Do You Know Scavini?

Massimilano Mocchia di Coggiola and Julien Scavini, Paris, Sept 2013

On our last visit to Paris - for the I am Dandy book launch - Massimiliano invited Kelly and I to meet his tailor...and irresistible prospect!

We walked up the exceptionally wide open, and very-quiet-for-the-middle-of-the-day Boulevard La Tour-Maubourg around the corner from Les Invalides.   From the clear view on the boulevard we could spot Massimiliano several streets away walking quickly towards us with his happy gait.  He joined us and we went in to meet Julien Scavini, proprietor of Scavini Tailleur.  I don’t think any of you would blame me if I expected to see an old Italian man hunched over a work table, would you?  Who we met was a gracious, fresh-faced young French man who has set up a fastidious and charming menswear atelier.  His specialty is made-to-measure, which he has made by a small family workshop in, get this, northern Italy!


I ask him what he thinks of the word “dandy”:  “The true dandy is a myth, a fictional character. It is an idea, an essence. The dandy embodies the perfection of nothingness, emptiness. It is an art. And like any perfection, it is not of this world, but the world of ideas and concepts.  I prefer the term gentleman for men dressed elegantly. That said, for Massimiliano or Mickael Loir, the term gentleman is wrong, while dandy is best ... funny!”


Scavini’s passion for tailoring developed after he came to Paris (from his home town of Biarritz) to study architecture.  As a lover of classical architecture, towards the end of his studies he grew weary of the over emphasis on removing “old thinking”, and using technology to innovate.  He always loved menswear, so he decided to do his thesis about a Hackett shop.  “It was very funny,” He says.  After his graduation he started an apprenticeship with master tailor, André Guillerme-Guilson.  He spent a year with Guilson at the l'Association de Formation Tailleur learning the art of tailoring, and, although he is not a cutter, he can make a jacket “from A-Z” by hand.


Scavini brings this keen understanding of tailoring, and a very discerning eye for detail not only to his shop, but to his blog Stiff Collar, which he started in 2009 while studying with Guilson.  Stiff Collar is a wealth of information and inspiration, and what you will immediately notice - even if you don’t read French - are his charming illustrations.  Scavini tells me started drawing during his architecture studies, ironically using his ArchiCad software to express the universe that inspired him - 1930s England, Hercule Poirot, classic tailoring, etc.  With their thick black outlines, one can see his artwork has been inspired by classic comics like Tintin, Blake and Mortimer, and illustrator Jean-Claude Floch.  Small framed prints of a selection of his artwork are on the walls of his shop, and it adds to the ambience - classic, understated, and a little modern in that practical way I like.

Scavini Tailleur
50 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg

75007 Paris

Apart from visiting Stiff Collar, you can see Scavini’s illustrations in Figaro Magazine, and in a soon to be released fully illustrated book on classic wardrobe (title and link to come!).  He also will star as a tailoring specialist in an upcoming French TV show called Cousu Main (Hand Sewn), an adaptation of the English reality/game show The Great British Sewing Bee.  It premieres Aug 30, 2014 on M6 in France.  It appears we will be seeing and hearing a lot from Julien Scavini!

In Paris...

Mickael Loir and Massimiliano Mocchia di Coggiola at Cafe Nemours, Paris, Sept 2013

I've been in Paris a few days, seeing old friends and making a few new ones.  Soon enough I'll be back in NYC, so I'm trying to just enjoy the moments...like this one.  

On Sept 30 will be the Paris launch of I am Dandy with two celebrations!  More on that on the I am Dandy facebook page.  

The Parisian Gentleman - Hugo Jacomet

Hugo Jacomet at Cifonelli's, Paris, Sept 6, 2011

Hugo Jacomet is the creator of Parisian Gentleman, a well respected menswear blog published both in French and English.  Hugo catalogs his sartorial adventures navigating the ins and outs of bespoke tailoring - his grand passion.  He shares practical details of how to dress with understated elegance, and recommends those rare stores and fine craftsmen that are lucky enough to make his short list.

On this day we met up at his favorite tailor in Paris - Cifonelli.  I walked into the palatial showroom and found Hugo there to greet me with his signature shock of silver hair and four suits ready to go.



"Cifonelli is the Mount Everest of bespoke tailors," Hugo said with a satisfied grin.  Here he is with Lorenzo Cifonelli in matching jackets.  Lorenzo is the fourth generation Cifonelli at the helm along with his cousin, Massimo.




Hugo revels in the intricacies of bespoke - he shows me this cuff and that buttonhole and that detail under the collar which is invisible to to anyone but the man wearing it.  He took great joy in telling me the extra hours it takes for certain details that only Cifonelli does.  What an eccentric (and luxurious) thing in this day and age, I thought, when it's all about faster and cheaper.

Then off into the dressing room where all the action takes place.  Lorenzo gives the final few tucks and seal of approval.

Shoes by Corthay

I quickly learn that these are the accoutrements of Hugo.  What is just off camera is the tray with the most perfect cup of espresso.



The opposite of ostentatious:  you have to literally dig to find the label.  Men who know just know.

Tie by Marc Guyot

Dandy Portraits in Paris: Massimiliano Mocchia di Coggiola

The one and only Massimiliano Mocchia di Coggiola.  The lure of stories I heard about his style, his home, his grand life, brought me to Paris.   What an experience it was!

Italian born Massimiliano and his lovely American wife Sorrel gave a warm greeting, and I began to try to take in all the details.  Walking into his space I felt the Parisian architecture - the height of the ceiling, the strong sunlight filtering through tall narrow windows, the ornate molding.  They talked about how much they loved to throw parties, and I imagined what a fantastic place to come to at night and get lost.  One can feel distinctly that living is a fine art for this young couple, and dressing, above all, is the highest art for Massimiliano.



There is a whole room dedicated to Massimiliano's interest in dandyism.  As a historian and author he has fantastic collection of rare books and ephemera which share space with his collar pins, cologne, cufflinks, top hats, and at least one powdered wig.   I began making portraits, and once we were done with one suit Massimiliano would duck back into his dressing room - which is indeed a whole room filled with clothes - and come out with another more exquisite than the last.



I asked him to show me his oldest book on dandyism: "Du Dandysme et de Georges Brummell" by J. Barbey D'Aurevilly, published in Paris 1879



In the sitting room, a photo of actor Conrad Veidt peeks out from behind layers of assemblage, religious artifacts, feathers and bones.



When Sorrel brought out a tray of coffee served in the most delicate little vintage set, I wished that time would stop so I could always live in that moment.



A gold signet ring bears his family's crest.



Illustrations by Massimiliano hang along side portrait paintings by Sorrel and art collected from various friends.