Pitti 93 best and worst and everything in netween

[UrbanComposition]

Thanks. Was the corduroy you had made up in Palermo wool?

Come to think about it, a strechy, bespoke cord suit sounds kinda cool.

Yep, and it was crazy cheap from what I remember - like $30 a yard.

 

[Gus]

This season seems to be the season for corduroy. I saw so many suits and overcoats executed well using this fabric. It’s such a classic yet understated choice, and the newer stuff is wool, cashmere, cotton with a bit of lycra, so it’s way more comfortable than the old stuff.

Zegna makes a cotton with 3% Elastine that has a "super soft from day one" feel that I used on a suit I had made a few years ago. The Elastine allows for a nice neat tailored look yet with just enough "give" that it is very comfortable. I notice that I never take my jacket off, even on long flights or driving long distance.

Most of the 100% cotton corduroy fabric that the major mills offer is as stiff as cardboard on one side. Choose wisely! I previously had an Isaia corduroy suit made from 10% cashmere/90% cotton. The fabric was fantastic. Unfortunately, when I went looking for a cashmere cotton blend for my next suit the cost of a 10/90 blend was about the same as 100% flannel cashmere from the major mills. I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for corduroy.

Speaking of corduroy, I was going to post this in the Unfunded Liabilities thread, but since you mentioned it, is there such a thing as 100% wool corduroy? I thought it was generally all cotton or cotton-blends.

Yes there is a 100% wool corduroy. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really need something to keep you especially warm. I have seen it most often on classic British field garments (hunting, fishing, etc.)

 

[jefferyd]

Finally arrived at Pitti after 35ish hours and immediately went to a reservation with 100 Hands.

This is a company that does amazing, amazing handwork that is mind blowing. More will come later, but here’s some pics for now.

Some technical stuff on their shirts.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Some technical stuff on their shirts.

That was a great read. How have you found the shirt to hold up after washes? I was going to get a fully handmade shirt from Italy but now I’m not so sure. I’m pretty rough on my shirts.

 

[jefferyd]

That was a great read. How have you found the shirt to hold up after washes? I was going to get a fully handmade shirt from Italy but now I’m not so sure. I’m pretty rough on my shirts.

It's held up just fine. The only very slight downside- if I sent the shirt out, the cleaners would definitely squash the rolled hem which would be a travesty, so I have to wash and iron it myself. Forget Italy. Get one of these.

 

[Gus]

Interesting post. I’m even more interested in them now.

 

[dan'l]

Zegna makes a cotton with 3% Elastine that has a "super soft from day one" feel that I used on a suit I had made a few years ago. The Elastine allows for a nice neat tailored look yet with just enough "give" that it is very comfortable. I notice that I never take my jacket off, even on long flights or driving long distance.

Most of the 100% cotton corduroy fabric that the major mills offer is as stiff as cardboard on one side. Choose wisely! I previously had an Isaia corduroy suit made from 10% cashmere/90% cotton. The fabric was fantastic. Unfortunately, when I went looking for a cashmere cotton blend for my next suit the cost of a 10/90 blend was about the same as 100% flannel cashmere from the major mills. I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for corduroy.



Yes there is a 100% wool corduroy. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really need something to keep you especially warm. I have seen it most often on classic British field garments (hunting, fishing, etc.)

Thanks for the detailed reply. Now I am need to find a length of the 3% Elastine or the 10/90 blend!

 

[Coxsackie]

OK so what do those 100Hands shirts typically cost? If you don't mind my asking...

 

[jefferyd]

OK so what do those 100Hands shirts typically cost? If you don't mind my asking...

They've partnered with The Rake to offer them between $350 and $450 USD.

 

[LA Guy]

That was a great read. How have you found the shirt to hold up after washes? I was going to get a fully handmade shirt from Italy but now I’m not so sure. I’m pretty rough on my shirts.

It's held up just fine. The only very slight downside- if I sent the shirt out, the cleaners would definitely squash the rolled hem which would be a travesty, so I have to wash and iron it myself. Forget Italy. Get one of these.

@UrbanComposition and I both had shirts made. For me, a jersey pullover, since I never wear buttoned shirts per se. For @UrbanComposition , a white shirt and a shirt jacket thing that was still in prototype, iirc. We'll write up our impressions for the Journal. If they are anything like the shirts we saw in the showroom, it'll be pretty awesome. The handiwork was very detailed, precise, and the stitch density was pretty amazing for handiwork. Varvara and Ashkat are pretty nice too, and work in a pretty laidback environment, which is nice, especially given the bustle that is Florence during Pitti Uomo.

And to think that I didn't answer their phone calls for the longest time "The Netherlands? Probably some spam call." So, they are persistent as well.

 

[maxalex]

I already snarked about this on IG but it encapsulates the best and worst so here it is. Beautiful coat. So sad that dude has reverse Achilles heel syndrome: his ankles don’t experience cold but otherwise he’s freezing.

View attachment 906106

It’s something about the microclimate of Florence: hot down below and frigid five feet above the ground.

Also the coat-cape look is starting to make my skin crawl—another easy style ruined by the Pitti (bare)foot soldiers who turn sprezz into uniforms.

 

[Gus]

Glad to see that @UrbanComposition actually put his arms into the sleeves of his coats. It must have created quite a stir among the peacocks.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Even though I haven’t done it (yet) I actually like the overcoat-over-shoulders look aesthetically. Also, as a practical apologist, I have to add that wearing it like that ABSOLUTELY beats carrying in over your arm when it gets warm. Carrying a heavy jacket just sucks.

 

[Journeyman]

Some technical stuff on their shirts.

They've partnered with The Rake to offer them between $350 and $450 USD.

That was a good review, Jeffery.

You wrote: "Based in Amsterdam, the production is actually done in India. I won't dive deep in to their story here as you can read all about it on their own website. Suffice it to say that a shirt with this level of workmanship would be completely out of the reach of most people if it were done anywhere other than a place like India or China. And perhaps I need to remind some readers that India and China were producing some of the best textiles in the world while the west was in burlap diapers. Some of the most intricate embroideries and handwork that I have ever seen have come out of Asia so we need to suspend our knee-jerk association of Asia with cheap, badly-made crap for a moment."

While some people do associate China and India with cheap, shoddy work, I think that most of us on SF would acknowledge that those countries are also capable of amazing, intricate workmanship - it all depends upon the budget for the work.

However, although I don't think that people here would really have a problem with the shirts being made in India, I do think that it's reasonable to question the cost. I mean, you can get a really well-made Italian shirt from a place like G.Inglese for $300 or $350, and the Inglese shirts have a lot of fine handwork, too. Is it reasonable to ask $350 to $450 for an Indian-made shirt, given that the cost of production is most likely a lot lower in India than it is in Italy?

Of course, I suppose that then introduces the question of "what is reasonable?" and it comes down to whatever the market is willing to bear. In the fashion world, a lot of items are marked up to truly ridiculous levels that are far, far in excess of the cost of production, so it's clearly not necessary for there to be any actual link between the cost of production and the selling price.

 

[Mr. Moo]

They've partnered with The Rake to offer them between $350 and $450 USD.

That's... really not too bad at all.