As the more attentive readers amongst you may remember, a few months ago, I selected a Super 110’s fabric by Vitale Barberis Canonico at the A. Caraceni atelier. A few days ago, I made a return visit to Via Fatebenefratelli for the first fitting of my double-breasted suit. I find myself in the Hall of Fame with Carlo and his son Massimiliano, and I cannot help but feel positively flattered by the attention lavished upon me, their professionalism and the quality of this first draft of the garment, not to mention the number of alterations they have carried out on it.
The pleat of the trousers was too far forward (too near the flies) and it splayed out too much, so the basting was removed and the new position chalked in, nearer to the pocket. The cuffs in the trousers had the tendency to rise only at the point of the external stitching, due to the shape of my hips, so the garment was unstitched under the waistband at the level of the external stitching in order to “drop” it a little: and as if by the wave of a magic wand, suddenly the trousers covered the shoes to perfection.
Just as with any self-respecting first fitting, I was also witness to that poetic moment of the tearing off of the tacked on collar to verify the precision of the neckline (see photo below), with the lower side – in my case on the right-hand side – being marked onto the jacket. The shoulder was structured in pure A.Caraceni style, with a suppleness and comfort that easily surpasses the norm. The litmus test for the comfort of the armhole can be carried out by a rather simple test: while wearing the jacket, slip one hand under the jacket into the armhole with the palm facing outwards (not towards the body); if your hand slides in easily and can grasp the fabric of the opening – the gesture a baby does to wave bye-bye - then that armhole is the perfect fit. “In tailor’s jargon, we say that the hand needs to be able to say ‘ciao’,” explains master tailor Carlo Andreacchio.
Last, but certainly not least, the craftsmen at A. Caraceni work the shoulder padding to anatomically fit each individual client. Mine, for example, will be sculpted to have a kind of “trench” where my shoulder bone juts out. Needless to say, this whole procedure will be rigorously done by hand, and it starts with an “X” marking the spot where my bone protrudes (see photo). And that wraps up the first fitting. Watch this space for updates and photos of the second one.
Bespoke hugs,
Fabio
