The Neapolitan Tailoring
Italy is considered to be the melting pot of culture and history. When Italy comes to mind, one thinks of the Colosseum, the Gondolas, but we tend to forget about Naples. Not its architecture or alleyways but the artisanal handwork of tailoring makes Naples truly popular. The authenticity can only be achieved by the Neapolitans who have been trained from their childhood to the mastery of exquisite tailoring.
The roots of Neapolitan tailoring stretch back to 700 years, to the 14th century tailoring associations, the Confraternita dell'arte Dei Giubbonai e Cositori (Brotherhood of Jacket Makers and Tailors). Its members created the first ready-to-wear garments in Naples that were transported to royal, noble and wealthy gentlemen across the continent. The Neapolitan jacket gained its popularity in the 1900s when Vincenzo Attolini inspired Angelo Blasi (who was famous for his British tailoring) and Domenico Caraceni whose soft jackets were already popular. Combining craftsmanship with their creativity, the Neapolitan jacket was born, which was unpadded and foldable up to 8 times.
The signature characteristics of a Neapolitan jacket remain much as they were in Attolini's day. These include: an extended dart on the jacket front, running to the bottom seam of the skirt; the generous lapel; minimal lining - or no lining at all, mere piping on inner seams; the boat-shaped barchetta chest pocket; tre buttoni due (three-roll-two) button stance; patch pockets curved at the bottom; and a double handmade backstitch on the lapels and pockets (although these last two may be absent in more formal garments).
However, it is across the shoulders one can immediately recognize a Neapolitan jacket. The heavily padded, rigid British suits can hide a multitude of physical imperfections, on the other hand the soft every-so-lightly or entirely unstructured shoulders of a Neapolitan suit leave zero possibility for error. It takes a true master to create a shoulder that is soft, rounded, unpadded, but still remains flattering to the wearer.
The reason for fondness of Neapolitan tailoring is not only the polished tailoring work but also the family spirit and representing a naturally elegant appearance which makes Neapolitan tailoring so significant.
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Italy is a melting pot of culture and history. When we think of Italy, the Colosseum and the Venetian gondolas come to mind, but we tend to forget about Naples. It is not its architecture and cozy alleys, but its artisanal tailoring that makes it really popular. The authenticity and sophistication of this is ensured by the fact that Neapolitans learn how to make a perfect cut from childhood.
The roots of Neapolitan tailoring go back nearly 700 years, to the founding of the 14th-century tailors' guild, the Confraternita dell'arte Dei Giubbonai e Cositori ("Brotherhood of Jacket Makers and Tailors"). Its members created the first ready-to-wear clothes in Naples, which were distributed to royalty, nobility and wealthy gentlemen across the continent. The Neapolitan jacket really became popular in the 1900s, when Vincenzo Attolini inspired Angelo Blasi, who was famous for his British tailoring, and Domenico Caraceni, whose soft jackets were popular. Combining craftsmanship with their creativity, the Neapolitan jacket was born, which was unpadded and could be folded up to 8 times in half.
However, you can immediately recognize a Neapolitan style cut on the shoulders. A heavily padded, stiff British suit hides the precise shape of the wearer, in contrast, the soft, slightly or completely unstructured shoulders of a Neapolitan suit leave no room for error. It takes real craftsmanship to create a soft, rounded, unpadded shoulder that is still flattering to the wearer.
The love for Neapolitan tailoring stems not only from its meticulous, demanding tailoring work, but also the family atmosphere, the representation of a natural elegant appearance, also contributed to the prominent role of Neapolitan tailors.
