Zegna Milano cut vs. Isaia

[jyook]

I did some shopping over the weekend to see what was on sale... I ran into some Isaia suits that I caught my eye... I also tried on some Zegna Milano cuts... Both the Isaia and Zegna suits fit me like a glove with the exception of the sleeve length... They both felt very nice and had the nice soft shoulders..

I know that most here prefer Isaia over Zegna and from some recent posts, Zegna has been taking a pounding but I was kind of impressed with the Zegna Milano cut...

The Isaia stuff had a much nicer lapel roll on the 3 buttons as a 3 roll 2... I thought the Zegna looked better with 2 buttons as opposed to their 3 button model... The Zegna 3 roll 2 wasn't as nice...

I've learned from previous threads that it's always better to go for subdued patterns on a suit... I've also learned from previous threads that what looks like a pretty swatch can result in a gaudy suit that only a gangster would wear...

Most of the Isaia stuff that I've run into fabric wise seems a little over the top to me... The Zegna fabrics I encountered seem more subdued and understated...

I thought the Isaia suits looked nice and I am sure the construction is better as stated from the previous posts here but the Zegna fabrics seem to be superior in quality to me...

Am I right??

What are your thoughts on comparing Isaia and Zegna's Milano overall??

 

[jyook]

Maybe I should be more specific in my questioning...

Both suits fit my body like a glove (with minor alterations)... Both have a nice soft shoulder... Both have a nice trim sillouette (we're talking the Zegna Milano cut)... After perusing the many posts here, I can assume that the general consensus here is that Isaia is better than Zegna...

Do you think that Isaia's fabrics are better quality than Zegna's??

Is it better to make a choice between the two based on construction quality or fabric quality??

 

[Medvald]

I do not know anything about ISAIA. I have from time to time used Zegna MTM service. I have been very happy with the coture line which is well made. Zegna fabrics are usually very good.

This spring I had one Zegna Milano line linen suit made. It is well made more details than the Sartoria line and a little less than the coture line. I like it it was value for money for me. My only concern is that the styling is a bit to much for me the breast pocket is a bit strange almost diagonal. But for a cream linen suit it is ok. Would not want it on a business suit.

 

[SuitingStyle]

I think both brands are pretty well constructed, but Isaia has more hand work.
If both fit you well, then I would go with the pattern you like the best. I've tried the Milano model , and it does have a very soft shoulder but it fits a bit trimmer than Isaia's S model (similar in trimness to the Isaia's V model).

Fabric wise, Isaia's fabric are just as good as Zegna's from what I've seen, however, Isaia does like to make suits with high super count clothes, as it tries to be more fancy, but they are not flimsy by any means. Of all the Isaia suits I own, over 80% are at least 120 or better, and they've served me very well.

 

[The_Foxx]

Just visited neiman marcus in buckhead/ atlanta, quite a store with a great selection of stuff (the tom ford section was....interesting, but didn't care to try anything on or take a closer look). Kiton and brioni selections were small but well chosen, but the Isaia and Zegna stuff were really fantastic.

After much deliberation, I'm thinking that 2 Zegna Milano suits from the MTM cloths (Sartorial line, pretty basic patterns and simple midweight cloths) will roughly be the price of one Brioni suit. The fit on the Milano for me was even better than I remembered, and although I hate to admit it the fit in the 40reg Milanos will probably look better than the majority of my other suits. Planning to save a little dough and ordering two fairly conservative 'everyday suits' in 2 button, $2815 x 2 = $5630, plus a small shipping fee but NO tax if I order and ship to an addres in TN (functional buttonholes on the sleeves will be included, apparently handsewn by store tailors). If you have a chance to throw on one of these suits, highly encourage members to give it a go. Got to see/ try on a quarter-lined 3 button suit made special for the upcoming trunk show, which actually felt pretty good as well-- but planning to stick with 2 button for my next few suits I think.

I really wish I would have purchased my two Isaia suits in a size 40reg, instead of thinking they might be similar in size to Brioni. The suits I tried on also fit like a glove, but not sure I'm a big fan of the lower set breast pocket. However, the true flat front trouser seemed like a slightly better look than the 'flat but single dart' Zegnas.

-My two cents

PS highlight of the selections at the NM store was probably the Massimo Bizzochi neckties, which are now slightly more slender and looked a lot like Kitons, but for $155; GREAT looking ties. The Ralph Lauren store was another high point of the trip, visiting a room for black label, purple label (took a hard look at a grey nailhead RLPL suit, excellent suit but $4395 seemed to high to consider purchasing). Liked the two-tone barker black (weathered tan leather and tobacco suede) wingtips a lot as well.

 

[Sprezzatura2010]

I'm not sure that Isaia is better constructed than Zegna right now. At least, by my untrained eye (I own several suits and sportcoats from both, bought over the last 10-odd years, more Isaia suits than Zegnas but more Zegna sportcoats than Isaias) it seems that Zegna's quality of finishing has gone up, and Isaia has gotten more gimmicky at the expense of quality. More handwork? Maybe, but I don't judge jackets or pants by how the threads met the cloth but by how the end result looks and feels when worn.

 

[jyook]

Ultimately, I ended up with the Zegna...

I believe the Isaia may have been a slightly better quality suit in terms of construction but the overall look of the Zegna Milano cut won out... It was just more understated... The Isaia selection I had access to was more "flamboyant" (for lack of a better description)... Plus, the Zegna was the better fit...

 

[SuitingStyle]

I like both, Milano is a slightly slimmer cut. Isaia is a difinitely superior suit in terms of construction though ( my Zegna Milano suit's collar appears to be machine sewed).

 

[MTM]

Milano a knock off Isaia S body and half fused jacket (Roma is half fused as well) is no match to Isaia.

 

[EL72]

Originally Posted by MTM

Milano a knock off Isaia S body and half fused jacket (Roma is half fused as well) is no match to Isaia.

No. I have Roma, Roma Cardigan (and have tried on Milano) cuts and neither are half-fused, whatever that means.

I like Isaia too but it's priced at least 30% more than Zegna so it's not really a fair comparison.

 

[antirabbit]

The only hand sewn Zegna collar I have ever seen is on a MTM Dunhill blazer.
I have not seen any hand sewn collars on a Zegna mainline.