In my journeys through the menswear blogosphere Ive met a lot of great guys that have a real passion for mens style and the tailoring behind it. But when it comes to this fervor, there are few that can match Derek who runs the popular Tumblr Die Workwear! In his most recent piece for Put This On, Derek interviewed Gianluca Migliarotti who is the director behind the documentary OMast that details the history of Neapolitan tailoring. Its one of the best interviews for real mens style junkies in recent memory, but Ill let Derek introduce it properly
In the world of classic men’s style, Naples holds a prominence that is only rivaled by London. The city is located in the South of Italy, situated on the country’s west coast by the gulf. It’s beautiful, energetic, and creative, always bustling with a nonstop tempo. Mark Twain once wrote of it: “It is Broadway repeated in every street, in every court, in every alley! Such masses, such throngs, such multitudes of hurrying, bustling, struggling humanity! We never saw the like of it, hardly even in New York.”
It’s amongst this bustling, energetic life that some of the world’s oldest, and most celebrated, tailoring traditions live. Given how many tailors there are in Naples, the region may be too heterogenous to overly simplify them into one “cut.” However, roughly speaking, there are a few signature characteristics. The first is that the suits are made with very little, if any, padding or structure. The shoulders are softer, rounder, and sit very close to the person’s natural shoulder, rather than being built up from a thick shoulder pad. Second, the fabrics are often lightweight, typically to be expected for Naples’ Mediterranean weather (it used to be said that a Neapolitan jacket had to be as light as the breeze that blew over the Vesuvius). Third, there is an extended front dart, going down to the hem of the jacket. Fourth, and perhaps most important of all, Neaopolitan suits are famous for how the sleeves are attached to the body. The sleevehead is often cut slightly bigger than the armscye, which means there is often a bit of puckering at the top when the sleeve is attached. This method gives the wearer a bit more range in movement even if the jacket itself is relatively lean and close to the body. Michael Anton explained much of the classic Neapolitan cut in his article at the London Lounge.
It’s hard to say exactly why menswear enthusiasts have always been so enamored with suits from this region. Perhaps it’s because the Neapolitan cut best embodies the romantic ideal we project on Italy (or perhaps the ideal that Italy projects to us). It’s soft, casual, and very “cool.” It could also be that in a long trend towards more casualwear, the softer Neapolitan suit is an easy way to “dress up” without looking formal or stiff. For serious tailoring enthusiasts, there’s also a special appreciation for the technical skill that goes into Neapolitan tailoring. The sleeves are often handset and handsewn into the armscye, and the since the jackets have minimal padding, bespoke jackets from the region have to very exacting measured and cut to 1/8ths of an inch in order to fit the client well.
Given the exalted status of Neapolitan suits, there’s no doubt in my mind that O’Mast, a documentary about the region’s tailoring tradition, is going to be one of the most important menswear films ever made. If you haven’t already seen the trailer, you should watch it here immediately. The film captures all of the romanticism of the region’s craftsmanship, but also features serious discussions on substantive issues. In the film, you’ll see some of Naples’ most important tailors talk about things such as the city’s tailoring history and the art and craft of tailoring itself. This is a film that’s meaty enough for the serious menswear enthusiast, but also introductory enough to not lose the layman with technical details. It’s also shot incredibly well so well that few films on the topic of menswear can even come close to its beauty.
I recently had the good fortune of being able to talk to the film’s director, Gianluca Migliarotti, about the project and its subject. I called him a few weeks ago at his home in Milan, where he now resides.
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