Last fall I had the great pleasure of meeting Christina Esposito who teaches fashion, costume design and pattern making in Palermo at her school called Mode School – Scuola di Taglio e Cucito. Claudio Italiano kindly introduced me to Christina during one of my visits. Anyone who loves sewing or fashion will resonate with Christina’s […]
Sicilian dressmaking: Christina Esposito’s Mode School Read More »
In 2017, I discovered a tailoring circle in the small southern Sicilian town of Ragusa. My trip was initially prompted by coming across the name of Giuseppe Schembari. His signature appeared on a certificate for the jury-reviewed Forbici d’Oro selection for Sicily in 1986. This certificate was hanging in the workshop of Giovanni Cinturrino, a
Sicilian tailoring in Ragusa – a sartorial gem worth keeping Read More »
On the surface, we seem to be living in a golden age of craftsmanship. Luxury brands are enjoying years of steady growth, hiring and training new artisans and building new factories across the world from Texas to France. Content creators, luxury brands, journalists and influencers sing the praises of craftsmanship or at least mention it
Craftsmanship for the 21st century Read More »
As I noted in Sartorial Honolulu part 1, sartorialism and tropicalism are by no means polar opposites. But pairing the two requires a bit of an effort. Otherwise, if you have your sartorial blinders on, you’d skip the place. The key to finding interesting examples of sartorialism is paying attention to the underlying work that
Sartorial Honolulu part 2: tropical bespoke Read More »
I’m pleased to be a media partner with the AuroChronos Festival of independent watch brands. As a matter of transparency, this partnership is a non-monetary affiliation designed to support independent makers and brands. The reality is that we live in a world dominated by corporate brands. The corporatization of brands is here to stay, especially
Sleevehead x AuroChronos Festival Read More »
Sartorial is probably not the first word or image that comes to mind for tourists visiting Honolulu or Hawaii. Beaches, swimming and surfing are the more likely associations. Other easy associations would be the savory local island cuisine (poke, plate lunches, shave ice and much more) or the open air shopping at Ala Moana and
Sartorial Honolulu part 1: can sartorialism & tropicalism mix? Read More »
I first learned about Sicily through its tailoring. There are other more accessible paths to discover Sicily such as its cuisine, wine, literature, history and of course its Mediterranean climate. Yet another avenue is the Targa Florio, one of the world’s earliest sports car racing events when it started in 1906. I recently caught part
Sicilian heritage: Targa Florio & Ciccio Shoes Read More »
This is a very personal list of menswear brands that I believe offer unalloyed authenticity and remarkable value. These are brands sharing a few common threads. They are not overexposed or over-retailed and have not grown unwisely for the sake of growth or pleasing investors. Nor have they expanded leaps and bounds overseas chasing the…
10 menswear brands to know Read More »
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