Other Detail

BUTTON

Horn

Horn buttons are made from the hollow upper part of ox horn. They are known for their rich, deep colour and have a beauty that is difficult to capture in an imitation. The finish can be anywhere from a rough, weathered look to a highly polished shine, but any good horn button has a radiance that no plastic copy can reproduce.

Mother of pearl

Mother of pearl buttons are made from the inner lining of mollusc shells, such as oysters and mussels. Nacre, a naturally occurring substance in molluscs and the raw material from which pearls are formed, is what gives the inner lining of these shells their beautiful, opalescent quality. Mother of pearl buttons come in a variety of sizes, with the larger buttons being highly prized as they are more fragile and difficult to obtain.

Corozo

Corozo, also referred to as ‘vegetable ivory’, is made from the seeds of the Tagua palm tree that grows in the equatorial rainforest of Central America. The tree takes 15 years to mature, meaning the first seeds are only produced every 16 years. Buttons made from this fibre are relatively scratch and fade resistant as well as having a beautiful natural grain.

Galalith

Galalith, or ‘milk stone’ in Greek, is made from a mixture of milk proteins (casein) and gas (formaldehyde). It was originally created as a raw material for white boards until the fashion industry discovered its many strengths. Galalith is inexpensive to manufacture and lends itself to cutting, drilling, gluing, embossing and dying – ideal for mass production. Galalith can even be altered to make highly realistic-looking imitation gemstones. When polished and glossed up, a button made with Galalith can look very similar to ivory or horn.

Urea / Poly Resin

Urea buttons are made from a unique plastic material. Although originally developed to imitate the natural appearances of wood horn and nut materials, it is now available in all kind of colors. Compared to other button materials, urea has excellent properties of resistance to weather, impact, chemicals and heat. It also lends itself well to mass production, as it is easy to source and supply.

Sartorial lapel buttonholes

Handmade

Handmade buttonholes are made using a chain of knotted loops called purl stitches that make them strong and visually distinctive. It takes about five seconds to sew a regular buttonhole with a machine – a single handmade buttonhole takes about 10 minutes to sew.

Neapolitan

The buttonhole preferred by tailors in Naples, Italy. The Neapolitan is a slightly shorter and thicker style of handmade buttonhole. It has a distinct opening at the end, which opens wider than any other buttonhole.

Milanese

Also known as an ‘Asola Lucida’ buttonhole, the Milanese is made using a piece of thread called a ‘gimp’, which is tightly wound around it by a whipstitch to give the style its characteristic threadshowcasing look. Achieving Milanese perfection is a delicate 15-minute process and something only a quality tailor can provide - no machine can imitate it.

Long Milanese

The elegant, longer brother of the Milanese. With its thin and extra long gimp cord inside, this is one of the most challenging buttonholes to make by hand. Even a highly skilled tailor will take about 20 minutes to finish it. The result is a very subtle and refined Milanese buttonhole.

Double knot

A rougher style, only made by our HMIT atelier in Italy. Similar to the Handmade buttonhole, except the single knotted purl stitches are doubled to create a thicker and smoother look. The style is somewhere between the Handmade and the Milanese.

Other sartorial details

Closure & lapel: 2.5 buttons

The ‘tre bottoni stirato a due’, also known as the three rolling on two lapel style, is perhaps the most infamous characteristic of the Neapolitan style jacket. The top button and buttonhole are ornamental, so are left unbuttoned. As the lapel rolls down it elegantly folds over the top button and stops just 4 cm above the second button creating the distinct roll of the lapel the style is known for. As it is intended to remain unbuttoned, the top buttonhole is actually made inside out so the beautiful side will still be visible.

Chest pocket: Rounded welt pocket

Also known as ‘barchetta’ Italian for ‘little boat’, it is so named because this pocket floats on the chest gently angled upward, just like the bow of a sailboat. These pockets echo the lively roll of a lapel that carries the spring of canvas and natural wool, unlike machine-made chest pockets that have a more stamped-out, rectangular shape and less life.

Pick stitching: Doppio impuntura

When you think of a Neapolitan style suit, you probably think of doppio impuntura or ‘double pick stitching’. It is made as a backstitch, which is a highly time consuming process that looks like a little dot on the surface of the fabric. The doppio impuntura runs throughout the sides of the lapel, collar, pockets and shoulder seam. As a visible detail of handwork, it can be seen as the ultimate touch of elegance.

Camicia shoulder

A ‘spalla manica a camicia’, often simply referred to as the camicia shoulder, is a style popularised by Neapolitan tailors. Roughly translating to ‘shirt sleeve’, it was coined for the distinct pleats at the sleeve’s head that are made by inserting a larger sleeve into a smaller armhole circumference. Rather than having the seams of the sleeve turned back, the seams are turned inside towards the shoulder to create a distinct shoulder where the fabric falls down. This structure also allows for a greater range of arm motion. This is available as an unconstructed shoulder, or with padding as a soft shoulder.