Testa

A venerable Italian men’s tailor shop. It was founded in Rome in 1918 by Orazio, father of the present-day owners Osvaldo and Oliviero. The first atelier was in the Via del Corso but as early as 1936 it had been moved to the Via Frattina, where one of the three Testa shops still stands. Orazio was a pupil of Mattina (the tailor to King Victo Emmanuel) and he was immediately successful, due to his skill as a tailor and his refined taste. The true turning point came when his sons joined the tailoring business in the 1960s, helping to update the image of men’s clothing, in clear opposition to the traditional man in gray. They were the first to offer long jackets, vents, accordion pockets, and large buttons on the jackets, shirts with large French collars, jacquard fabrics, patterned velvets, jersey and patchwork. In the 1960s and 1970s, the label finally established itself thanks to its collaboration with Cerruti on the Flying Cross line and with such other major fashion manufacturers as Lebole, Lanerossi, Fila, and Lubiam. In 1973, along with the tailors Datti, Palazzi and Piattelli, Testa founded the Gruppo dei Quattro, and took part in the first Pitti Uomo in Florence. He did a great deal of work with the movies and television. Actors such as Giannini, Franco Nero, Montesano and Alessandro Gassman appeared on the set dressed in clothing by Testa. In the 1990s, the family tradition continued with Orazio’s grandchildren, Odoardo and Federico.