De Petrillo: Jackets Delineating Autumnal Cityscapes
Exploring the artistic, architectural and spiritual landscape of the city of Naples, De Petrillo's new collection uncovers the cardinal elements of the underlying facets of beauty that these three expressions offer the city.
Ascending out of the chaotic, exquisitely dilapidated grandeur of inner-city Naples to the north – a spiralling steep climb, will take you up to the Capodimonte Museum, the former Bourbon Royal Palace. It is an art museum like no other, where some of the most important works from artists such as Titian, Caravaggio and Raphael hang in typical ununiformed curatorial fashion. Akin to the city itself there appears to be no order which only escalates the mystique of the city and the museum. Its facade is a uniquely faded red where in the fall at the Real Bosco di Capodimonte, its serene garden captures the evening light where it strikes through the canopy of trees and warms the carpet of red. It creates a picture of rich tones, such as burgundy, camel and earthy green.
Benedetto De Petrillo – founder of the eponymous tailoring house identifies the mélange of colours that the fall brings on the hilltop as a major source of inspiration which is particularly prevalent in the brand’s latest collection. The impressive and antiquated tones that blend in with each other in the fall at the museum and its gardens also intersect respectively with his passion for vintage inspired fabrics. It is due to this chimerical combination that Benedetto De Petrillo consistently uproots from the philosophical abyss, subtle modifications of classic patterns that you just think weren’t possible. The brand’s autumn winter collection very much personifies this notion with some beautiful versions of check, houndstooth and herringbone jackets.
Their brown and beige Prince of Wales jacket is a prime example of their vintage inspired fabrics, where the subtle introduction of separate lines of daffodil yellow and butterscotch yellow, blend in discreetly with the rest of the check. Its amalgamation of colours, means that if paired with expertly crafted trousers, you have a wide variety to choose from. It would actually pair perfectly with both of their grey trousers. Comprising all of the finer details you would expect from impeccably tailored trousers; they’re both single pleated with one in a virgin wool fabric and the other in a high-quality flannel. The autumn winter season is going to be upon us very soon and even wandering around the Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples in November on a clear day can provide a slight chill, which makes these dutiful grey trousers the perfect companion for the jacket.
Another fascinating introduction for this season is their camel jacket. Made from camelhair it is a fabric known to keep you very insulated in the winter months. It is a softly tailored jacket and features two flap pockets and notch lapels. The texture of this jacket exemplifies the appeal of De Petrillo. Their designs are not loud or garish or even particularly striking. Instead, they let the wearer take charge and do the talking, moulding to the shape of one’s body and allowing personality to shine through. As the label proudly claims: "We create something exceptional, you are the one to make it unique." For that reason, the clothes transcend trends and seasons, making for wonderful investment pieces that will endure for decades to come.
Bolder and wider checks are not always the easiest to pull off. They can protrude a rather a loud and gregarious appearance if you choose an evasively tricky design when it comes to pairing with other separates. With De Petrillo’s expertise in twisting traditional patterns and checks into a mirror of beauty this is never a problem. A special mention must go to their brown check jacket which features these discreet and elegant patch pockets. It is half-lined which makes it more breathable, but it is the combinations of deep browns and greens that blend in with each other so stylishly. This is also true of their brown Prince of Wales check which is a very muted version of the Prince of Wales check. The anatomy of Neapolitan tailoring is that jackets are more unstructured which escalates this sharper appearance. Neapolitan shoulders are unpadded in nature causing them to sit tighter on the shoulder. On occasion the tailoring can be accused of perhaps hugging the shoulder too tightly, but there’s subtle ways to ensconce this perception; especially the use of texture in the material. This charming Prince of Wales check is a great example of how texture can slightly offset a look which appears too precise.
With all of the mastery of the philosophical visons that enter their tailoring, the quality of fabrics used and the artisanal processes that each garment goes through it is remarkable that the brand continue to endeavour and ensure such an accessible price point in today’s market.
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