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Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma

On September 1, 2010, By OTC

On occasion, Off the Cuff welcomes contributions from the eternally elegant Hugo Jacomet, of the equally swanky blog Parisian Gentleman.

Today, we are delighted to publish the English translation of an article written by Paul, a loyal PG reader. Ripense is a Roman bespoke label not widely known in France or the United States, but which, according to our reader/reporter, is worth visiting for the impeccable quality of its work on suits, shirts and even shoes.

This excellent article also reminds us that there are many, many craftsmen who produce clothing, footwear and other luxury goods equal to, and frankly often superior to, the mass-market luxury brands so familiar to us. Don’t just opt for a well-financed advertising campaign, look for quality, reputation, detail and dedication to craft. Yes, it takes time and a little courage. And sometimes it’s more expensive, but sometimes surprisingly less so.

The RIPENSE House in Rome
By Paul F.

A few meters away from the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps sits the boutique that has impressed me the most since I have become interested in the craftsmanship and making of bespoke clothing.

La Via di Ripetta is not on the itinerary list of the typical tourist, even though it is located only a street away from la Via del Corso.

In fact, my steps were guided to this street by a Christmas present: the excellent Vuitton travel book 2010 for Rome, which includes a section on men’s clothing stores worth visiting.

image high def 75182 Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma

The article raved about the Ripense house and mentioned it could grant one’s every wish: from shirt to shoe horn or elegant umbrella, a cashmere sweater, or a pair of crocodile shoes.

I may venture into saying that my knowledge of bespoke has increased throughout the years, since I acquired my first JLR shirts and my Handson suit.

I’ve since tried JLR, Tailorstore, Tailormail, Lucca, Courtot, Charvet and Ripense shirts as well as Handson, Smuggler, Marc Guyot, Michael Ohnona, David Diagné, Gieves and Hawkes, Camps de Luca and Ripense suits.

To me, Ripense offers by far the best value for the money spent among all of them. Case in point: A Loro Piana super 160 suit for 2500 €.

Of course one must add Paris/Rome round trips to the bill, but let’s all agree that there are more unpleasant constraints in life than meandering through the steep streets of Italy’s capital.

Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma Right from the start, the window display is a delight to look at and hints at all the choices that amateurs of sartoria will find behind the doors.

I rang the doorbell and was greeted by an older man who had quietly climbed the stairs from the basement workshop to greet me in Italian. I knew very little Italian back then and we instantly felt that things could get complicated.

But Gian Luca Bocache, in charge of the shoes, speaks just enough French and English to allow us to talk about their skills and what they could do for me. This is how, 4 hours before I was scheduled to depart from the city, I entered in the small boutique thinking I was only going to spend 30 minutes talking. I left 3 hours later after ordering a double-breasted blazer, a cashmere sweater, a pair of bespoke shoes and an incredibly light ready-to-wear shirt.

Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma Then, the pleasant man introduced me to Andrea Luparelli, tailor and in charge of taking measurments: a perfectly tanned Italian with a roman accent. They both had undeniable chic, and I was not surprised to later find them photographed by The Sartorialist during the Pitti Uomo.

Even though Andrea speaks neither English nor French, we understood one another immediately.

When I gestured my preference for high arm holes, very fitted jackets and slim sleeves, his wide smile was enough to convey that the style of the house would fit my taste perfectly.

To show me their work, Andrea guided me through the basement workshop where the Neapolitan tailors created thier magic. I tried on a jacket made for a man whose body shape was close to mine: a royal blue double-breasted jacket with two buttons. Up until that point, I had always been adamant that I would never venture into DB jackets before the age of 30. In only 5 minutes, I understood that I was going to change my mind and order one. I added a su misura cashmere sweater and a pair of shoes to my order.

Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma A month later, I met with Andrea and Gian Luca in a Paris hotel near the Sorbonne for my fittings. I was pleasantly surprised that they had come all the way to Paris for free, but I still went back to Rome in mid-July for a second fitting.

Pictures are often worth a thousand words and I leave it up to you to assess the first “draft”. It exceeded my expectations, but the length of the sleeves needed to be shortened (please disregard the shirt that I wear on this photo, I had to borrow it for my fitting).

The first shoe fitting revealed the need for more intense work, including in length and in width, and I feared that I would be disappointed at the next fitting. But Gian Luca quickly showed me that the praise from Vuitton was well-deserved: the shoes are perfect and absolutely comfortable.

At my first fitting in Paris, I also ordered a midnight blue wool suit (super 160 Loro Piana) and a zephyr cotton bespoke shirt.

I was back in Rome last weekend, and what I tried on surpassed all my expectations. The suit and vest are pure bliss to wear and they feel like a second skin and give me complete freedom of movement like I have never felt before (my Camps de Luca suit is still not finished).

Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma To describe my Ripense experience, I would simply say that it is what I consider sartorial perfection. I know that bespoke is a very subjective experience, but I probably have found a house that will follow me for a very long time. I simply urge you to go in and talk to these artisans who offer their Italian talent and skills at a very attractive price. Paul F. July 2010.

Prices (indicative)
Loro Piana super 160′s suit:   2500€
Swiss cotton shirt:                        260€
Cashmere sweater:                     380€
Bespoke shoes: from                  1000 € *
Crocodile belt: from                       500€ *
DB Blazer (Holland & Sherry): 1700€

* Since this article was first put on line, Ripense has adjusted some prices quoted by the author, including for shoes and crocodile belts.

The Fine Art of Going Sockless

On August 15, 2010, By OTC

The sockless look is very much in fashion at the moment. It’s all over the place, from glossy magazine ads to TV to runways. J.Crew, very much the bastion of today’s classic American menswear, has its models sporting Alden bluchers, vintage jeans and no socks.

On the formal wear front, Thom Browne has made the suit and sockless look part of his brand’s entire message. What does all this really mean for everyday wear in real life? how does one actually pull off the whole no-socks thing?

For starters, there are particular pieces of footwear with which one should never wear socks in the first place. Deck shoes, those classic American Sperry Topsiders for example, should never come within a mile of a sock. Even if it’s 10-below, one should always go bare ankled.

On the casual side, simple leather or canvas sneakers, aka trainers, look best without socks as well. As with the deck shoes above, sneakers hail from a sporty, outdoors lifestyle and naturally fit with an equally sporty no-socks look.

These are the obvious choices of course; shoes that were never really meant to be worn in a formal or dressy context. They fall into that classic zone of being timeless rather than fashion – you almost don’t even have to think about it.

The fuzzy area begins to form when we move in the direction of town shoes. These are the shoes we wear in a more formal, often business context. We start with bucks – be they white, saddle or dirty. Bucks, back when my father was at Yale, where more of the casual sporty shoes of the day. Today, they are semi-formal dress shoes right at home in the office.

In warm weather I typically wear my bucks without socks. There are a few rules for this; I have to be dressing in a generally casual manner or at least not with a formal business purpose. I’ve seen guys in Boston wear bucks with khaki shorts and a worn out oxford – a great look worthy of Take Ivy.

Loafers and slip -ins are another category of near-dress shoes that adapt well to going sans-socks. Especially in warm weather, sporting some nice cordovan slip-ins from Brooks Brothers paired with heavy linen trousers, a banker striped shirt and blue blazer, you have an ensemble that is pitch perfect.

The same goes for classic penny loafers or driving shoes. In fact, I don’t ever think I’ve ever seen a pair of Todd’s Gomminis worn with socks. Alan Flusser recently showed me his new pair, in electric blue, and the first thing I thought was – how can you even wear socks with those? It just doesn’t work.

Lastly, we get to the business shoe debate. Although all the rage, apparently to show how clever and avante garde one is, wearing town shoes in a business environment without socks is exceedingly difficult. I know, I’ve tried. There are, however a few rules that will help you look a little less like a runway poser.

First, your suit or trousers and sport coat should be on the trim side and more fitted than a basic business ensemble. Part of the message going sockless in a work environment is supposed to convey is modernity. At least right now, that means fitted and ever so slightly cropped. Have your trousers just touch or slightly break over your shoe; it should look crisp and clean.

This aesthetic mirrors the outdoorsy un-traditional business message your look is trying to convey. Pleats and a deep break just won’t do. Additionally, you should pair your shoe to the overall outfit. Trim cap toe to slim cut formal suit or heavy wingtip to khaki pant and light sweater.

It’s like going tieless; you do not want to look like you simply forgot your tie. Same thing with the socks.

A Brand To Watch: Hugh & Crye

On August 3, 2010, By OTC

I recently had the chance to spend some time with Pranav Vora and Philip Soreano, the duo behind the DC-based brand of Hugh & Crye. Based in D.C.’s Georgetown, about a 30-second stroll form the now nationally famous Georgetown Cupcake, they make shirts and some darn good ones at that.

Hugh & Crye is a play on the ancient term ‘hue and cry’. In medieval England, civilians who witnessed a crime were bound by common law to exercise hue and cry, essentially shouting and clamoring, to help apprehend the criminal and bring him to justice.

The guys at H&C prefer to view it as seeing something wrong in the world, and doing something about it. The wrong they see is a plethora of ill fitting and overpriced shirts. The doing something about it is Hugh & Crye.

