NICOLETTA CARACENI, FROM THE FAMOUS MILANESE TAILOR’S SHOP, A TEMPLE OF ELEGANCE SINCE 1967.

Text by Virginia Mammoli

Q – Your tailor’s shop is a precious legacy. The  most important lesson you learned from your father Ferdinando?

A – He taught me the love of craftsmanship, its uniqueness and value. A bespoke suit is an ethical product, respectful of natural rhythms, and even sustainable: never synthetic fabrics, only cotton and silk threads, ivory nut, bone or horn buttons.

Q –  Your favorite fabrics?

A – My father taught me how to recognize if a fabric is either carded or worsted, its weight and quality by simply touching it. All fabrics ‘sing’, according to the thread, the thickness or how tight-woven the weft is. I love them all. The fineness of vicuna and cashmere, the hues that you can achieve with. Harris Tweed, the coarseness and strength of light wool.

Q – What makes Ferdinando Caraceni suits so special?

A – They are completely handmade, even the inside, wat is not visible from the outside but makes our suits soft and well-structured at the same time. The lapels are wide but perfectly proportioned to the body, as well as the waistline. A classic, timeless style, not trendy but simply chic.

Q – What do you recognize a true gentleman by?

A – My father used to say that ‘the habit makes the monk’: a man who  dresses simply but elegantly, with a perfectly bespoke Jacke, will always impress and he is usually also an elegant man “inside”.

Q – Your three favorite places in Milan?

A – Brera’s Botanical Garden, Monte Stella, in the San Siro area, a beautiful place to play sports or take a walk through nature wile admiring the view of Milan from above, and the Church of Santa Maria Miracoli in San Celso.

Q – Your favorite restaurant in Milan and the must-try dish?

A – Spaghetti with lemon sauce at La Latteria, on Via San Marco.

“A BESPOKE SUIT IS AN ETHICAL PRODUCT, RESPECTFUL OF NATURAL RHYTHMS AND EVEN SUSTAINABLE”