Tailor To the Titans

MARIANO RUBINACCI is as synonymous with his hometown of Naples as are Marinella ties and Margherita pizza. The only difference is that Rubinacci makes bespoke suits, not pies. His claim to fame, as clients like Jacob Rothschild, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Barry Diller will tell you, is the loose-fitting, high-armhole Neapolitan jacket. He also makes bespoke shoes, shirts and vicuña coats.

Rubinacci's roots in the tailoring tradition go back to his great-grandfather, who sold silk from the Far East. By the 1930s, his grandson Gennaro had opened a boutique in the center of Naples called London House, so named for his preference for cashmere, tweed and Shetland wool—and, of course, bespoke tailoring. Today Mariano continues the family tradition with shops in Milan, Rome and Tokyo.

Last month Rubinacci opened a London branch of his famous Via Filangieri shop. Located in the heart of Mayfair, on Mount Street, the new addition may just give the Savile Row folks a bit of a scare.