Riva shirts

Originally Posted by Manton

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Is Riva the next iGent bubble?

Who will be the Bear Stearns of this story?

It may have competition in the form of chunky, old-man sweaters that are made of lambswool or NOS cashmere.

--Andre

Originally Posted by kngrimm

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Wonderful -

Matt, please do so. It would be nice to learn more.

Thanks,

Here are a bunch of different Riva cotton-linens. I've not seen anybody else do so many different weaves. The texture on each is different from the blue and yellow which has a definite sheen, to the red multi stripe which is quite heavy, heavier than most cotton shirtings you will find, to the blue and white stripe which has a slight flannel effect.

Originally Posted by Sam Hober

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Iammatt,

"The shirtings are nicer than others, I think. They do cotton-linen in several weaves, including a great oxford cloth I've not seen elsewhere. They also have a ton of patterns, so I guess both spectacular and a wider selection."

Do you prefer the linen/cotton Oxford or the cotton Super Oxford?

For cotton oxford I prefer Brooks Brothers. I don't really wear royal oxford, or any other smooth oxford cloth, so the cotton Riva doesn't interest me.

Far left and green (?) / blue stripe are $$$$

Originally Posted by iammatt

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For cotton oxford I prefer Brooks Brothers. I don't really wear royal oxford, or any other smooth oxford cloth, so the cotton Riva doesn't interest me.

Thanks.

Quick question - while it's clear you perfer Riva linen blends to Riva cotton, could you please give your thoughts on Riva cotton vs. Alumo/DJA/TM goldine/SIC Tess/etc. cotton?

I think a majority of what gets said about Riva is based on their cotton offerings, and it would be nice to hear the thoughts of someone who has quite a bit of experience with it. I have no doubt it's great stuff, but compared to other top brands, what is the general sense?

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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I don't know about a full-blown bubble, but I am guilty for a good bit of froth. This is only part of my Riva shirt collection:

3rd shirt from the right...I have that exact fabric. Wonderful stuff.

popped

Originally Posted by kngrimm

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Thanks.

Quick question - while it's clear you perfer Riva linen blends to Riva cotton, could you please give your thoughts on Riva cotton vs. Alumo/DJA/TM goldine/SIC Tess/etc. cotton?

I think a majority of what gets said about Riva is based on their cotton offerings, and it would be nice to hear the thoughts of someone who has quite a bit of experience with it. I have no doubt it's great stuff, but compared to other top brands, what is the general sense?
I prefer cottons to be a bit meatier, so while I think the Rivas are really nice, they aren't what I am looking for much of the time.

Originally Posted by kngrimm

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Thanks.

Quick question - while it's clear you perfer Riva linen blends to Riva cotton, could you please give your thoughts on Riva cotton vs. Alumo/DJA/TM goldine/SIC Tess/etc. cotton?

I think a majority of what gets said about Riva is based on their cotton offerings, and it would be nice to hear the thoughts of someone who has quite a bit of experience with it. I have no doubt it's great stuff, but compared to other top brands, what is the general sense?

Say Riva popline 180/2 feels buttery smooth whereas DJA 200/2 popline feels smooth but a bit dry (bit of an exaggeration but feels like a thin piece of paper). Riva fabrics are woven with old machinery which weaves much slower and narrower(90cm) and that seems to give extra softness to the fabric compared to the fabrics woven by more modern machinery which weaves faster and wider (150cm). Could be a sales talk, but that is what Otto Mantero, the owner of Carlo Riva told me.

The Bonfanti fabrics that come in 90cm width are of similar quality to Riva fabrics, if not exactly the same since they own part of the Carlo Riva factory. At least that was the fact 4 years ago.

Originally Posted by iyorito

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Say Riva popline 180/2 feels buttery smooth whereas DJA 200/2 popline feels smooth but a bit dry (bit of an exaggeration but feels like a thin piece of paper). Riva fabrics are woven with old machinery which weaves much slower and narrower(90cm) and that seems to give extra softness to the fabric compared to the fabrics woven by more modern machinery which weaves faster and wider (150cm). Could be a sales talk, but that is what Otto Mantero, the owner of Carlo Riva told me.

