It’s often in the style of the shoulder that you can distinguish a tailor’s signature, that complex interplay between the armhole and the head of the sleeve. Each tailor pre-empts his territory with his own way of conceiving the shoulder. Couturiers also see it as the place of their singularity, which makes Martin Margiela say that what interests him is the shoulder and the shoes, the rest he fills in.
There are many distinct shoulder styles: The distinctive concave pagoda shouldertype of sleeve head on a jacket - structured padding - the s, for instance, exemplified by Cifonelli’s la cigarette, features a pronounced downward “swoop” that visually uplifts the wearer, enhancing their stature. This is a visual detail so striking that Karl Lagerfeld famously remarked, “I could spot a Cifonelli shoulder from a hundred meters away.”
Another way is the so-called cigarette shoulder, which presents a smooth transition from shoulder to sleeve distinct from the roped shoulder prevalent in classical English tailoring and the traditional Florentine style.
Finally, the ripples or shirring of a Neapolitan jacket shoulder, known as spalla a camicia, draw attention to the jacket’s broadest point, achieving a visually broader appearance. This construction technique involves taking a wider sleeve and inserting it into a narrower sleeve head, resulting in a shoulder line that seems to sit atop the sleeve.
Contrastingly, the Roman shouldertype of sleeve head on a jacket - light padding - the jacket sits at a midpoint between the structured English shouldertype of sleeve head on a jacket - important padding - the mo (particularly the roped style) and the unstructured Italian shoulder (notably with light padding). This style gained prominence in Rome at the time of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
Between these major national trends, countless variations and modulations exist, each one a way to assert itself and respond to the morphological singularities of the wearer.
DAY-LEWIS, Daniel, act. ANDERSON, Paul Thomas, dir. Phantom Thread. 2017. 130min.
DESICA, Vittorio. 1970’s.
Pagoda, Jacket-shoulder. Prince of walesGlen Urquhart tile pattern overlaid with a window tile patte. Husbands. 2024.
MASTROIANNI, Marcello, act. FREDERICO, Fellini, dir. La Dolce Vita. 1960. 167min.
GABIN, Jean, act. BECKER, Roger, dir. Don’t touch the loot. 1954. 94min.
Roman, Vest shoulder. Houndstoothlarge dogtooth pattern, tweedwoolen fabric, more or less rustic, woven with multicolored. Husbands. 2023.
MOORE, Roger, act. GLEN, John, dir. Octopussy. 1993. 131min.
VENTURA, Lino, act. PICCOLI, Michel, act. BOISSET, Yves, dir. Espion, lève-toi. 1982. 98 min.
- COOPER X 12« Dressed up like a million-dollar trouper/Tryin’ hard to look like Gary Cooper/Super Duper – Puttin’ on the Ritz »
- OUTER POCKETS« It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that sewn-on pockets, and pockets hidden within the liningfabric that is used inside a garment, became standard in clothing… »
- INNER POCKETS« They are designed to meet the needs and habits of the wearer, evolving over time to accommodate changing lifestyles. »
- STRIPES: PIN, PENCIL, CHALK, AND ROPE« A variety of the ‘pinstripe’ often found in shirt cloth but rarely in suit cloth is the ‘pencil stripe’ »