't believe the Enrico Isaia line has been made within the past ten years.


This was the only style of tag used by the Gian Luca diffusion line (everything else is mainline):

G]

yep

 

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by bunnyoswaldo

and this would be?

Full canvassed; but older model.

 

[Spark]

Enrico Isaia was the top end of the line with lots of handiwork, but was dropped about 5 years ago.

Gianluca Napoli was diffusion line as noted - fused, but with more of the Base S styling - and was dropped about 18 months ago and replaced with the Collarosso line, which is also fused, but has a different silhouette than the older diffusion line.

Anything else with varying versions of the black & white label is mainline/real deal Isaia, but there were a wide range of models with different names (Stewart, Cary, Gregory, Vincent, Scott, etc.) and variations in body and shoulder cuts, including some made exclusively for the European market.

Only challenge with buying an older versions is nailing down which model it is and whether that cut works for you.

Majority of current line in US is Base S, sometimes Base V (slimmer body, higher armholes, slight rope to shoulder), and I have been seeing some Base Gs as well...

Hope this helps...

 

[OttoSkadelig]

Originally Posted by Spark

Enrico Isaia was the top end of the line with lots of handiwork, but was dropped about 5 years ago.

Gianluca Napoli was diffusion line as noted - fused, but with more of the Base S styling - and was dropped about 18 months ago and replaced with the Collarosso line, which is also fused, but has a different silhouette than the older diffusion line.


spark, are you sure about this -- i have tried a Corallorosso jacket and it very definitely was fully canvassed.

 

[bunnyoswaldo]

Thanks for all the imput (especially the age/year) All in all I could not get too jazzed about a 10 yr old suit. I ended up opting for a bit pricier but less used yr old Borrelli