The Weekly Dispatch #1
Intro to the post
- What’s all the fuss about Italian suits and what’s a Spalla Camicia?
- New watch releases that are worth your time (pun intended)
- And the updated Composed Man System – all you need in one Notion Doc.
Curated Content and News: August 2025 Edition
Clothing
- Mr Porter’s “Back-to-Work” Edit: This month’s drop features sharply tailored suits, minimalist separates, and seasonal outerwear—your post-vacation office upgrade in one click. mrporter
- Brunello Cucinelli’s “Anamnesis” Collection: Tradition meets innovation with vibrant knitwear, razor-sharp jackets over denim, and ultra-light cashmere coats—proof that comfort can still look expensive. designscene+2
- Tom Ford’s Fall 2025 Collection: Fall’s new suiting leans powerfully into comfort and bold silhouettes—think command, not compromise.
Watches
- Tudor Black Bay Burgundy & Pelagos Ultra: Tudor raises the bar for utility and heritage, releasing a Burgundy Black Bay with a five-link bracelet and the ultra-rugged Pelagos for deep-sea adventures. tudorwatch
- Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive UFA Titanium and Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition: French racing inspiration meets horological cool and a dial like a frozen lake, blue hue, and serious watch-nerd elegance—if you know, you know. All in this amazing video from 24Hours at a Time
Fitness
- Performance Gym Gear: Tech-infused training wear—no more soggy cotton shirts—lightweight, quick-dry pieces for men who want to lift, move, and look sharp doing it. thrudark
Intellectual Stuff
- Men’s Style & Masculinity Essay—“Fear of Fashion”: A deep dive into the taboos, tribal codes, and new openness fueling men’s sartorial self-expression; why being stylish no longer means hiding behind anonymity. thepointmag
- Styleforum’s Connoisseur Culture: Online forums and communities help men rationalize luxury purchases—whether “investing” in a suit or “diving” into watch collecting—making the quest for elegance a smart game rather than a guilty pleasure. thepointmag
Grooming
- Panasonic Palm-Sized Arc 5: Your Dopp kit has no excuse—this mini electric razor packs a pro-grade motor for travel-friendly shaves that won’t leave skin bristled. menshealth
- Dr. Squatch After Shave Lotion (Pine Tar): New drop with all-natural ingredients and a woodsy scent, soothing post-shave irritation with high-performance botanicals. menshealth
- Patricks HP1 Ultra Matte-Thickening Hair Powder: The best residue-free thickening spray—matte finish, makes thinning hair look runway-ready.menshealth
The Composed Man System
Unlock effortless elegance with The Composed Man’s System—a complete digital style guide engineered for the modern gentleman who refuses to settle for average.
Whether it’s boardroom bravado, weekend brunching, or black-tie brilliance, you’ll always know exactly what to wear, when, and why.
Discover insider tips, timeless pairings, and foolproof formulas that put second-guessing to rest. Style confusion?
Never again. It’s not just dressing—it’s commanding presence with purpose.
Ready to be the best-dressed man in every room?
Don’t just show up—own it. The Updated Composed Man’s System is on sale for only $18.
Elevate your style game for good.
The Italian Suit: A Deep Dive into Sartorial Excellence
The Italian suit stands as perhaps the most influential silhouette in modern menswear, representing a perfect marriage of artisanal craftsmanship and contemporary elegance.
Born from centuries of tailoring tradition yet constantly evolving with the times, the Italian suit has shaped how men dress around the world, from the boardrooms of Milan to the streets of Manhattan.
The Origins of Italian Excellence
The Italian suit’s story begins in the post-World War II era, when Italian tailors began challenging the rigid conventions of British tailoring.
While Savile Row represented structure and formality, Italian artisans pursued a different vision—one that celebrated the natural contours of the human body rather than constraining them.
The revolution began in Naples, where tailors like Vincenzo Attolini pioneered what would become known as the “Neapolitan style” in the 1930s.
Attolini’s innovations were radical for their time: he eliminated canvas padding from the chest, created a more natural shoulder line, and introduced the famous “spalla camicia” or “shirt shoulder”—a technique that creates a subtle roping effect where the sleeve meets the shoulder, mimicking the relaxed drape of a well-fitted shirt.
Now, for true enthusiasts there is a bit of a debate, and you can read more about this here.
This approach wasn’t merely aesthetic; it was philosophical.
Italian tailors believed clothing should move with the wearer, enhancing rather than hiding their natural grace.
This principle would eventually spread throughout Italy, with each region developing its own interpretation of this softer, more sensual approach to suiting.
Construction Secrets: The Architecture of Elegance
The magic of an Italian suit lies in its construction details, many invisible to the casual observer but crucial to its distinctive character.
The most significant element is the spalla camicia, a shoulder construction that requires extraordinary skill to execute properly.
Unlike the heavily structured shoulders of British suits, the spalla camicia uses minimal padding, allowing the natural slope of the shoulder to show through while creating that characteristic soft roll where fabric meets flesh.
