TheShetlandSweater
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- Aug 20, 2020
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Natalino is a cool, newer brand that makes some great clothes at a reasonable price. I think they are more than deserving of an appreciation thread on here, so I thought I'd start one myself.
I like that they put a lot of thought into the clothes. For example, we all know what a normal Shetland sweater looks like. Here is Natalino's version.
Notice how the ribbing around the neck is a bit different than you normally see. I think this is a nice casual detail. They also say it makes the neck area stronger. The ribbing at the bottom of the sweater is also a bit taller than you normally see and the body of the sweater is a couple inches shorter than you normally see, which is nice if you are wearing higher rise trousers. There are plenty brands, especially when it comes to sweaters, that just order what the manufacturer normally makes. Natalino, though, puts a little more thought into their designs and I appreciate this.
I like their trousers a lot. I have larger thighs and many pants out there simply don't fit me very well. Others that do fit well often have very large hems that not only look a little less contemporary (something I am personally fine with) but also look mismatched with anything sleeker than a pair of Aldens. Natalino strikes a good balance here. Their pants are plenty roomy up top and the hems are both wide enough that they (1) don't catch on my calves and (2) pair well with chunkier shoes, and also narrow enough that they go well with sleeker shoes.
I like Natalino's trousers both for more casual ensembles and for more tailored ones. Many pants that are too slim don't pair so well with sport coats. Imagine your silhouette in profile. When you wear pants that are too slim, that silhouette will cut in abruptly at the bottom of your jacket. I don't think this looks coherent. You want the jacket to flow into the trousers. I think Natalino's pants are wide enough that they do this. At the same time, though, they aren't so wide that they look grandfatherly. They look contemporary. They also aren't too fussy. One pleat. Side adjusters. Nothing fancy or eye catchy.
I also like their fabric selection. I have trousers from them in 14 oz. cotton, 13 oz. linen, 12 oz. flannel, and 15 oz. covert twill, and I have been pleased with all of them. You don't normally get such a nice fabric selection at this price point.
I have pants that are twice as expensive as Natalino's, but I like the Natalino's more. The cut just works really well for me. Also, because of the price, I can comfortably fill out my wardrobe with their pants. I don't just reserve them for more special occasions.
This season was their first time doing sport jackets, and I think they did a really nice job here too. My other sport coats are from Orazio Luciano and Ring Jacket for the Armoury--brands that are 2-4 times as expensive as the jackets from Natalino--so I didn't really know what to expect from a jacket at this price point. I am happy to say, though, that I really like my Natalino jacket. It has a place in my wardrobe alongside my much more expensive jackets.
There is tailoring that is more low key and casual (imagine what a slovenly professor might wear) and then there is tailoring that feels like tailoring. Both can look good, but my Natalino jacket falls definitively into the latter category. It is something you want to wear with a tie to a nice party. It is something that makes you feel good and dressed up. It is a Neapolitan jacket without too much structure, though, so you certainly can wear it more casually.
The thing that sets this jacket apart from other more casual tailoring options is the cut. The chest and shoulders are on the fuller side which I think is flattering, especially on my stockier build. It all looks very masculine. The shoulders have nice spalla camicia (not sure if my phrasing here makes sense) and the lapels are wide and expressive. I don't know enough about the technicalities of tailoring to explain why this is, but the lapels can do this thing where they roll all the way to the bottom of the jacket. They only do this if you want them to, though--I just mention this to give some indication of how expressive the lapels are. The jacket is also a touch longer in the body, something I appreciate as I find many brands are an inch or so too short on me.
I am not going to pretend that I can't notice a difference in quality between this jacket and ones that are triple the price. There are some minor things here and there. The stitching inside the patch pockets isn't quite as nice, the pattern matching could be a bit better, the jacket feels a bit stiffer than my other jackets, and the collar could hug my neck a bit better at times. Some of this may have to do with the fabric of my jacket, a stiffer tweed. Some of this is also that this is RTW. RTW won't fit everyone perfectly. The collar gap issues (and they are relatively minor) might have nothing to do with the quality and everything to do with my proportions.
Unless you are going full bespoke, you will always have to compromise on some things. The thing here, though, is that I don't feel that I am compromising much at all. I really like the cut of the jacket. It's a great cut. I like the fit. I like the fabric (I got the green tweed). I enjoy wearing this jacket a lot. There are things that could be better, but they don't bother me a ton.
I also assume that these jackets will get nicer with time. I have Natalino's trousers from three different seasons and little kinks here and there have been fixed each season. Good brands generally improve their designs with time, and Natalino has done precisely this.
Overall, I am very impressed with Natalino. I think they really pay attention to the details and have excellent taste. There is clearly a desire to put out a good and unique product and it shows.
If you want to see pictures of their stuff in the wild, there are plenty of pictures of their trousers on Instagram. There are a few pictures of their jackets, but I am not sure any of these pictures really capture their jackets that well. Hopefully, people will post pictures of themselves wearing Natalino on this thread.
