Summer musings and doings

We're in the final stretch of summer. It's been a busy couple of months between delivering the latest batch of orders and also taking a close eye on improving all aspects of how we do bespoke. 

We are always looking to improve and have asked our customers what is working and what we can change. While they are enjoying our Sicilian heritage and high degree of flexibility, we've also learned there has been confusion around the fitting process and what could be adjusted post-delivery. Moreover, we missed a few things by loading everything in one fitting. 

To that end, we are now requiring two fittings for all new customers. This is a change from our initial model of delivering a finished garment after just one fitting for new customers.

A single fitting is possible if everything falls into place. But since we cannot guarantee a single fitting will cover all possible variables over the course of several months, we no longer offer this. 

We're also improving our process behind the scenes to ensure we capture all of our customer requests, no matter how small, in time for delivery. 

In the meantime, we'll be back in San Francisco (October 11) and New York (October 13-14) for client appointments and look forward to seeing you there. A la prossima!

Introducing 360 Bespoke

Our 360 Bespoke line is limited only by your imagination. We will go to extraordinary lengths to source the perfect cloth for your commission by consulting with leading English and Italian mills and our own sources for rare cloth (e.g. private sellers and collectors). 

Included with all 360 Bespoke orders is a tremendous cloth selection covering 95 percent of the fabric universe for menswear (silks, cottons, linens and wool). Rare vintage or specialty cloths such as cashmere and vicuna are also options (pricing available on request).

Looking beyond the fabric itself, we can personalize the internal lining of your suit with a completely unique look and design using your own artwork, photography or vintage prints (see our 360 Bespoke lining option). Additionally, you will be able to customize the shape of pockets, lapels, patches, etc. and the materials that give life to the details and accents of your jacket including piping, facings, patches and flaps.

For new customers, we will fly and meet you at your home or office anywhere in the continental US (lower 48 states) and Canada for an initial consultation. Fittings occur every spring and fall in New York City and San Francisco. 

The 360 Bespoke suit includes cloth, cloth swatches/samples, design consultations, up to two fittings with our tailor and a complimentary fitting adjustment after delivery. 

Mediterranean tailoring meets California lifestyle

Because of the similarity of climates, Sicilian tailoring is superbly suited for the California lifestyle. 

This is a summer sports jacket in a H&S 8oz wool-linen-silk blend made for a customer in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

It is made with Sicilian shape and lightness. I've included a few close-ups around the shoulder, chest, inside, under the collar and sleeve buttons. 

No worries of you live in colder climes - Sicilian tailoring can easily adjust to support heavier fabrics. 

Delivery time!

Very excited to see our first set of orders getting closer to shipping. This one is a wonderful spring/summer gunclub sports jacket in Holland & Sherry cloth. 

Introducing Essential Bespoke

Introducing Essential Bespoke: the Naxos suit in navy blue

Ordering your first bespoke suit can be daunting. So many questions! We try to eliminate these uncertainties by focusing your attention on just one decision - blue or gray - for your first three suits with Sicilian Reserve. 

For most working professionals, your first suit should be one of those two colors. This is especially true if you are building a bespoke rotation in your wardrobe. 

For navy blue, choose the Naxos suit. For grey, choose the Leontini suit. For a wrinkle resistant suit up to the rigors of long-distance travel, choose the Triskelion suit.

For a little more fun, go for the Etnea sports jacket. 

The rest is managed by us with your input of course. 

Preparing your commission - how flexible is our tailor?

For those who are new to Sicilian tailors or bespoke tailoring, you may be wondering how flexible our tailor is and the kinds of features you can specify for your bespoke commission. That's a great question.

The tailor we’re working with can make clothes for a variety of body types and can accommodate a wide range of style choices. His clients run the gamut from children to adults. He has dressed men and women from across a variety of professions from business and academia to opera and the arts. 

In terms of shape and silhouette, he has done quite a bit of stage/theatrical costume work so if you want retro, eccentric and unusual he can do so without batting an eye. Even more so if you want classic and conservative style.

You might have experienced or read that many tailors have a preferred house style that they are reluctant to deviate from. A house style might typically have a fixed jacket length for a specific height, open or closed fronts, a specific amount of waist suppression, a high or low button stance, a high or low gorge height and a specific lapel width.

If you’re unsure, our tailor will certainly make suggestions for your commission. But you are not constrained by them, especially if you have a clear idea of your commission or are experienced with bespoke. When I was looking for the right tailor to work with, flexibility was one of my top criteria and it's a key reason why I chose this tailor. 

I came to this conclusion after spending hours talking to him and his coworkers in his workshop and viewing multiple examples of his finished work and those in progress. Based on what I saw, the tailor is fully capable of executing your choices technically and attitudinally.

For example, I went with a shorter length on the sample jacket than I normally wear even though the tailor suggested a slightly longer one. I also wanted fairly open jacket fronts. For the sample pants, I let him make his default style which tends to be slim and lower rise.

In addition, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with a local client during one of his fittings. This particular client had very specific and unconventional requirements for his evening velvet jacket. Moreover, he was challenging to fit properly because of his forward abdomen and swayback. But based on what I heard from the client, the tailor accommodated both client preferences and fit without any issues technically and attitudinally.

In sum, you will have flexibility, if you choose to exercise it, in a number of areas. 

For jackets these include (but are not limited to):

• Shoulder type (manica camicia or classic shoulder)
• Length of jacket
• Lapel type
• Gorge height
• Button stance
• Pocket type (patch, flap or welted)
• Number of internal pockets
• Number of sleeve buttons
• Vents

For pants these include (but are not limited to):

• Normal or higher waist
• Ease around seat
• Pocket types and positioning (e.g. slant side pockets, one back pocket on the right)
• Belted waistband v. side adjusters
• Zipper v. buttoned fly
• Pleated or plain front
• Hidden coin pocket (left or right)
• Preferred leg opening width