I was helping out a friend buy a new suit recently. I took him to J.Crew, in part because I knew I could use their suit to assess the basic areas of fit and extrapolate to other brands. As I waited for him outside the dressing room, I mentioned to the sales associate that a decade ago, J.Crew was the most magical place for me. I used to be so excited to shop there, and so many of their clothes were aspirational for me. He asked what I’m into now. “Ever more rarified clothing brands mostly from places like Europe and Japan,” I replied with a chortle.
And it’s true. When friends who are not menswear enthusiasts ask me for advice buying a new suit, and their price range is in the very range I myself have been writing about for years (anywhere between $500-1,500 for a suit), I find it hard to make suggestions despite my wealth of knowledge, because of one or two mental barriers that are hard to cross for most: If it involves overseas shipping, they’re out. And secondarily: Is it too weird? By which they usually would pinpoint lapels that are too wide, shoulder pleats or anything noticeably out of the ordinary.
On the first point, our comparatively generous $800 import duty threshold means there’s a lot you can order before you’ll see any taxes levied; and many retailers leverage remarkable 2-day DHL shipping programs, removing doubts about how long it’s going to take for something to arrive.
But on that second point, while it’s those interesting details that enthusiasts like me are drawn to, there is certainly a balance to be struck.
PML strikes that balance beautifully.
In their first collection of tailored jackets, one of which company founder Gianluca Migliarotti and his retail partner in the States, Leffot NYC, generously lent me for a couple weeks to photograph and write this review, you’ll find a jacket that deftly balances the character and details an enthusiast like me so appreciates, with a fit and overall appearance that isn’t a big leap for everyone else. Oh, and because Leffot’s right here this side of the Atlantic, no worries about import duties and all the rest.
Gianluca made a name for himself in the menswear scene first with films documenting the craft, history and culture behind the Italian tailoring tradition. First with O’Mast, in which Neapolitan heavyweights of tailoring like Antonio Panico and Ciro Palermo shared their stories and culture. Then with I Colori di Antonio, he focused on Florentine tailor Antonio Liverano’s life and work. Both films are wonderful studies for those who are fascinated with the world of the sartoria. Of course it makes sense that his interest in clothes predate his occupation as a filmmaker. “I’ve been a menswear and clothing enthusiast long time before I became a filmmaker,” he says. “Going to the tailor along with my father for his fittings since I was 5 probably, playing with the bunches, playfully checking the fit of my dad’s stuff, helped build my passion.”
PML is sort of a sister brand to Pommella-Napoli, which is a more classic company focusing on trousers (both bespoke and ready-to-wear; learn about their trunk shows at The Armoury or buy online). “PML was born just before the pandemic and was intended to respond to the request of a different market, more casual and easygoing,” Gianluca says. “At the beginning the idea was to produce high quality machine made RTW [ready-to-wear] trousers, with less drama, let’s say, compared to Pommella-Napoli. Then, [when we] started exploring our exclusive cloth—the Palazzi flannel by Fox Bros.—I decided to explore more styles and uses. Everything starts from the cloth for me.”
Digging into the details of the jacket
The jacket has the core features that make Neapolitan tailoring attractive—soft construction through the use of lightweight layers of canvas in the body, with a natural shoulder expression mostly devoid of any padding. Those two alone put it right at ease in the modern setting we find ourselves in. Easy to wear with a pair of jeans or dress up with a tie and dress pants.
It features a three-button front, where the top button is mostly cosmetic (three-roll-two, as it’s called) and dual rear vents. The open patch pockets have a beautiful rounded shape—a true Neapolitan detail—and the chest pocket has the beautiful curved barchetta shape. All great. All bona fide Neapolitan details (and I should mention, it’s made in Naples).
Where it becomes more accessible to a mainstream guy are the two most noticeable details: it has fairly normal-width lapels and lacks shoulder pleating. (It also lacks the full-length front dart, but that’s a really inside-baseball detail that not every Neapolitan tailor even does). Gianluca tells me their Fall-Winter ’23 collection will have lapels about 1cm wider, which would put it smack dab in the middle of what I’d call “eternally classic and never outdated” width. But I’ve found that those two details are the most common ones that a guy will disqualify a jacket from consideration over.
