Vincent P. Ferrucci

Vincent F. Ferrucci

Ferrucci’s Menswear

New Haven

Bespoke Men

Like father, like son: For nearly a half-century, V. Ferrucci has been the Elm City’s gold standard for custom men’s tailoring

When in Rome, do as the Romans do: Learn how to make a fine Italian suit. Then, come to New Haven and outfit the well-to-do.

Vincent P. Ferrucci, a clothing designer and tailor from Rome, had just finished his apprenticeship when he came to New Haven for a family vacation in 1958. He decided to stay and he quickly got a job with bespoke tailor Arthur M. Rosenberg.

“I came as a tourist and settled in New Haven because my family was here,” recalls Ferrucci. Within five years, he opened his own tailor shop in Westville.

The year was 1963. A loaf of bread cost 22 cents, a gallon of milk was about half a buck and a custom-made suit at Ferrucci’s Menswear was $350.

V. Ferrucci Ltd. opened shop in Westville, then moved to Whalley Avenue before moving to its current Elm Street location in 1986.

A few years later his son Vincent F. joined the business after graduating from UConn with a degree in business management — and father and son have been working in tandem ever since.

“My father needed to have someone younger with him in the business,” Ferrucci fils explains. “He had a couple of people who were very good working on the floor, but they were part-timers. It’s hard to get someone younger involved in retail in general, but especially in a specialty business.”

At the time, the country was in the midst of a recession and consumer spending was constrained. According to the younger Ferrucci, though it wasn’t exactly the career path he had planned, it made perfect sense to join his father’s business.

His father brought the creativity and craftsmanship and son brought the business acumen and a feel for the tastes of younger consumers. They share the opinion that clothing is meant to both look good and feel good.

“My father learned the art of tailoring in Italy,” Vincent Jr. says. “He’s a true European tailor and he can make anything from scratch. He started with designing his own patterns and making his own clothing.”

Today, custom-made clothing is not always bench-made as it once was. There are shops that specialize in custom tailoring — an art, according to the Ferruccis — and there are clothing manufacturers that have in-house “custom departments” where they’ll take a ready-made pattern and make something from scratch. Or, the consumer can take it one step further and request a made-to-measure or special make-up where a pattern is designed for an individual body and that body only. Today, a custom-tailored

Ferrucci suit will cost between $2,000 and $3,500. It’s the type of suit that you just want to reach out and feel the fabric as it walks down the street.

“There’s custom and there’s custom. It’s become a buzz word that is used a lot, whether someone means a business plan or their clothes,” says the younger Ferrucci. “Many men are just hard to fit, whether it’s because they’re athletic or because they’ve gained a few pounds too many around the mid-section. They need someone to fit them properly because a lot of stores don’t have a tailor, or at least a master tailor, working in the store. They become more dependent on the manufacturer to make something that will fit all customers — and that just doesn’t happen.”

When all is said and done, fashionable consumers want clothing that is comfortable, and they want to look good. The Ferruccis have found a marriage between the two — fitting properly and making clothing that looks as flattering as possible.

But what happens when you make an investment in a custom-made suit and the trend changes? Because trends do change in fine menswear.

“People in the business understand that sometimes it’s flat-front pants and not pleated,” says Ferrucci the Younger. “For women, the hemline changes along with trends. There are only two ways you can go with how something’s cut — either up and down or across. It’s going to be narrower or wider, or it’ll be shorter or longer. Clothing’s two-dimensional that way, whether it’s the lapel for a man, or even a tie.”

Right now, slender look with a slim cut is in. Ties and lapels are narrower than they once were, and though fashion trends change, designs for mainstream people never stray too far from traditional styles. And, even in suits, some people just shouldn’t wear certain styles.

“If a guy is young and he’s slim, he can get away with a narrow cut,” Ferrucci notes. “A more mature man maybe won’t pull it off. The same is true for women: something that looks nice on a size 2 model may not work on an average-sized woman.”

Back in the 1970s, many men’s stores tried to take advantage of women entering the workforce and tried to cater to women, especially producing suits and separates. But as Ferrucci ruefully observes, one doesn’t merely dabble in women’s clothing — “It’s all-in or nothing,” he says. “If you do something in a small way, you’re going to get very small results. With women’s you really do have to go all out and women expect more selection than men do. Inevitably, you have to have more things hanging for women.”

Chief among Ferrucci’s customers are professionals including attorneys and people in the financial trades.

“People who are in sales and have to be out on the road have to look good for businesses,” the son says. “Our clients come from locally, Fairfield and Hartford counties and even out of state. Once they become a customer — they stay.”

“It’s like going to the doctor,” he explains. “Your doctor knows your medical history and you feel comfortable with him. That’s what happens when you come in. If a man’s going to have clothing made for himself, he’s going to find someone he’s comfortable with and he’s going to make an effort.”

Business at the Elm Street tailor shop is still strong, but it has not been without challenges over the past several years. Among his toughest challenges, Ferrucci lists the economy.

“Even if our clientele is the upper echelon as far as the money they generate for business and their own income, the economy is precarious. In 2008 and 2009, our customers are psychologically affected just like everyone else,” the younger Ferrucci says.

Years ago, the major challenge was all the competition that crept up. Looking back 40 or 50 years, the Ferruccis wouldn’t have had the market cornered as they do today. There were many stores like theirs, but they have since disappeared because of the vast offerings of malls and chain stores.

Competition, though not in the form of a Roman tailor today, is still all over the place.

“Stores like Jos. A. Bank are my stiffest competition for the new college graduates, but so are discount shops and department stores,” the tailor says.

But as cliché as it sounds, the Ferruccis know that it’s the good old-fashioned above-and-beyond service that keeps their customers coming back.

“It’s similar to the grocery business,” says the younger Ferrucci. “You have all these big supermarkets that sell everything under the sun, but the small grocery, deli or gourmet shops — those that survived — have a specialty trade and people appreciate something different. When you have a client and take care of them and they don’t expect the level of service that you’re going to give them, they’re happily surprised.”

He counts among his biggest disappointments when a customer moves away or passes away. “My father always used to say that was the only way we’d lose a customer. It’s not from disappointment in terms of service, it’s when they move on in one way or another,” says the son.

When the elder Ferrucci is ready to move on — and he’s not yet, though he is of retirement age — his son will take over the business. His age, he says, is not for publication. His customers put him anywhere between 65 and 90 and he prefers to keep them guessing.

No, he will not be retiring soon. He’s lived in New Haven for 50 years and will continue to come to work every day to see his customers who have quickly become his friends.

“I’m always proud,” says the father. “I can’t wait to come to work in the morning. My customers treat me like a king — some even call me ‘King’ and I have nicknames for them. They appreciate what I do and they’re my friends, not just customers.”

Among his biggest challenge has been gaining trust.

“I know that my customers don’t ask how much a particular suit is going to cost because they trust that they will get the best price,” he says. “I’m a master and I know my strength. My customers are my friends and they trust me.”