The British Invasion…of Italy

By Izzy

For the first time ever, British Savile Row tailors are showing their wares at Pitti Uomo, the annual showcase of Italian menswear. Unsurpisingly, this has caused some Italian designers to get hot under their bespoke collars:

Gianluca Isaia, deputy head of the Italian menswear consortium Classico Italia, said that the Pitti show was intended to represent menswear made in Italy. I would expect it to support Italian firms, not to offer a showcase for foreigners.

Mr Isaia said that Italian techniques were much more up to date than those of London tailors. We combine state of the art production with ancient origins Naples already had an association of tailors in the 15th century.

Defenders of the Italian way even have a trump card: an Italian has been making James Bond’s suits since the 1995 film GoldenEye. Brioni’s boutique in Via Condotti, the Bond Street of Rome, features a giant photograph of Daniel Craig wearing a Brioni suit in Casino Royale.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 at 11:34 pm by Izzy and is filed under Men's Fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “The British Invasion…of Italy”

Lyman Brock Says:
January 15th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Didn’t the Italians start this melodrama. Personally, I like both equally and wouldn’t turn a well made suit away from either country. But they do say England makes the best of men’s suit fabrics. The art of tailoring is such an old technology that it is hard to take these men serious at times.

However, who cares about the bond film what I want to know is where were the suits in The Conformist made? That film has a fine collection of men’s suits. It’s an aspiration for style if ever there was one.

And what about the French? The new Dior Homme has a great look for RTW. Where are they produced?

I know there is this argument about bespoke but if you are in good shape and have balanced figure do you really need such fuss. Aren’t bespoke tailors just a form of costume makers? Does bespoke use that many more secret measurements than drafting a pattern for a theater production does? Is Armani correct when he says that Savile Row tailors are a bunch of old grannies who wish they worked in a French couture house? We all know their public school boys do. Are the Italian tailors just another buttered form of Moma Roma desperate to give their children creditability?