When it comes to fashion and luxury, we are all familiar with Italian global powerhouses such as Gucci, Prada and Armani. However, there’re lots of other Italian brands that’re relatively unknown – either intentionally or due to the sheer incompetence of their PR and/or marketing departments. One of them is Pal Zileri and in article you’ll learn absolutely everything you need to know about this brand and its lines.
Read: The WORLD’S ULTIMATE Guide to Prada Lines
#1 – Introduction to Pal Zileri
In 1980, in a galaxy far, far away Quinto Vicentino, a small town near Vicenza, two veteran tailors who spent the previous ten years working together in the textile industry, Gianfranco Barizza and Aronne Miola, founded a brand whose focus would be on finely crafted suits and menswear combining traditional Italian tailoring techniques and modern style. In order to show that they seriously mean business, they named their brand after Palazzo Zileri, an 18th century mansion located in the heart of Vicenza, which you can see in the picture below. And in case you’re wondering, yes, you can rent a room in that building (and no, I haven’t been there…yet 🙁 ).
Despite stiff competition from already established tailoring companies like Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali, Corneliani and many others that I haven’t yet covered), Pal Zileri products, which include a variety of mens suits, jackets, shirts, ties, and accessories, quickly become synonymous with elegance and refinement which helped them attract a discerning clientele from both Italy and, of course, overseas.
In the years to follow, Pal Zileri became a prominent player in the luxury fashion industry whose boutiques and retail locations can be found around the world, from Mexico City to Moscow. Despite undergoing significant changes, Pal Zileri never strayed to far from its roots – to create elegant and impeccably tailored menswear.
Old and discontinued Pal Zileri lines (Pal Zileri Sport and Pal Zileri Pull) won’t be covered in this article because I’ve never seen them and because there’s little to no information about them on the Internet. I personally think that these are old names of the Pal Zileri Concept and Pal Zileri Lab lines but can’t 100% confirm – let me know in the comment if you know more about those two lines.
Read: The BEST Guide to Ermenegildo Zegna Lines IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM (and Beyond)
#2 – High-end Pal Zileri Lines
Pal Zileri Mainline
The most commonly found Pal Zileri items in boutiques or on the Internet are those that’re coming from its main line which is amply called…Pal Zileri. That line features fully canvassed suits, jackets, dress shirts, and accessories mostly for men (yes, there is a selection for members of the fairer and prettier sex as well). From what I’ve seen, products from this line are of timeless and classic design – in other words, no weird colors, cuts or patterns.
Pal Zileri’s emphasis has always been on high-quality fabrics, meticulous detailing, and sophisticated designs. Because of this, Pal Zileri mainline items are, in regards to materials and construction, of very good quality – for example, leather jackets from this line are made from high quality leathers and furs and are of very sturdy construction (on pair with Prada and Louis Vuitton, believe it or not) while the suits and blazers (of which I currently own one, sold and gave away the rest) are made from excellent fabrics (sourced from reputable companies like Cerruti, Loro Piana and Fratelli Tallia di Delfino) and are, as I mentioned before, fully canvassed (and with little handwork). All in all…you won’t be disappointed if you ever buy something from this line – I certainly wasn’t 🙂 .
Due to its prominent white logo, mainline Pal Zileri was known as “Pal Zileri White Label” amongst style enthusiasts. However, during the last decade , the design of the logo was completely changed – as you can see in the picture below, it has a striped blue background,
Read: The MOST COMPREHENSIVE Guide to Corneliani Lines IN THE UNIVERSE
Pal Zileri Sartoriale
Although Pal Zileri mainline items are quite good and definitely worth your money, they’re not the best ones Pal Zileri has available – that honor belong to those from its Sartoriale line. As orc peons in the Warcraft universe would probably say… mainline products gud, but Sartoriale products guder.
Unfortunately, as of time of this writing I haven’t been able to get my hands on any item from the Pal Zileri Sartoriale line since I haven’t found any of them on my thrift store hunts. As far as eBay is concerned (if you’ve been following me you know how much I looove eBay), the selection wasn’t that great the last time I checked – the only item from that line which I liked, a suede leather jacket, is damaged on the outside (I’m not willing to pay $200 in order to try to fix that) and the rest (suits and blazers) are either identical in appearance to those I already own or aren’t to my taste. Thus, with a heavy heart, I had to do some serious research (which took hours) instead of writing mostly from first-hand experience as I normally do (and will continue to do so).
