Joaquín Fernández Prats is from Madrid and was born in a family of tailors. Being 39, he is one of the youngest in the capital of Spain and currently presents his creations inside Sastrería Langa workshop. “I started when I was 13” - he explains to me - “my father was an oficial (between Master tailor and apprentice) he taught me how to sew because he did not cut, so he sent me to learn the craft in various tailoring houses.” The sewing comes first, as we know, but the cut is the hardest part. An important experience comes from El Corte Inglés, which hires him as assistant to an old tailor for the bespoke tailoring service. When this retires, Joaquin becomes Maestro Sastre. “It was a huge satisfaction, but soon I realized I was not being valued in that place.” Then there is the collaboration with Mariano Langa, a famous shirtmaker for the high society of Madrid.
The Prats style is typically Spanish and the prices start from €1800. From top to bottom, the lapels are sloped and rounded at the tip, the armhole is closed, meaning that the cloth clearance coming from the sleeve and the shoulder are folded under the sleeve itself; the shoulder is quite structured, and the front quarter is shaped at the central button so as to accentuate the curve of the lapel (see photo below).
I ordered a typical day suit, a three-piece light grey mohair fabric by Drapers, made of 80% wool and 20% mohair. Below are some photos of the second fitting, during which I was struck by a series of factors: first and foremost, the plumb of the pants that was almost perfect, as you can see from the photos. The only modification made was the slight widening of the leg at the calf in order to avoid breaking the central crease. Secondly, waistcoat and jacket were perfect, maybe just the shoulders a bit too squared for my taste, but flawless from a technical point of view. Below some photos of the finished suit, which I recently wore during Pitti Uomo 90 fair.
Bespoke hugs,
Fabio