The third aspect I’d call out as making PML’s jacket a bit more mainstream in appeal is how the quarters fall below the buttoning point. They fall almost straight down. Many jackets sweep away, which is a great look if your trousers have a high-enough rise, but again, that’s not exactly something I’d expect in the mainstream. By having more closed quarters, you’re not going to have a problem with the dreaded “shirt triangle”, which is the area of a shirt just above the pants’ waistline that shows when a jacket with swept-away quarters is buttoned.
Gianluca brings his own sense of personality through his selection of what fabrics he uses. “I search and dig around whatever could be rare, vintage, limited, or just the highest quality for the price. We don’t want to be the Rolls Royce, but we definitely aim to be the old Jaguar, the vintage Mercedes SL, the 911 of the late ‘70s: sexy, cool and easy,” he says. I see what he’s talking about come through in things like their black corduroy suit, the charcoal cashmere overshirt or even their chenille polo shirts.
The trousers sent to me show off a bit of that unique choice of fabric, too. They’re a heavy cotton twill in a gray-blue that evoke denim. But not in a weird “Smithers, why did you iron a crease in my dungarees” way. These are butter soft, and the twill is visually subtle, so worn with a blazer, it didn’t look like I was wearing jeans.
Fit considerations
PML’s jacket is fairly slim. I took my normal size in these photos. I’d consider sizing up to get a bit more drape (and have the waist taken in if necessary for a bit of shape). Unlike with some brands, though, I don’t think sizing up would ruin the fit in the shoulders and armholes.
PML’s trousers fit with enough room in the top block, and taper down considerably. I took my normal size, and would not consider sizing up.
As always, review the measurement charts.
The Recommendation
There’s a lot to love with PML and I recommend them fully. You’re getting a genuine Neapolitan garment, with just enough of that panache you want, that’s easy to wear casually or formally, and in a selection of great fabrics in the excellent taste of Gianluca Miglarotti.
Menswear Musings Recommends PML.
I emailed Gianluca with a few questions, the same ones I ask every maker I review, which you can see his full responses to below. Many thanks, once again, to PML and Leffot NYC for lending me the garments!
Menswear Musings: I recognize you from being a documentary filmmaker (I Colori di Antonio, O’Mast). What’s been your involvement with menswear in your life?
Gianluca Migliarotti: I’ve been a menswear and clothing enthusiast long time before I became a filmmaker; as I can remember I’ve been interested in it since i was 9 or 10. I said it many times, but will repeat again for my own pleasure: going to the tailor along with my father for his fittings since I was 5 probably, playing with the bunches, playfully checking the fit of my dad’s stuff helped building my passion.
Your first brand was Pommella, which you still have running, but now you’ve got PML—what’s the difference between the two and why two brands?
PML was born just before the pandemic and was intended to respond to the request of a different market, more casual and easygoing. At the beginning the idea was to produce high quality RTW trousers machine made, with less drama let’s say compared to Pommella-Napoli. Then, starting exploring our exclusive cloth, The Palazzi flannel by Fox bros., I’ve decided to explore more styles and uses. Everything starts from the cloth for me…
What is your raison d’etre for PML?
PML is a project that was generated from pure passion and became a real thing. I want it to keep that sense of naiveté in the business and a little fun, especially from me. It’s a tool to deliver that passion; menswear enthusiast speaks a similar language made of gestures, choices, colors. I started the conversation and want to keep it going with a wider community. I’m not going to invent anything, I’m not in Fashion and this is classic menswear at the end of the day; I’m just interpreting.
How would you describe the style of your garments?
Classic with a kick, a little rock’n’roll, sexy
What makes your garments special? What sets them apart?
One of the uniqueness of PML garments is the choice of cloth. I search and dig around whatever could be rare, vintage, limited, or just the highest quality for the price. We don’t want to be the Rolls Royce, but we definitely aim to be the old Jaguar, the vintage Mercedes SL, the 911 of the late 70’s: sexy, cool and easy. I think there is a very personal take on menswear, nothing particularly new honestly, but we are not about the extreme luxury language, therefore with a very precious Alpaca or Cashmere we make an overshirt! Unique pieces, anti economic from a business point of view, but how cool????!!!!
