Lanieri is a new and dynamic e-commerce company from Milan selling Italian made-to-measure suits and shirts. The brand is based on a customisation model which assesses body morphology through a guided “do-it-yourself” online measurement-system. Lanieri also has three showrooms in Milan, Rome and Zurich where customers may view the products and be measured.
While the pros and cons of online sartorial shopping are becoming more well known, the experience of online made-to-measure is different from the experience of visiting a tailor in an atelier. Such is the justification for better pricing with online orders.
There should not be any confusion between ‘bespoke shirting’ and industrial made-to-measure shirting. However, in the field of online made-to-measure, it is of the utmost importance to know the difference between alluring yet ultimately disappointing offers and serious brand offerings dedicated to providing the best possible value for your money.
Once you’ve decided to give online made-to-measure shirting a try, you’ll notice a marked difference between made-to-measure and standard ready-to-wear in two key aspects: fit and customisation.
I’ve written about Lanieri’s suits and blazers here, but it has taken longer to try their shirts since the company has been experimenting with logistics and providers in order to improve their final offer. Once fully ready with their pronounced maker, we decided to do a test-run with two different shirts.
Of course, since you’ll be taking your measurements alone, it’s advisable not to expect to pinpoint perfection on your first try. A double-check of your measurements is a good idea to fine tune your computations–and if you make a mistake, Lanieri is more than willing to make alterations with a very solid return policy.
The above scenario is exactly what happened with my two shirts: upon delivery, the wrists were too tight and the sleeves too short. However, after discussing alterations, the second batch of shirts resulted in a close-to-perfect fit.
I ordered a light blue shirt with fine white stripes, a “semi-Italian” collar and square cuffs, and also ordered a white herringbone shirt with buttoned cuffs (no placket or pocket).
The result was extremely convincing, especially for the price. Even if the fabrics may not be considered “high-handed” and the nice detailing on the shirt is not from the hands of a master shirtmaker, since most of us wear shirts as shirts rather than jewels, the quality of the made-to-measure process fits just the purpose it’s intended to fit, and does an excellent job meeting its goals.
The choice of fabric is slightly limited (Lanieri is working on expanding its selection), yet one finds all the essential stripes and solids (from Canclini to Albini). The nine different types of collars are a bonus. Actually, I tried two different collars before I was happy with the result. For some reason, the semi-French didn’t agree with me as it pressed too tightly on the throat, probably because it’s slightly higher. With the same measurements, the semi-Italian collar was ideal for me.
Many more details show the care for quality: hem gussets, half-fused collar (only the front is fused for a better finish), French seams and zampa di gallina stitching of buttons.
With the made-to-measure process and the quality details including fine two-fold cotton fabrics, Lanieri is becoming quite a contender in the niche of affordable quality shirts.
— — —
Price range : between 80 and 130 euros per shirt depending on the fabric (or between 72 and 88 euros during a sale promotion).
Official website : Lanieri
John Slamson Tumblr