I like that they put a lot of thought into the clothes. For example, we all know what a normal Shetland sweater looks like. Here is Natalino's version.
Notice how the ribbing around the neck is a bit different than you normally see. I think this is a nice casual detail. They also say it makes the neck area stronger. The ribbing at the bottom of the sweater is also a bit taller than you normally see and the body of the sweater is a couple inches shorter than you normally see, which is nice if you are wearing higher rise trousers. There are plenty brands, especially when it comes to sweaters, that just order what the manufacturer normally makes. Natalino, though, puts a little more thought into their designs and I appreciate this.
I like their trousers a lot. I have larger thighs and many pants out there simply don't fit me very well. Others that do fit well often have very large hems that not only look a little less contemporary (something I am personally fine with) but also look mismatched with anything sleeker than a pair of Aldens. Natalino strikes a good balance here. Their pants are plenty roomy up top and the hems are both wide enough that they (1) don't catch on my calves and (2) pair well with chunkier shoes, and also narrow enough that they go well with sleeker shoes.
I like Natalino's trousers both for more casual ensembles and for more tailored ones. Many pants that are too slim don't pair so well with sport coats. Imagine your silhouette in profile. When you wear pants that are too slim, that silhouette will cut in abruptly at the bottom of your jacket. I don't think this looks coherent. You want the jacket to flow into the trousers. I think Natalino's pants are wide enough that they do this. At the same time, though, they aren't so wide that they look grandfatherly. They look contemporary. They also aren't too fussy. One pleat. Side adjusters. Nothing fancy or eye catchy.
I also like their fabric selection. I have trousers from them in 14 oz. cotton, 13 oz. linen, 12 oz. flannel, and 15 oz. covert twill, and I have been pleased with all of them. You don't normally get such a nice fabric selection at this price point.
I have pants that are twice as expensive as Natalino's, but I like the Natalino's more. The cut just works really well for me. Also, because of the price, I can comfortably fill out my wardrobe with their pants. I don't just reserve them for more special occasions.
This season was their first time doing sport jackets, and I think they did a really nice job here too. My other sport coats are from Orazio Luciano and Ring Jacket for the Armoury--brands that are 2-4 times as expensive as the jackets from Natalino--so I didn't really know what to expect from a jacket at this price point. I am happy to say, though, that I really like my Natalino jacket. It has a place in my wardrobe alongside my much more expensive jackets.
There is tailoring that is more low key and casual (imagine what a slovenly professor might wear) and then there is tailoring that feels like tailoring. Both can look good, but my Natalino jacket falls definitively into the latter category. It is something you want to wear with a tie to a nice party. It is something that makes you feel good and dressed up. It is a Neapolitan jacket without too much structure, though, so you certainly can wear it more casually.
The thing that sets this jacket apart from other more casual tailoring options is the cut. The chest and shoulders are on the fuller side which I think is flattering, especially on my stockier build. It all looks very masculine. The shoulders have nice spalla camicia (not sure if my phrasing here makes sense) and the lapels are wide and expressive. I don't know enough about the technicalities of tailoring to explain why this is, but the lapels can do this thing where they roll all the way to the bottom of the jacket. They only do this if you want them to, though--I just mention this to give some indication of how expressive the lapels are. The jacket is also a touch longer in the body, something I appreciate as I find many brands are an inch or so too short on me.
I am not going to pretend that I can't notice a difference in quality between this jacket and ones that are triple the price. There are some minor things here and there. The stitching inside the patch pockets isn't quite as nice, the pattern matching could be a bit better, the jacket feels a bit stiffer than my other jackets, and the collar could hug my neck a bit better at times. Some of this may have to do with the fabric of my jacket, a stiffer tweed. Some of this is also that this is RTW. RTW won't fit everyone perfectly. The collar gap issues (and they are relatively minor) might have nothing to do with the quality and everything to do with my proportions.
Unless you are going full bespoke, you will always have to compromise on some things. The thing here, though, is that I don't feel that I am compromising much at all. I really like the cut of the jacket. It's a great cut. I like the fit. I like the fabric (I got the green tweed). I enjoy wearing this jacket a lot. There are things that could be better, but they don't bother me a ton.
I also assume that these jackets will get nicer with time. I have Natalino's trousers from three different seasons and little kinks here and there have been fixed each season. Good brands generally improve their designs with time, and Natalino has done precisely this.
Overall, I am very impressed with Natalino. I think they really pay attention to the details and have excellent taste. There is clearly a desire to put out a good and unique product and it shows.
If you want to see pictures of their stuff in the wild, there are plenty of pictures of their trousers on Instagram. There are a few pictures of their jackets, but I am not sure any of these pictures really capture their jackets that well. Hopefully, people will post pictures of themselves wearing Natalino on this thread.