The jacket’s chest construction is equally important. Italian suits typically feature a “floating chest piece”—a canvas that’s attached only at specific points, allowing it to move independently with the body.
This technique, combined with careful hand-padding using horsehair and cotton, creates a three-dimensional shape that molds to the wearer over time, becoming more beautiful with age.
Higher armholes are another signature element, sitting closer to the armpit than their British or American counterparts.
While this might seem like a minor detail, higher armholes allow for greater freedom of movement and create a cleaner, more athletic silhouette.
They also enable the jacket to maintain its shape when the wearer moves, preventing the dreaded “pulling” effect across the back.
The button stance—the position of the jacket’s buttons—tends to be higher on Italian suits, creating longer lapels and a more elegant V-shape.
This detail elongates the torso and creates a more flattering proportion for most body types.
Fabric Philosophy: The Soul of Style
Italian suit-making has always been inseparable from Italy’s textile heritage.
Mills like Loro Piana, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Cerruti have supplied the world’s finest suiting fabrics for generations, understanding that exceptional tailoring demands exceptional materials.
Italian fabrics typically favor lighter weights and more fluid drapes than their British counterparts.
Where a British suit might use a 13-ounce wool, an Italian equivalent might use 10 or 11 ounces, creating a garment that moves more naturally and feels less structured on the body.
The weaves tend to be more open, allowing better breathability—crucial in Italy’s warmer climate.
Luxury Italian mills are also famous for their innovative blending techniques, incorporating silk, linen, and cashmere into wool bases to create fabrics with unique hand-feels and visual textures.
These blends aren’t merely aesthetic choices; they serve functional purposes, with silk adding luster and drape, linen providing breathability, and cashmere contributing softness and warmth.
Cultural Impact: Beyond the Seams
The Italian suit’s influence extends far beyond fashion, becoming a symbol of la dolce vita and Mediterranean sophistication.
In the 1950s and 60s, as Italian cinema gained international prominence, stars like Marcello Mastroianni and Cary Grant (often wearing Italian-made suits) popularized this more relaxed approach to formal dressing.
The style represented a departure from the post-war austerity of heavy, formal clothing toward something more optimistic and life-affirming.
An Italian suit suggested a man who took pleasure in beauty, who understood that elegance could be effortless rather than effortful.
This cultural cachet helped Italian fashion houses like Brioni, Kiton, and Cesare Attolini build international reputations.
Brioni, in particular, became synonymous with luxury when it began dressing James Bond in the 1990s, cementing the Italian suit’s association with sophisticated masculinity.
Spotting Quality: The Connoisseur’s Guide
Recognizing a well-made Italian suit requires understanding both visible and hidden details.
Look for hand-sewn buttonholes with slightly irregular stitching—a sign of human craftsmanship.
The collar should lie flat against the neck without gapping, and there should be a subtle roll to the lapel rather than a sharp, pressed edge.
Examine the sleeve attachments; in the finest suits, you’ll see that characteristic soft roping of the spalla camicia.
The shoulders should enhance your natural line without obvious padding or structure.
When you try on the jacket, it should feel almost weightless, moving with your body rather than against it.
Interior details matter enormously.
Look for full canvas construction (you can pinch the fabric around the chest and feel the canvas layer), hand-sewn linings with generous ease for movement, and pick-stitched edges on lapels and pockets—all indicators of serious craftsmanship.
The Modern Italian Suit
Today’s Italian suit has evolved while maintaining its core principles.
Contemporary makers like Sartoria Partenopea and Liverano & Liverano continue the Neapolitan tradition, while houses like Zegna and Canali have modernized the silhouette for international markets.
The modern Italian suit typically features a trimmer fit than its predecessors, reflecting contemporary preferences while maintaining that essential soft construction.
Trouser silhouettes have narrowed, and jacket lengths have shortened slightly, but the fundamental philosophy remains unchanged: create beautiful clothing that enhances rather than constrains the wearer.
Style Recommendations
For those seeking their first Italian suit, consider starting with a navy or charcoal gray in a classic fabric like Super 120s wool.
These versatile foundations will serve you well across various occasions while allowing you to appreciate the distinctive Italian construction.
When wearing an Italian suit, embrace its relaxed elegance—pair it with quality leather shoes (Italian, naturally), a well-fitted shirt, and minimal accessories.
The suit’s inherent sophistication means you don’t need to over-accessorize; let the craftsmanship speak for itself.
Remember that an Italian suit is an investment in both style and craftsmanship.
With proper care, including regular pressing and professional cleaning, a well-made Italian suit will improve with age, developing a patina and fit that’s uniquely yours—the ultimate expression of personal style.
If you’d like to learn more about this style of suiting, then I’d highly recommend that you watch this video from Kirby Allion when he visited the legendary fashion house Rubbinaci.
The Mood Board
(A whole host of Italian eque suits that just ooze Sprezzatura)
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