Their shirts are not customized, a big trend at the moment, but rather sized by body type – an innovative and clever approach that really does work for most men. And through a combination of outstanding fabrics, detailed tailoring and creative but still practical designs, H&C really has developed a great brand for the right market.

Pranav and and H&C founding partner Ernest Chrappah spent a lot of time creating a particular look and feel to their shirts, testing sizing models and sourcing some great two-ply Egyptian cottons.

They also built in some classic styling to their modern take on the dress shirt and drew inspiration from menswear’s luminaries. To whit, in the picture below you can see the classic books Dressing The Man and Style and the Man, both by OTC’s good friend Alan Flusser, sitting prominently in H&C’s office. As they are big fans of Alan, I took a couple of minutes to show off our BeSpeak iPhone app.

To learn more about Hue & Crye, please visit their website.

Setting Your Personal Style Agenda

On July 9, 2010, By OTC

An OTC reader recently sent me something of a social science question about dressing well. He asked, essentially, does it matter what you wear when no one is looking?

Though he does travel to meet with clients and check in at the home office, this gentleman has the enviable ability to work from home. However, by his own admission his daily professional wardrobe has settled to an uncomfortably ratty level of old shorts, tee shirts and a trusty baseball cap.

While I fully concede that working remotely has enormous benefits – I occasionally telecommute myself – hewing to the perpetual college boy thing can eventually have a negative psychological impact on personal presentation. Call it the frat effect.

“Sure, I’ll don a suit when I’m at a meeting, but what more must I do?”

That way of thinking completely misses the point. While I tend to critique the more formal side of men’s clothing, a suit is by no means the only “dress up” thing in a man’s wardrobe.

Too often, guys see dressing well as a chore, something to avoid, or something against which to fight. Maybe, as I once said, it’s a latent fear of dandyism. More often, it is a misguided sense of self righteousness; a feeling that you’re fighting conformity, not buying in – you know, being more real.

Of course, very often those folks are just arguing their own sense of conformity: “if you’re getting all dressed up than you’re just a suit, a drone.” Well, get over it.

There is a world of style and personality between flip flops and a three piece suit. Just to be clear, I am not talking about when you roll out of bed and make that long trek down the hall to check the e-mail. Wear a thong if that makes you happy.

But when you step out of the house or log onto a video conference I believe you enter a sort of social contract. What you have on now matters. Once you start interacting with other people you ought to show them the same level social and sartorial respect you yourself would expect in return. You should make an effort to dress well because you want to.

That said, I firmly believe in always be comfortable and true to yourself, in your own skin or in you own clothing. But whether you like it or not, people judge you by how you dress, how you carry yourself and treat others, your social skills, how you speak, etc. Within eight seconds their mind is made about what kind of person you are and it can take years to alter that perception. How you react to this universal, and highly researched, truth is your choice.

If you want to (or have to) wear a suit every day than take the time to learn what makes a great suit great and what cut and fit works on you. If you wear business casual all the time, make the effort to expand your wardrobe. Instead of polos and khakis five days a week, buy some nice tailored pants and dressier shirts. Sport coats and odd jackets are a fantastic way to dress up your look without really dressing up.

And make sure to have everything properly tailored. When your clothes fit they have a totally different feeling – that’s when you start wanting to pick out an actual outfit in the morning. Equally important is being open to learning about yourself and what kinds of clothes work with you.

For example, I was recently down in Palm Beach for a meeting at The Breakers and stopped by the Ralph Lauren store located right in that fantastic hotel. As I chatted with the store’s manager, Patrick, he pointed out that I was probably a 44 short when it came to suit jackets and sport coats, like he is. This was news to me; as far as I was concerned, I have always been a 44 regular.

However, as he explained, in most cases the short is simply shorter in jacket’s body, that’s all. For someone like me, or Patrick, who is middle of the road when it comes to body type, a short often provides a more tailored and proportional fit. I tried on a lovely gabardine blazer and sure enough, the fit was far more proportional and darn if he wasn’t spot on.

I kept my mind open and was willing to accept that I’m always learning, and in the process I learned something new and valauable. Thanks Patrick – teaching is one of the most important aspects of good retail.

And just like that you can start to assemble a more flexible and professional wardrobe.

If you work from home and have client or co-worker meetings less often, than keep abreast of general style trends. Update your wardrobe selectively and make sure to have someone else give you an honest assessment about color, fit and style. Pay attention to how you look when others aren’t around so that when they are, you always present your best face.

What do you think? Tell me your thoughts on this discussion or stories on dressing for the real world.

Guest Post: The Exceptional Sartoria Ripense, Roma

The Fine Art of Going Sockless

A Brand To Watch: Hugh & Crye

Setting Your Personal Style Agenda

True Prep

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