Seattle's Gian DeCaro is one of the new breed of tailor/designers whose fashion savvy makes taste waves far beyond the Pacific Northwest. His DeCaro Sartoria is more than a specialty shop offering custom tailoring; more than a traditional tailor's shop offering accessories. It's custom; it's couture; and it's the finest fashion accoutrements - it is, in the truest sense of the word a haberdashery.

At DeCaro Sartoria, Savile Row meets Seattle in a mix appealing to a diverse clientele from conservative corporate executives to Seattle's thriving core of "Grunge" musicians. Town & Country magazine called DeCaro's Pike Place Market shop "one of the most elegant custom shops on the West Coast." DeCaro and his father, Silvio, were the only Pacific Northwest tailors acknowledged by the magazine in their feature on "America's Top Tailors. Mr.DeCaro, has also been featured in major profiles by GQ, Cigar Aficionado, the menswear trade publication MR, and Pacific Magazine.

The shop is crowded with more than just bolts of fabric and swatches for bespoke suits, shirts, and coats. Extraordinary ties run the gamut from platinum basket weave silks for the most formal of occasions to elegant neckwear in silk, silk and wool, and pure cashmere for both business and casual wear. Superfine Merino wool and Sea Island cotton polos and sweatshirts are year-round favorites with Seattle's smart set. Cufflinks, braces, and cigar humidors are popular gifts and accoutrements. DeCaro Sartoria's selection of evening vests, cummerbunds and ties is as tasteful/traditional, and, as wild/wicked as his clientele.

Gian DeCaro likes it this way. He cut his teeth on the labor-intensive business of bespoke, learning the trade at his father's knee. "I was brought up in America in the great tradition of the son of an Italian tailor," says DeCaro, who rebelled at the age of 15 by taking a job in a hip jeans boutique. In high school and college, he learned new ways of retailing. wholesaling, training , marketing and advertising. For several years he explored the world through travel, music and art... then, in 1982, he came home to his father's business; an exquisite, exacting, exciting, and expressive profession. "I have come full-circle but today the role of a tailor has changed. My customers want a creative person, a designer, whose clothing enhances their physiques and projects their special image."

What sets DeCaro apart from other tailors is not just his styling (a touch Milanese, a touch Florentine with a bit of Cary Grant and Desi Arnaz) but also his lifestyle. DeCaro and his customers share the same if not similar interests. He talks baseball while fitting Dave Winfield for a suit, basketball or football while measuring a Seattle Supersonic or Seahawk for a topcoat. You wouldn't expect Pearl Jam at DeCaro Sartoria, but, members of Seattle's hottest bands seek him out for their needs off stage. Businessmen or professionals trust him to create apparel that is subtle, substantial and suitably discreet....it's been said that even Microsoft's Bill Gates has consulted with DeCaro as he moves from his collegiate-looking wardrobe of sweats, khakis and jeans to a more polished look.

Gian DeCaro is a tailor/designer taking a centuries old art into the 21st Century. His involvement with associations such as the Custom Tailors and Designers Association of America (of which he is Past President) make DeCaro an ideal spokesperson, a much sought-after voice for taste makers everywhere.