Harrolds hosts master tailor

MELBOURNE: The prime mover behind exclusive Italian bespoke label Brioni is to visit Australia later this month as the guest of Melbourne-based luxury menswear retailer Harrolds.

Brioni master tailor Francesco Marrone will be available by appointment at Harrolds in Sydney on October 23 and 24 and Harrolds 101 in Melbourne on October 25, 26 and 27, a Harrolds spokesperson confirmed, adding Marrone would provide Australian males with a unique insight into Brioni's "typically Italian" silhouette.

"The suits somehow transform you, imperceptibly broadening your shoulders, tucking in your waist and making you stand tall, moulding your body according to the jacket; a distinctive attribute of Italian tailoring."

Founded in Rome in 1945, Brioni is one of the world's first menswear fashion houses and has dressed notable males including movie stars and politicians from Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Kirk Douglas to Pierce Brosnan, Richard Gere, Donald Trump and Kofi Annan.

According to Brioni chairman Umberto Angeloni, Brioni was one of the few menswear houses still specialising in truly bespoke – as opposed to made-to-measure – suiting.

"Bespoke is where the suit is made from your measurements exclusively, from scratch. Everyone now says they do bespoke, but what they mean is made-to-measure. That is where an existing suit design is adapted to your shape."

The term "bespoke" was derived from English tailoring, where a length of fabric was kept aside as spoken for by the customer to be transformed into a garment customized to their individual proportions and taste, and in some cases even to their profession and discreet needs. Additional features of truly bespoke suiting included secret pockets or flower buttonholes along with a premium level of service, he said.