14.- Sunday, Nov. 8, 1992 - North Shore News

Italian tailor
dissects the suit

Harry Rosen designer Sansone
talks quality and workmanship

NELLO SANSONE, designer and executive tailor with
Harry Rosen stores for over 30 years, was in Vancouver
recently to promote his latest collection of menswear
suiting. Sansone, who is a definitive Italian, views his
workmanship as an artist’s masterpiece.

The new silhouette, or model,
for Harry Rosen’s suits Sansone
calls Sartoria, which means
“tailor’s shop’’ in Italian. The
line is inspired by the impeccable
tailoring of the traditional crafts-
men in his home town of
Scigliano.- in the Italian province
of Cosenza.

Sansone, (pronounced Sun-
so-nee) discusses the inside secrets
of. a quality suit and suiting
trends.

How long should a suit last? Do
you recommend getting a good
sait relined after 2 few years?
*"We don't recommend keeping a
suit for a long time, no more than
three or-four years, so you prob-
ably won’t need to get it relined.
After a few years, you get tired of

a suit/no-matter how good it is, .

especially if you have to wear one
to work every day.””

‘Ase you saying that the reason
for. buying "s. fine’ quality suit is
not so. that it. will last longer?
**You. should buy @ good suit
because. of the way it looks and
feels on you. It will make you feel
more like working, and it will im-
prove your image.”

“Tf your suit isn’t comfortable,
you won't. feel good about
yourself. It does not have to do
with how long it will last, except
that a lesser made suit: will not
look the same after even. one dry -
cleaning.”’

Why are some parts. “of Harry
Rosen's suits still handmade?
“‘Hand-stitching is a must in cer-
tain areas of a finely tailored suit,
since a machine cannot. dupiicate
the same effect. The’ armhole
sean, connecting the arm to the
jacket, is hand-stitched” both on

the inside interfacing and on the

lining.

“This is because hand-stitches
are not uniform in length or ten-
sion, which allows for ‘‘give’’
when you move or pull your arm.
Certain areas of the pant waist-
band are also done by hand.”

Why are the jackets stitched

with white thread across the
shoulder when they’re hanging on
the racks in the store? ‘‘Hand-
stitching is used on the outside of
the jacket along the shoulder seam
and along the inside strip. of the
cuff to hold the jacket’s: shape
while it is being transported, and
when it sits in the store before it is
fitted to the customer. The
threads are then removed.

“These features are normally
only available in made-to-
measure garments but we offer
them in all of our suits.’’.

Why is the inside stitching, lin-
ing and “‘guts’’ of the suit so im-
portant? “The inside layer be-
tween the fabric and the lining,
called the canvas, is very impor-
tant to hold the shape of the gar-

‘ ment. It moulds to the shape of
the human body, and makes the
fabric lie smooth when it ig worn.

“Whereas some suits are made’

with fusible canvas, which is
adhered to the fabric, a better-
made suit has a “floating canvas’’
not attached to any surface,
allowing the garment to move.
This creates the. softness of the
jacket, and it keeps its shape, even
after many dry-cleanings.

“On a padded lapel of a good

Carol
Crenna

FASHION STATEMENTS |

suit, there are vertical rows of
large stitches called ‘‘horse hair”
covering the: intier canvas. They

make the lapel roll slightly at the

folded edge, and therefore it does
not lie flat against the chest.

“These stitches, which. used’ to
be done by hand. but are now
completed better by, a machine,
will not allow a lapel to bend or
crease out of shape, and the fold-
ed edge will not become worn-
looking.””

Have styles ‘changed much in
menswear in the last fen years?

“Menswear was losing its distinc-‘

tion between fine suiting and ca-
sual clothes for quite a few years.
Clothing was baggy and good
quality tailoring was not used. We
were basically lost in fashion.

“It was not that men wore ca-
sual wear to work, it was that
dressy suits were made in a casual
way. The younger client did not
appreciate or understand the high
quality of a well-tailored garment,
and he has missed out.

“However, now men are realiz-
ing the difference, often after they
have already purchased the poorly
made suit.’”

