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  • Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?

    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni

    Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?

    The chief reason behind my visit to Tommy and Giulio Caraceni was simple: to understand if there is such a thing as a Roman jacket and, if so, to get to know what its distinguishing features are. I am welcomed at the atelier by Andrea Caraceni - born in 1987, the same year as myself – the nephew of Tommy, co-founder of the business. If it were not for the LED screen linked to a security camera, the furnishings would lead me to believe I had been teleported back to the 1950s, or even further back in the past. Time here seems to have stood still, to allow this temple of men’s elegance in the capital city to be preserved intact.

    In the cutting room, I am introduced to Mr. Giancarlo Tonini, who for time immemorial has been the head cutter in this tailor’s workshop. Tonini proudly declares that he counts Valentino Garavani amongst his most faithful clients, his words substantiated by the newspaper cuttings hung on the walls portraying the noted designer wearing an impeccable tuxedo with a low-buttoned waistcoat.

    I am awestruck by the number of “rules” which define the Caraceni style. The lapels, for example, range between a width of 9cm for the classic version, to 9.5 for the more casual jacket, only in rare cases exceeding these measurements; the armhole is strictly open, the turn-up of the trousers is 4.5cm while the jacket shoulder is always slightly thicker than usual, neither too flimsy nor disproportionately abundant, but well-rounded with padding. The lines of Tommy and Giulio’s jacket are reminiscent of those from A. Caraceni in Milan, and in reply to my question about what differentiates their products from those of their Milanese cousins, Tonini limits himself to stating that theirs is a snugger fit. And they do not use predefined canvas, but they do work the collars and lapels with the renowned Strobel machine. A long, elegant buttonhole without the keyhole end catches my eye, before they are drawn irresistibly to another detail: it is the slightly concave line of the stitching between the neck and the lapel (see photo below), which I take to be a Careceni signature piece, as well as the peak lapels in the shape of an olive leaf. And for delectation of all those who obsess over the finer points,  there is another trait which characterises their work: three buttons on the sleeves for single-breasted jackets, four for double-breasted ones. The entry price, in the end, is €3500 and the final suit is ready in one month.

    All things considered, my visit helped confirm that Caraceni jackets, wherever they are crafted, have their own style that cannot merely be classified by its geographical location. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to state that Caraceni is in a class of its own.

     

     

    Bespoke hugs,
    Fabio

     

    Credits:

     

    • Tudor timepiece
    • TBD Eyewear Glasses 

     


    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Concave line of the stitching between collar and lapel
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Customer's files
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Andrea Carceni
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    The Cutting room
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Trousers hanging upside down
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    The room of the "Dead suits", never picked up by their owners
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Wet canvas hanging before the cut
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Workers
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    A long and thin buttonhole in the making
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    The Entrance
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    In the Hall of Fame with Mr Tonini and Andrea Caraceni
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Trying on a cashmere blazer. Please note the slightly horizontal line of the top o fthe lapel
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    In the Hall of Fame with Mr Tonini (sx) e Andrea Caraceni (dx)
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Trying on a cashmere blazer. Note the slightly horizontal lin of the top of the lapel
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    "L-shaped" dart underneath the lapel for customers with wide chest
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Handmade details
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    L'entrata
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Folded Centre back
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Magazines showing Valentino Garavani in a tuxedo made by Mr Tonini himself
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?
    Mr Giancarlo Tonini, Head Cutter
    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni Does a Roman jacket exist? If so, which are its distictive features?

    Tommy & Giulio Caraceni

    Via Campania, 61
    187 Roma Italy
    +390642882594
    caraceni@tommyegiulio.191.it
    http://tommyegiuliocaraceni.com/ita_/contatti.html

    Ph. credits: Eleonora Proietti

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