Neapolitan tailoring is more than a tradition, it is a Made in Italy fashion excellence that, from the hands of Neapolitan artisans, has come to dress gentlemen from all over the world, including artists, statesmen and Hollywood celebrities. Let's see why:
The history of Neapolitan Tailoring
Naples boasts a very prestigious sartorial tradition, which lays its foundations back in the centuries and which we could even trace back to the year 1351, the year in which the Confraternita dei Sartori was founded.
At that time, during the splendor of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Naples was a sumptuous capital city, a focal point of fashion and habits throughout Europe together with London and Paris.
It was in the 15th century that the first wool and silk factories flourished in Naples, which favoured the development of a real Neapolitan school of tailoring, so much so that around the 17th century, the Neapolitan tailors recognized by the Confraternita dei Sartori were 607.
After a short period of decline, due to the difference between European trends, clean and linear, which clashed with the sumptuous Neapolitan tastes, the Neapolitan tailoring knew how to reinvent itself, through its great manual skill and the refinement of fabrics, to become the excellence that, today, is recognized throughout the world.
At that time, during the splendor of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Naples was a sumptuous capital city, a focal point of fashion and habits throughout Europe together with London and Paris.
It was in the 15th century that the first wool and silk factories flourished in Naples, which favoured the development of a real Neapolitan school of tailoring, so much so that around the 17th century, the Neapolitan tailors recognized by the Confraternita dei Sartori were 607.
After a short period of decline, due to the difference between European trends, clean and linear, which clashed with the sumptuous Neapolitan tastes, the Neapolitan tailoring knew how to reinvent itself, through its great manual skill and the refinement of fabrics, to become the excellence that, today, is recognized throughout the world.
Neapolitan tailoring dresses: unmistakable style
If the fame of Neapolitan tailoring is known throughout the world, its characteristics will perhaps escape the less experienced.
And yet, for many enthusiasts around the world, the style of Neapolitan tailoring is unique, thanks to the peculiarities that distinguish it unequivocally.
The jackets of Neapolitan suits are famous for being light and comfortable. The sleeve, in particular, is defined "shirt sleeve" precisely because it is as light as a shirt sleeve, and has a lap about 10 cm wider than the shoulder, which makes it swell slightly at the junction with a "mappina" effect and fall softly on the arms. This characteristic depends, probably, on the Neapolitan habit (and of the whole southern Italy) of gesticulating. Neapolitan gentlemen need, therefore, a comfortable sleeve that does not hinder the wide movements of the arms during conversation.
The sleeve is attached to a shoulder which is also soft because it is empty, as tradition dictates. The most fashionable model is the single-breasted, with two buttons or "three buttons stretched to 2", that is with the highest button hidden under the lapels, strictly very wide, between 8 and 10 cm.
In short, many small details that allow you to recognize a Neapolitan dress among other 100.
After all, we know: elegance is made of details.
And yet, for many enthusiasts around the world, the style of Neapolitan tailoring is unique, thanks to the peculiarities that distinguish it unequivocally.
The jackets of Neapolitan suits are famous for being light and comfortable. The sleeve, in particular, is defined "shirt sleeve" precisely because it is as light as a shirt sleeve, and has a lap about 10 cm wider than the shoulder, which makes it swell slightly at the junction with a "mappina" effect and fall softly on the arms. This characteristic depends, probably, on the Neapolitan habit (and of the whole southern Italy) of gesticulating. Neapolitan gentlemen need, therefore, a comfortable sleeve that does not hinder the wide movements of the arms during conversation.
The sleeve is attached to a shoulder which is also soft because it is empty, as tradition dictates. The most fashionable model is the single-breasted, with two buttons or "three buttons stretched to 2", that is with the highest button hidden under the lapels, strictly very wide, between 8 and 10 cm.
In short, many small details that allow you to recognize a Neapolitan dress among other 100.
After all, we know: elegance is made of details.
Sartoria Pirozzi: a true excellence of Neapolitan tailoring
Speaking of high tailoring, it is right to mention one of the Neapolitan excellences in terms of tailored suits: I'm talking about Sartoria Pirozzi, a company that for several decades has been carrying on the all-Neapolitan style of tailoring, a style that has made Naples one of the capitals of bespoke fashion and that brings every year gentlemen from all over the world under the the shadow of Vesuvius, with the intent of trying the comfort and refinement of a Neapolitan tailored suit.