Addio

A friend told me of a bespoke tailor on the island of Capri, rather obscurely located in Ana Capri, the mountaintop town at the end of the island's road. I did not look for him very diligently however, and he is apparently fated to never appear on one of these virtual pages. On the other hand, my idle wanderings did turn up another form of Capri bespoke, several same day made to order sandalmakers ($150-$250 a pair).

Those sandalmakers are a throwback really, to a time not terribly long ago when all clothing was made locally for the individual. The customer received exactly what he wanted, or rather, what the maker thought he should have. I can relate that experience to the overpriced black dinner jacket in the Dolce & Gabbana shop window on the island's main shopping walkway. A designer at D&G decided that a clueless stranger should have a satin lapelled, pocket flapped and two cloth covered buttoned construct cut too small, to be worn with a no longer fashionable black satin four in hand necktie. Some things have not changed.

Another thang that has hardly changed is the perfection of Capri. Its quiet beauty makes it one of those rare places where time spent doing absolutely nothing is rewarding. But addio for now.