The Bonfanti fabrics that come in 90cm width are of similar quality to Riva fabrics, if not exactly the same since they own part of the Carlo Riva factory. At least that was the fact 4 years ago.
I believe Bonfanti and Riva had a breakup a few years back. A few shirtmakers have told me that Bonfanti's fabrics are not of as high a quality, but I have no idea if it is true.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Here are a bunch of different Riva cotton-linens. I've not seen anybody else do so many different weaves. The texture on each is different from the blue and yellow which has a definite sheen, to the red multi stripe which is quite heavy, heavier than most cotton shirtings you will find, to the blue and white stripe which has a slight flannel effect.

For cotton oxford I prefer Brooks Brothers. I don't really wear royal oxford, or any other smooth oxford cloth, so the cotton Riva doesn't interest me.
These must go splendidly with a boater, cane and spats.

Originally Posted by Film Noir Buff

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These must go splendidly with a boater, cane and spats.

Honestly, at this point I would skip them other than the white and blue, and the red stripe. Live and learn, I guess.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Honestly, at this point I would skip them other than the white and blue, and the red stripe. Live and learn, I guess.
If only some your iBuddies would own up to their mistakes too, it'd be a more eye friendly forum.

Riva fabrics are woven with old machinery which weaves much slower and narrower(90cm) and that seems to give extra softness to the fabric compared to the fabrics woven by more modern machinery which weaves faster and wider (150cm). Could be a sales talk, but that is what Otto Mantero, the owner of Carlo Riva told me.

The Bonfanti fabrics that come in 90cm width are of similar quality to Riva fabrics, if not exactly the same since they own part of the Carlo Riva factory. At least that was the fact 4 years ago.

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I have visited both the Riva and Bonfanti factories. They do use the same old machinery that weaves slowly, on 90 cms because the two factories used to be one factory with one owner. When the owner passed away two families inherited 50% interest and half went to the Bonfanti family and half to Mantero. There was no business split-up, but a division of assets.

Though I do have a few Riva and Bonfanti shirts, it was the Neapolitan tailor, Gennaro Solito who helped me break the habit. I always admired his shirts and one day asked him what cloth he used. He told me he did not care for Riva fabrics for their fragility and the fact that in very warm weather (common in Naples) they were too thin and allowed perspiration to soak them. He maintained that men in Naples preferred heavier cloth in summer that absorbed perspiration, did not leave the unpleasant wet stains, and by humidifying the shirt actually kept one cooler. Solito's advice was excellent.

I hate to dampen the enthusiasm for Riva, but heavier cloth keeps you warmer in winter, cooler in summer, drapes better and lasts longer. If you are ever in Naples there is a shirting fabrics shop near Caccioppoli that has a great collection of high quality heavy shirtings to support the local trade.

Cheers

Michael Alden
www.dresswithstyle.com

Originally Posted by iyorito

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Say Riva popline 180/2 feels buttery smooth whereas DJA 200/2 popline feels smooth but a bit dry (bit of an exaggeration but feels like a thin piece of paper). Riva fabrics are woven with old machinery which weaves much slower and narrower(90cm) and that seems to give extra softness to the fabric compared to the fabrics woven by more modern machinery which weaves faster and wider (150cm). Could be a sales talk, but that is what Otto Mantero, the owner of Carlo Riva told me. The Bonfanti fabrics that come in 90cm width are of similar quality to Riva fabrics, if not exactly the same since they own part of the Carlo Riva factory. At least that was the fact 4 years ago.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I believe Bonfanti and Riva had a breakup a few years back. A few shirtmakers have told me that Bonfanti's fabrics are not of as high a quality, but I have no idea if it is true.
Weaving is only part of the story for shirt fabrics; it isn't that difficult for a decent mill to weave quality cotton. Also, the 60" wide weaving process has improved a great deal over the last decade and has closed the gap with the "36" inch wide goods of fable. With cotton it's all about the finishing. The Swiss do some of the best and the Italian finishers can rank from as good as the Swiss to so-so. Good finishing is expensive and can make or beak a cotton. Cotton weight for shirts is a matter of personal preference but there is hardly any advantage to having a heavy shirt except that it may be true that it can be more absorbent. I prefer lighter weight shirts but occasionally a heavier weight shirt works well.

Originally Posted by M. Alden

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I hate to dampen the enthusiasm for Riva, but heavier cloth keeps you warmer in winter, cooler in summer, drapes better and lasts longer. If you are ever in Naples there is a shirting fabrics shop near Caccioppoli that has a great collection of high quality heavy shirtings to support the local trade.

Cheers

Michael Alden
www.dresswithstyle.com

I was told something very similar to this by the rep for Volpe, not sure who makes her shirts but she mentioned pretty much everything you said.