#L03 Cavallo Jacket Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli is introduced in the article on field jackets, but the first thing I bought was a ready-made double-breasted blazer made from corduroy for the autumn/winter season. (I'll introduce this too when the season comes around.)

Buying this blazer introduced me to the wonderful products of Brunello Cucinelli, and I started popping in to the Brunello Cucinelli Ginza store from time to time, and my eyes kept wandering to other jackets.

The staff member in charge of me told me that if you like our jackets and suits, ready-made clothes are fine, but if you have your jacket made to measure, you will be even more satisfied.

The staff in charge think carefully about how to put together the clothes I have. If you are going to buy a few Brunello Cucinelli jackets or suits later on, you will be more satisfied if you choose ones that fit you better than ready-made clothes, and ones that you like in terms of the material and style, and you will naturally end up wearing MTM jackets all the time, so it is more economical (in terms of both satisfaction and the number of times you wear them) to buy MTM jackets from the start.

That story made me suddenly interested in MTM orders, and I became interested in making a spring/summer jacket that I could wear casually with jeans. I told them about my interest, and when the sample of the spring/summer jacket arrived at the store, I was able to see it and understand the shape of the Brunello Cucinelli jacket. I could see the order process of choosing the fabric of my choice for this jacket, so I decided to go ahead and try MTM.

We will visit Brunello Cucinelli Ginza to have a made-to-measure jacket made.

When having a made-to-measure jacket made, you will decide on the jacket pattern, choose the fabric, decide on the jacket's detailed features and take your measurements. You can also have a set of trousers made at the same time, although we didn't ask for them this time.

The jacket I chose is called Cavallo. The word ‘Cavallo’ means ‘horse’ in Italian, and this jacket is shaped like a jacket you would wear when riding a horse, with a forward-leaning posture. This style is called ‘unconstructed’, and is made in a relaxed, casual style without shoulder pads or other stiffeners.

We decide on the details here, but we choose a single-breasted three-button jacket with a narrow lapel, four-button sleeves, horn buttons, patch pockets on the chest and sides, burgundy lining, and side vents, even for Brunello Cucinelli, we choose a casual style. Choosing the fabric is a difficult decision, but as it's the spring/summer season, I'll go for a linen-based fabric, and although I had a hard time deciding on the colour, as I'll be wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, I'll go for a slightly darker shade of grey.

From there, you put on the sample jacket, measure the necessary neck, waist and bust sizes, and put the sizing needle into the jacket. After measuring the approximate size, I sent a photo of myself wearing the sample jacket with the measured sizes and the needle inserted to the craftsmen in the village of Solomeo in Italy, who will make my jacket. The delivery time is said to be about two months, so I'm looking forward to receiving it.

1. Choose the type of jacket you want to order from the 7 basic jacket styles
2. Decide whether you want a single or double-breasted jacket
3. Decide on the collar shape - in this case, we've chosen a wide, narrow lapel
4. Decide on the chest and side pockets - in this case, we've chosen 3 patch pockets with no flaps
5. Once you've decided on the jacket style, choose the fabric - in this case, we've chosen a linen-cotton-silk blend in a Dark grey with a slight napping
6. Choose the material for the three-button front and four-button sleeves. This time, we chose ivory horn.
7. Decide on the colour of the lining. This time, we chose burgundy.
8. Decide whether to include trousers. This time, we chose not to include them, as we will be wearing jeans.

Once this has been decided, a dedicated fitter will measure the necessary sizes and try on a jacket with a similar shape and size to the one you want, and then sew the needle into the shape of your body. The measurements and a photo of you wearing the sample jacket will be sent to Italy, where a specialist tailor will make the jacket.

Completion is approximately 2 months later

※The price of MTM will vary depending on the fabric, pattern and details. As a guide, it will be approximately 20% more than the price of a jacket from the ready-made line that you like. You can choose from a wide range of fabrics, including fabrics with different colours to those in the ready-made line, interesting fabrics that are not available in the ready-made line, and fabrics with the best appearance and texture.

Brunello Cucinelli's concept is based on colours found in nature, so the fabrics are characterised by their basic colours and the way that even the vivid colours are a little dull, giving them a subdued appearance.

Two months after the order is placed, the finished jacket arrives at the Ginza store from Italy. The final size adjustment is done at this stage, but when you try it on, the result is impeccable, with no need for any alterations.

There was a suggestion that the sleeves could be shortened slightly to suit my preference, but I was advised that it would be better to wait and see how the linen-cotton fabric wrinkled and the sleeves lengthened as I wore it, and then decide how to shorten the sleeves.

When I went for the final fitting, the staff member in charge and two MTM staff members were there, and they explained to me the differences between ready-made and MTM, including the fit from the shoulders, the chest area, the length, the beauty of the line from the shoulders to the back, and how the hand-sewn seams are used, which is often talked about.

When I took it home and tried it on, it was really easy to move in, and although I couldn't see myself wearing it, the volume around the chest and the short length were just right, and it looked good even when I wore it over jeans.

Looking at the photos of myself wearing the jacket in the shoot, I can clearly see how beautiful the styling is.

One of the general criteria for evaluating the quality of a jacket is how well the silhouette from the shoulders to the waist looks when viewed from behind, and the jacket I had made has a very beautiful line.

I wore it to the beach on this day too, and it was comfortable even by the sea, so easy to move around in that I didn't really feel like I was wearing a jacket, and despite being linen, it has a very soft texture. I often wear it with jeans, so I enjoy wearing it in a casual way, but even when worn casually, it has a perfect balance that doesn't look too sloppy.