Happy Labor Day!

HappyLaborDay

It all started a year ago, when my famously stylish mother-in-law began wearing linen double- breast jackets and wide-leg pantsuits. She is always so ahead of the fashion curve, have you seen the glamorous white, seventies-style suits shown for resort? And it's about time we've gotten rid of the "no white after Labor Day" rule. I'm Jamaican, we wear white all year round. The rule never really sat well with me anyway. You?

From the moment that I saw my mother-in-law in this example of impossible chicness, I decided that I had to follow suit and promptly solicited her for designer details. She informed me that she had them custom made by a friend's husband's tailor. So when my husband started shopping around for a new tailor this Spring, I inserted myself into his sartorial search, called my mother-in-law's sarto (tailor in Italian) and ordered this beauty as a "try-out" piece. It's my first custom-made suit and I am totally in love.

ARCIERI

In Italy, some tailors, like our tailor Il Signore Arcieri, still make house visits. The experience is really sweet, they arrive with their clothing swatches and hand write your measurements and suiting specs- it's a wonderful glimpse of the old days.

Clothswatches

Signore Arcieri's knowledge of the quality and performance of different fabrics and attention to details (e.g., horn buttons, silk stitching and real pockets vs faux pockets) is quite impressive and reassuring. All I had to do was provide a basic idea of what I was looking for and he took care of the rest. I love my suit so much that I've ordered another one in navy cashmere with white pinstripes. I'll show it to you when it arrives in the fall. For now, Happy Labor Day and be sure to put on some white tomorrow!!!!

Handwrittennote