From what I’ve seen (and heard) so far, the Pal Zileri Sartoriale line offers a selection of finely tailored suits, jackets and dress shirts of timeless and classic design that’re aimed exclusively at men which are, in terms of materials and construction, better than their mainline counterparts – the quality of fabrics (higher micron wools, expensive and hard to make natural blends…), linings (lots of suits have, like Etro, silken linings) and construction (lighter canvassing on suits, hand-attached collars and sleeves) are somewhat better than that of their mainline counterparts. Some people say that this line is comparable to Brioni in terms of materials and quality but, as I said before, I’m unable to confirm that information as of now – all that I can say for sure is that Brioni products are awesome!
Pal Zileri also has a Made-to Order line line of suit called Abito Privato (Custom Suit), whose quality is, in regards to quality, on pair (if not better) with Pal Zileri Sartoriale.
Read: The DEFINITE Guide to ALL Canali Lines
Pal Zileri Cerimonia
Pal Zileri’s Cerimonia is, as its name implies, Pal Zileri’s line that’s fully dedicated to men’s formal and ceremonial wear for men (ladies…i wish it was different 🙁 ) – it offers a selection of tuxedoes, morning coats and accessories suitable for special occasions, weddings, and formal events.
In terms of quality and materials, products from the Pal Zileri Cerimonia line are quite hard to classify – some tuxedoes are made from wool (or high-quality wool blends) and are fully canvassed, while others are made from viscose and various polyester blends and are either fused or semi canvassed which is, for a tuxedo that retails for more than $1000, totally unacceptable.
The absolute same can be said in terms of their design – some look like your typical tuxedo/morning coat (undistiguishable from their Canali and Ermenegildo Zegna counterparts) while others have fashion forward designs that are quite interesting (like the one in the picture above – if you’re a pick up artist, party animal or a pimp, by all means, buy one) or so hideous that Interpol’s fashion division will put the unfortunate soul wearing it on its watch list. And in case you didn’t know, they don’t watch – they kill. That’s why I didn’t put a picture of one of those.
Suits (well…tuxedoes and morning coats) from the Pal Zileri Cerimonia line feature a variaty of fully-canvassed, semi-canvassed and fused models and they’re usually made in Italy (more expensive models) and Romania (cheaper ones).
All in all, Pal Zileri products from the Cerimonia aren’t something that I’d recommend spending your hard earned shekels on – they’d be better spent on their Canali and Corneliani counterparts. In case you really, REALLY insist buying one, buy it on the Internet (Pal Zileri products aren’t faked, so you should be good) where their prices are far more…realistic. Of course, if you see a product from this line in thrift store…buy it without any hesitation!
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Ralph Lauren Lines in the Milky Way
#3 – Lower-end Pal Zileri Lines
Pal Zileri Concept/Pal Zileri Lab
Pal Zileri Concept (formerly known as Pal Zileri Lab) is Pal Zileri’s casual line which offers a range of smart-casual jackets, knitwear (like the sportcoat seen in the picture below) and trousers intended for younger individuals that’re looking for sophisticated yet comfortable and versatile pieces. Thus, it comes at no surprise that products from this line are of lower quality (and also cheaper) that their mainline counterparts.
Personally, I don’t have much experince with products from the Pal Zileri Concept line – all I got is one sport coat (which I paid 5$) whose quality is, in my honest opinion, comparable to its counterparts from Corneliani’s ID and Trend lines (in other words, decent, but nothing spectacular). In terms of style…not so much (their designs are much more boring in my opinion) but hey, that’s just me 🙂 .
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Hugo Boss Lines on the Internet
#4 – Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pal Zileri Made?
Pal Zileri products are, for the most part, made in Italy in Quinto Vicentino, a small town near Vicenza. Items from the cheaper (and more affordable, of course) Lab and Concept lines (as well as some from the Cerimonia line) are, for the most part, made in Romania and Turkey.
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Giorgio Armani Lines on the Internet
Is Pal Zileri Faked?
No, Pal Zileri items aren’t faked due to this brand’s relative obscurity. That’s certainly good news for us online shoppers and thrift store hunters 🙂 .
Thank you for reading. If you’ve liked this article and want to see more like them, make sure you bookmark this site and to follow me on Instagram!
Until next time.
Your man,
-Leon
Image from the Pallazo Zileri was taken from this site.
