In Japanese, a suit jacket is called "sebiro," and it is said that the word is derived from London's famous tailor street, Savile Row. This is evidence that, as the suit culture originated in England in the first place, Japan's business style is naturally influenced thereby. However, as the revolutionary Italian Classic boom began about 15 years ago, changing the men's fashion world, the trend changed in that direction and continues now.
That Italian suit culture was learned from England as well, but its tradition came from Italians traveling to England for training, then returning to their hometowns with the suit culture, after which each region established its own style. These styles now exist as "Naples-tailored," "Florence-tailored," or "Milan-tailored," etc. Their tastes are all slightly different, and any suit connoisseur finds these points to be very important.
The largest basic difference between English and Italian suits is that while an English suit has thick fabric and forms a firm silhouette, an Italian suit is said to create a soft silhouette by taking into consideration the entire body's shape. That is why Italian suits are often described as "elegant" or "sexy."
The most symbolic of the Italian suits is the Naples-tailored variety. It is light, flexible, and easy to wear, and is often described as a "suit that is like a shirt." The fronts of the shoulders are given greater width to avoid interfering with arm movement, so-called "mani camicia" sleeves are made for the armholes to enlarge, and armholes are calculated higher to make the arms fit inside, among other specifications.
On the other hand, Milan-tailored suits are closer to their English counterparts in that they are a firmer style, conservative in decoration, and have few creases, which give them a more refined reputation than Italian suits from the South. Compared Naples, where people generally enjoy more colorful suits, Milan's suit-wearers tend to stubbornly stick with dark navy or gray.
The capital of the renaissance, "Florence-tailoring" is said to create suits with beauty in mind, selecting round, beautiful curves for the front of the body, having few darts. Its rounded lines, which give roundness and lower the shoulders to the back, are a prominent feature.
By the way, these suits are hand-made to order, but there are also semi-order and prêt-a-porte arrangements that utilize the taste of each brand. There are also many such discount suits for sale at Japan's high-volume retailers, for your information.
*(photos at the right) A factory of the well-established tailor "Kiton" in Naples / (photo at the left) "A. Caraceni" hand tailored jacket (by STEFANO TRIULZI)
