On the uniqueness of Sicilian tailoring

In my view, Sicilian tailoring constitutes a third school of bespoke tailoring distinct from the two other well-known options - Savile Row and Naples. In a nutshell, Savile Row embodies sobriety and discretion in a jacket while Naples embodies exuberance (i.e. less structure). As a matter of attitude, Sicilian tailoring is more reserved than Naples but “smiles” a bit more than London. The result is a subtly different shape and silhouette of the Sicilian jacket and pants compared to their more familiar counterparts.

What accounts for these subtle nuances? Every single Sicilian tailor I have met is rooted in a specific place. Place grounds and integrates the tailor and his workshop. Place becomes inseparable from craft. This convergence of place and craft also helps paints a clear picture of what you’re wearing and why. 

I think this authenticity is appealing to a certain type of person. 

Because they are very localized and less known, Sicilian tailors also create a rarer product than London and Naples in terms of production output. The difference is an order of magnitude or more - hundreds as opposed to tens of thousands of suits per year. 

Sicilian Reserve is trying to do something truly different from the bespoke norm. We are trying to offer affordability, preserve rarity and ensure continuity as long as it remains possible.

Preparing for the fittings

The first fitting will last up to one hour. For new customers, the meeting will focus on assessing the fit of the basted jacket prepared by the tailor and his workshop. The featured tailor will make any necessary adjustments to your jacket, pants or other garment being fitted. 

The basted jacket will consist of a partially finished jacket body (sleeves may be attached for returning customers). Pants may be semi-finished except for length, pockets and buttons. Optionally, we may take additional photos or video of you during the fitting as a reference for the tailor. 

Similar to the measurements meeting, we recommend you wear your best fitting shirt, ideally MTM or bespoke, that represents the type of shirt you’ll wear with the jacket you’ve ordered. This is critical in gauging your sleeve length. 

More generally, we will be finalizing key items such as button stance/height, jacket length and sleeve length. It is essential that you are fully comfortable with your choices and that you fully approve the changes made at the fitting. These choices are often not reversible (e.g. button stance/height or sleeve length) once made.

Finally, we can also receive cloth for any new orders you have placed as well as return a bespoke garment you have designated for duplication. 

Preparing for our first meeting - measurements

Our first meeting will take approximately an hour with the following agenda: 

1. Take key measurements and photos for the tailor to draft a pattern
2. Receive and check your cloth for sufficient length and detect and mark any irregularities for the tailor
3. Confirm key features of your order
4. Receive a bespoke garment to re-create (if applicable)

To maximize our time together, we suggest the following: 

1. Wear your best fitting shirt, ideally MTM or bespoke, that represents the type of shirt you’ll wear with the jacket you’ve ordered
2. Bring or wear your best fitting jacket
3. Consider bringing a backup cloth in the unlikely scenario that your cloth is defective or insufficient length

We know that quite a few MTM brands allow you to take your own measurements. Unfortunately, we have looked at this option and believe it introduces too much noise and imprecision into a critical part of the bespoke process.