What kind of quality are you producing, and who/where makes it?
All our garments are made in Italy, but the T-shirts, which are not our core business anyway. All our producers have high quality standards and that is what we look for. The fit is one must with the cloth, because as a consumer first of all I insist I enjoy my stuff big time.
Who do you think of as your customer and how do you meet his needs and wants?
Anyone is my customer as long as he enjoys life and positivity. One thing I really love about this project is to make people satisfied and a little happier with my garments. The satisfaction that comes from messages of clients really enjoying the product is incredible, makes me feel I’m doing the right thing. Life can be tough and we want to provide tools to go through it with more confidence, joy and a smile.
Are there any other special things about PML you want to say?
PML is possible thanks to the efforts of a small team of very dedicated people that try to keep the joy and the fun in the process. It’s about real people and not idealistic models.
Very Important: we are developing a line for women!!! Booooom!!
Many thanks to Gianluca for taking the time to send me his work and respond to my questions!
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Thanks for the nice read! Although I don’t quite understand why you are sugessting sizing up? Looking at the size charts PML is much bigger than let’s say Cavour. In size 52 Cavour has 115cm chest while PML has 119cm , waist is bigger as well. Perhaps their size charts are inaccurate? Judging by the pictures PML seems a bit roomier for sure.
Ps. Forgot to mention that on the site it says their jackets are unconstructed which means there shouldn’t be any canvas inside. Would be nice if you could clarify if that’s the case. I also wonder if collar and sleeves are attached by hand – rather standard stuff at this price point, but no info on that as well.
Dang it now you’re making me wish I still had the jacket to try on again and compare to my Cavour. The jacket felt trimmer straight off the peg. I can say for certain the sleeves are slimmer and contribute to that feeling. And I think the armholes are smaller too. But I can’t confirm having sent it back a while ago already.
There may be other factors that made it feel trimmer on me—maybe the shoulder profile hugged my upper back and shoulders more snugly—but I wouldn’t venture to guess as I’m not a tailor.
The PML products you highlight look very nice. Beautiful pattern on the jacket and very wearable cut. The trousers look unique (heavy denim) without venturing into the weird territory.
That said, I’m confused about the sizing. The smallest size trousers they sell (size 46) has a waist of 86cm, which translates to 33.86 inches. That seems rather large for their smallest size. The jackets also seem to be cut pretty large, based on the measurements.
On a different note, I noticed you included a link to TLB’s chukka boots. Do you have any sense how these compare with Carmina’s offering?
Mitchell – I’ve recently discovered your website and I must say I thoroughly enjoy it. Your style is very similar to what I try to pull off now that I no longer have to or need to wear an entire suit. I’ve visited the majority of the brands you site for Neapolitan sports jackets but none of them carry sizes large enough for me (48L US). Do you know of a brand that carries larger sizes? Trying to avoid the MTM process if at all possible just due to the time required. Thank you in advance and appreciate your site.
Thank you Tom.
That’s tough man!
I’m going to say MTM might be your only option, or maybe MTO via someone like The Armoury or No Man Walks Alone. They’re small boutique outlets so you could ask a ton of questions about sizing in advance if needed.
Speaking of No Man Walks Alone, this week they’re doing pre-orders on their Carrara jackets. Their default sizes don’t include a 58L, but do have 58 and 60. You could reach out to them to find out what measurements on a 58 or 60 would be to see how that would work for you. Link: https://nomanwalksalone.com/collections/special-projects-and-pre-orders
How do you compare PML’s sizing with The Armoury Model 3 or Ring Jacket?
True to size in my experience but less roomy than Armoury model 3. Armoury model 3 is also true to size but roomier. RJ’s TAJ model is a size small.
Is it cut full on the chest or still slim because from picture, I see it being a decent full chest
Hm, it may be a trick of the pattern. The sleeves are trimmer, the shoulders a little closer to the body and the whole fit trimmer than the Model 3.
Thank you Mitchell!
I forgot to mention Natalino, which you had previously reviewed. I suppose Natalino is true to size to you as well and it is the roomiest among Armoury, PML, and RJ right?