Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/85092
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA DUFOUR STYLE SETTER Master tailor Rocco Giovannangelo in the Oxxford Clothes factory in the West Loop. dashing men's fashions A rguably among the finest apparel in the world (and the only men's suits that are completely handmade), Oxxford Clothes has been setting the standard in bespoke menswear for almost 100 years. From the company's Chicago factory in the West Loop, Oxxford's master tailor, Rocco Giovannangelo, a 50-year veteran of the garment industry, oversees every last pattern, stitch, and detail. "We are the best," says Giovannangelo, 72, in his thick Italian accent. He hails from Sperlonga, Italy, where he started his career as a tailor when he was just five years old. After coming to the States in his early 30s, he first worked for Malcolm Kenneth, then for Ralph Lauren, where he helped create the prestigious Purple Label. Almost 20 years later, in 1994, he brought his craftsmanship to Oxxford. "I'm the last of the true tailors," he says with more than a hint of bravado. 84 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM SINCE 1916, CHICAGO LABEL OXXFORD CLOTHES HAS BEEN A MUST-WEAR FOR STYLISH GENTLEMEN AROUND THE GLOBE. BY SARAH PRESTON GORENSTEIN Always dressed in an impeccably pressed shirt and trousers, today Giovannangelo is the natty heart and soul of the brand. He designs and oversees every item made by Oxxford, upholding the mission originated by its founders, the Weinberg brothers, to "tailoring the clothing by which all others will be judged, in construction and fabrication." The factory has signs hanging on each of its four floors (the cutting room, coat shop, pant shop, and shipping) that emphasize this dedication to perfection: ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL TO QUALITY. Some little-known facts about the construction of each custom-made piece: A thousand hand stitches make up each lapel—which means the arti- sans have complete control over the tension of each stitch, building memory into the fabric with needle and thread. The canvas and under- collar are also hand-sewn and shaped with vertical hand stitches, a