Neapolitan tailoring: wonderful bespoke suits symbol of made in Italy

Creativity and tradition are two of the characteristics that most distinguish Naples. It is indeed from the union of them both that Neapolitan tailoring was born and established itself, becoming one of the excellences of local craftsmanship, now for several centuries.

The care in the workmanship, the quality of the fabrics, the mastery of the tailors and their ability to reinvent classic garments and make them unique thanks to the details: this is what made a Neapolitan tailoring dress different from any other at the time of the kings.

Today these qualities have remained unchanged, which is why a piece of clothing made in Naples is still appreciated by connoisseurs from all over the world.

Naples boasts a very prestigious sartorial tradition, which lays its foundations back in the centuries and which we could even trace back to 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 the kingdom, 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. The peak of the fame was reached one century later, mostly thanks to the famous silk factory of San Leucio, that can be easily visited even today, thanks to the Naples Pass.

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.

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 suits jackets, for example 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 so called mappina effect and fall softly on the arms. This characteristic depends, probably, on the Neapolitan habit (common to 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, meaning that the highest button is hidden under the lapels, strictly very wide, between 8 and 10 cm. In short, many small details that allow you to recognize a Neapolitan tailoring dress among other 100.

After all, as we know, elegance is made of details: found out more visiting the many traditonal tailorings thanks to the Hop-On Hop-Off busses, a fun and easy way to move around the city.

Speaking of high tailoring, it is only fair to mention one of the Neapolitan excellences in terms of tailored suits: Sartoria Pirozzi.

For several decades the company has been carrying on the local style of tailoring, a style that has made Naples one of the capitals of fashion in this field. Every year gentlemen from all over the world come to the shadow of Vesuvius, just for the pleasure of  trying the comfort and refinement of a Neapolitan tailored suit.