Rubinacci: Three-piece mohair suit

In his book “Attori Si Nasce” on the stars of Neapolitan theatre, Francesco Canessa quotes an extract from the personal diaries of the great Eduardo de Filippo, who – it would appear – commissioned a bespoke suit by Gennaro Rubinacci, just as soon as he came into money. Gennaro, known as Bebé, was the grandfather of Luca and the father of Mariano. Today Rubinacci is one of the most renowned Neapolitan tailors, highly recognizable, and its reputation going way beyond the confines of Italy, stretching to the four corners of the globe. Mariano Rubinacci, a second generation tailor, is probably the forerunner of what has been dubbed “laymen’s tailoring”, an expression used to indicate craft-producing businesses run not by fully-fledged artisans but by entrepreneurs. Mister Mariano was indeed one of the first to carry out a trunk show abroad; now very much in vogue in the field, they are but a means to meet private clients the world over, show and deliver their wares. One of the oddities of laymen’s tailoring is the privileged relationship that is formed between the tailor (the one who actually crafts the suit) and the target client. “Until twelve years ago, there were no fittings without the master tailor present; but in the past twelve years, there have been none where the tailor was present in those moments” jokes Luca, hinting at the practice of certain tailors of offering their wares to faithful clients at a lower price than they would pay through the actual atelier they worked for.

A few months back, Luca – the third generation of the family to run the atelier - and I hatched up a design for a three-piece suit for me, made of a mohair-wool-silk blend that the woolmakers Lanificio Cerruti created exclusively for The Bespoke Dudes (for inquiries info@thebespokedues.com): the staggered stripes are based on the Fibonacci mathematical sequence. 

The following photos show the various construction phases of the suit, from taking my measurements to delivery, via the obligatory fitting sessions. As for my technical considerations, I would say that, although the jacket seemed to be a little short and tight in the fitting sessions, it has obtained an enviable result in its final form, with an excellent neckline and drop. Plus – and this is no mean feat – you can barely feel the jacket when it is worn, thanks to its high but ample armhole. The clean cut of the sleeves is also worthy of a mention, as they do not scrunch up and fall impeccably. The waistcoat with its three low buttons on the front is a masterly design. The trousers are the peak of the Rubinacci tailoring perfection, with crossover buttoning, apparently inspired by Gurkhas battling in the British war against Nepal at the start of the 1800s. I will however ask for a slight modification to be made, as the drop is not flawless: being the trousers too tight on the calf, my ankle peek out of the trousers, thereby the turnups do not perfectly fall onto the shoes.

Prices start from €5000

Bespoke hugs,
Fabio