“I love a lady’s tuxedo,” says Dominic Lacquaniti. “In a sea of dresses, it shows power and confidence. When a lady walks in wearing a tuxedo, all heads turn.” The son of Rocco’s Tailor Shop founder Rocco Lacquaniti, who opened the Naples business in 1968, the younger Lacquaniti recalls attending a gala with a tuxedo-clad woman years ago and noticing the stir it caused. “She wore it with a white shirt, red lips, and her hair pulled back, and I knew I had something. It was different and elegant, and I could certainly see designing one in white for a bride.” Lacquaniti, who plied his trade in textiles in New York before moving to Naples six years ago to continue the tailoring tradition started by his father, now will be designing under his own label: D. Lacquaniti Bespoke. The recently launched line includes custom-made jackets, pants, shirts, and suits for men and women, and, of course, tuxedos. For more about Lacquaniti, including his advice for when a bride should have her final fitting before the wedding, read below.
NI: What inspired you to launch your own label?
Lacquaniti: I grew up in the clothing business because of my dad, but I never liked alterations. I figured that if I was going to fix problems, I was going to create my own. I’ve been doing custom clothes since 2013 as part of Rocco’s Tailor Shop, but I knew that I couldn’t create a national brand without a different name, which is how we ended up with D. Lacquaniti Bespoke. Right now, the line is strictly custom clothes. But next year, we plan to launch a ready-to-wear line.
How did you learn your craft?
I studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and at one point, when I was in textiles, I represented eight companies from Italy. But I love launching this line back home in Naples. This city is stylish yet relaxed, which is why I like things such as unconstructed jackets that have a softer fit. You can be comfortable and still look very put together.
What’s your favorite thing to design?
My genius is the jacket for a lady. Ladies spend a lot of time and money for a dress that gives them one look. But with a tuxedo, you can wear the pieces again and again. A friend of mine once paired her tuxedo pants with a gorgeous denim jacket. And, of course, you can wear the tuxedo jacket many different ways with pants or skirts. If a bride chooses a white tuxedo for her wedding, she can continue celebrating that day by creating new looks, both casual and formal.
Speaking of alterations, when should a bride have a final fitting before the big day?
My biggest tip for brides is that they should wait a minimum of two weeks before the wedding to do the final fitting. Every bride stresses, and most lose weight. Depending on how much work a gown or tuxedo needs, she’ll want to have the first few fittings several months out. But if she can hold off until about two weeks before the wedding for the final fitting, we can do the most accurate tailoring, and she’ll look her best.
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