Although he is in Rome, just an hour’s train ride north of Naples, Mimmo Siviglia’s tailoring style could not be much further from that of Anna Matuozzo (see yesterday’s post). Matuozzo and her daughters make shirts with mappina sleeves and decorative, nubby stitches. These are not only beautiful artisanal details, but also a way to show a shirt’s provenance to those in-the-know. Some men approve, and for others the details are over the top.
Siviglia also makes shirts with his daughter, but otherwise his approach has little in common with Matuozzo’s. He finds puckers and pleats on shirt sleeves to be distracting and hand stitches, even when well done, to be too messy. Instead, he seeks to create the cleanest, smoothest look possible. For Siviglia, a shirt should direct a person’s eyes upwards, towards the wearer’s face, not direct attention to itself. The goal is to make an unobtrusive, flattering shirt, where all the lines are clean and the seams nearly invisible.
Of course, this is not easy to do. For example, Siviglia had to modify an old buttonhole machine in order to get just the right tension. This allows him to make perfectly clean, straight, and unwavering buttonholes. As well, side seams are executed with a good single needle stitch so that the fabric doesn’t pucker after a few washes.
Achieving a perfectly smooth look also means cutting the patterns just right. If a pattern doesn’t compensate for a sloped shoulder, there will be wrinkles around the collarbone; if it over-compensates, there will be wrinkles near the ribs. Even at the age of 80, Siviglia cuts all the patterns himself.
Siviglia’s approach demonstrates something important. It is widely believed that all things handmade are better than anything machine-sewn, but this is too much of a generalization. In reality, these approaches may serve different but equally attractive purposes. Siviglia’s shirts are clean, unobtrusive and beautiful in their own way. They sit in the background and flatter the wearer. Whether his approach is better or worse depends on the kind of shirt a man wants.
For those who are interested in Siviglia’s shirts but cannot visit Rome, Raphael Rafaelli in New York can take measurements for US clients.
-Derek Guy
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2 comments:
As someone who has had shirts produced by Anna, Mimmo and Rubinacci - I have to agree with you 100%. Anna and Rubinacci produced some really beautiful shirts - the hand stitching detail and workmanship in their shirts are amazing and special. Something I like to wear once a week at most when I'm feeling extra dandy-ish.
However my Mimmo shits? I wear them everyday - I have sport shirts with button down collars, cuff shirts with spread collars and everything in between from Mimmo and his shirts are simply the best. From jeans to black tie, they all look great, hold up well, iron easily and are simply clean.
I once met another of Mimmo's clients while in the shop in Rome only to learn the man was having his collar replaced on a 40+ year old shirt made by Mimmo. That is quality.
Not to mention, Mimmo is priced very affordably for what you get. Anna and Rubinacci are nice but both well over €300 for each shirt and reaching €500 a shirt. Mimmo barely approaches €250 for his top fabrics.
A happy customer of Mimmo - sad to think he will not be around forever so I keep stocking up in hopes that I don't gain too much weight in the next 30 years.
Mimmo is not only a tailor, but for decades he was a pattern designer for the ready-to-wear industry and also trained other tailors outside of Italy in pattern drafting and tailoring. It comes as no surprise that his shirts distinguish themselves for their good fit.
Although he is not fond of hand stitching, he can sew a shirt completely by hand when requested -- not just hand felling to adorn the underlying machine stitches as is typically the case. But, it does costs extra.
Last, but not least, his experience as a fashion designer and International exposure as a tailor have given him that special trained eye and taste that is so important in his business.
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