Do you mean that they shculd

‘pay a litde more for an Jtallan

fine quality suit? No. It does not
really have to do with the price.
The suiis the customers are. buying
before they come here may be
Italian made and $800, $900 or
$1,000. This does not mean that
they are well tailored. ~

Even wel! known Italian design-.

er labels are often mass produced
in factories, so no hand-tailoring
is involved. f know of a shop in
Torino, Italy, that makes 13,500
suits a day. Everybody in Italy
makes suits, whether they are
good at it or not. be
. How is your cempany dif-
ferent? We do hand-stitching on
every one of the 250 suits made
per week at Harry Rosen. We
have 89 tailors working on them
who are all well trained by us.

Whereas a fusible suit made in
mass production may take one
and a half to two hours to make,
each one of our suits takes 2)
hours of labor to complete.

there other differences in

quality in mass produced designer
saits besides the actual construc-
tion? The suits use the same high
quality fabrics and style details.
And fabric is what often sells a
suit in a market which does not
. See Hand-stitching page 17

HONG KONG designers on the runway in Vancouver.

Hong Kong designs go. West

. SINCE MANY of North
known: fashion ‘-
in Hong’
Kong, it makes sense that this Far:

Eastern city would have estahb--

America’s best
labels are produced’

lished its own highly innovative
and successful fashion industry..

Though its designers’ names
may not sound familiar to you,
they are as well represented
around the world as many Ameri-
can and European labels.

And ‘since Hong Kong is also.

known for creating avd achieving
everything in grand scale, it is {it-
ting that Vancouver’s largest in-
door fashion show was recently
staged for Hong Kong designers.

The Hong Kong Trade Devel-
opment Council and Woodwards’
Oakridge Centre organized a sty-
lish spectacle for 800 invited
guests. The professional pres-
entation showcased five of Hong
Kong’s best designers and several
manufacturers who impressed the
audience with both avant-garde
and very wearable clothing.

International infiuences were
obvious in the designs by LuLu
Cheung, Simon Ckoi, Silvo

Joseph Ho and Eifeen Chau. They’

mixed their medias, genders, time
periods, moods and philosophies
to produce an eclectic: assortment

_ of marketable designs.

They sent everything down the
runway from dapper British dandy
jackets and tough Chicago

‘gangster suits to glamorous

Holiywood-style velvet gowns and
cozy Nordic knits and leathers.

The show was promoting Hong
Kong’s own brand of:
cosmopolitan style, which is very
different from the traditional Ori-
ental costume covered with orate
embroidery that most of the
western world imagines it to be.

Though: certain aspects of the
culture are apparent in the
clothing, such as embroidered ap-
pliques and quilted silk, they are
used as very subtle and stylish ac-
cents.

Highlights of the show included
elegantly draped wool flannel
jackets and sweaters in rich natu-
ral shades which were balanced
with luxurious fur trimming by
Silvo Berge.

‘Butter-supple leathers are
moulded into fashion-forward
shapes by the experienced hands

of designer Sang Woo Co.

Mustard, bottle green and ‘cognac:
lambskin jackets were perfectly

Matched to denim casuals and

knits in the same colors. -
Smart little suits which cinched:

‘the waist and flared, or: fell

straight and narrow, were cut in
heavy wool .plaids and combined

intense shades of orange, yellow _.

and fuschia by Paola Riboni.

Witty knits played with a
Disney-styled 101 Dalmations
theme, showing big spotted
pooches on tunics, cardigans,
jackets and plastic ‘purses © by .
Eileen Chau.. a

Persuading much of the- ‘au-
dience that washed silk can still
look fresh and new, LuLu Cheung
and Simon Choi presented subtly
quilted jackets in a variety of sty-
lish shapes, and padded, billowy
parkas and bomber jackets with
geometric: appliques, all in earth-
toned silk crepe.

Though the evening wear may
have been a little toa ‘work
for some tastes, the sensuously
fluid velvet dresses by.. LuLu

- Cheung in a provocative shade of

bing cherry. could have found. a -
home in most western closets.
-Carol Crenna

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