I still remember the first top-of-the-line jacket I bought for myself, it was a true rite of passage into style. As a proud Biella native, from a land of skilled weavers where people offer you a handshake and place their other hand on your arm to feel the fabric, I held a piece of it in my hands (the “real deal” has a way of stretching so effortlessly). Then came the inspection: the seams: straight, tight, and perfectly aligned like a well-behaved group of chic schoolgirls; the slits, falling just right; the hand-finished stitching, a signature of high-end tailoring; and the collar flap at the back, because if the seam isn’t properly covered, the jacket doesn’t fit the body as it should.

And when I finally put it on… oh, the thrill of feeling it embrace my shoulders without weighing them down!