Netousek - bespoke tailor from Vienna, Austria
I remember very well the first time I was in my favorite city, Vienna. At the first visit I made to the city it was clear to me. This city is breathing artisanal craftsmanship, culture and style and I can never get enough of that. 60 trips later I have to admit that I still think the same way about the city. The city knows some very fine craftsmen like shoemakers, shirt makers, bakery’s, jewelers, leather bag makers and of course bespoke tailors. One of the bespoke tailors in the city and one of the first addresses I visited on my first trip in Vienna is bespoke tailor Netousek. A name that people who love bespoke clothing might know since this tailor has a good reputation and belongs to the list of finest tailors in Europe.
One of the coziest bespoke tailor shops in the world
Stepping inside Netousek is almost like stepping into a candy shop. The big bolds of beautiful fabric for suits, jackets and even for shirts. A rack with fine silk ties and the basted fittings hanging on the mannequins and the hangers behind the counter. It’s exactly what you would dream of when thinking of a bespoke tailor shop. The fitting room is behind a curtain of course and from there one can also get into the atelier where all the suits and shirts are made. It’s just a 4 men operation, there are almost no machines and all the garments are made by hand. Usually you find Thomas shortly after entering the shop who will greet you friendly.
Thomas Netousek
Thomas Netousek is the son of Hans and Renate Netousek. The couple that took over the business in 1974 from Viktor Netousek who was the founder of the business in 1935. Thomas is working in the business since 1991 but took it over officially in 2013. However his father worked till his passing in 2019 in the business and his mother is still coming in often to help out. Netousek is a true family business from the very beginning and belonged to the same family all along from the day Viktor Netousek started it.
The shop is on the Gumpendorferstrasse and on a stone throw distance from Café Sperl, one of Vienna’s most famous and authentic Coffee Houses. And if you know the elegant culture of Viennese Coffee Houses it makes perfect sense to have a bespoke tailor close to it.
Decent old school bespoke tailoring
At Netousek one will find old school bespoke tailoring which will never go out of style. One shouldn’t be able to see what age the wearer is or even what his weight is. It should be flattering for the body and last at least a decade and longer when you take care of your garment properly. Unlike Neapolitan tailors or some tailors of Savile Row, who have a very outspoken style, Netousek is more calm in that. The shoulders of the garments have some light padding but are still reasonably soft. However that bit of structure is something that flatters all bodies. Whether this is the Viennese tailoring style? Hard to say since every tailor has its own style and at the end of the day the customer decides what he wants. But isn’t that also the meaning of a real bespoke tailor? That one can have made what they want up to the smallest detail? Another type of garment which Netousek is doing are the Trachten jackets or as they call it in German ‘’Janker’’. These are traditional Austrian jackets often made from Loden which is a type of wool fabric woven in Austria or Germany. The colours are most of the time green or grey with some brown, grey or green details or even embroidery. This garments contain a lot of handwork and can be seen as pieces of textile art. Every region in Austria has its own style when it comes to this garments.
At Netousek you will find a wide variety of fabrics from Holland & Sherry, Harrisons of Edinburgh, Scabal, Caccioppoli, Drago, Drapers and some others to choose from. From suiting, to jacketing, coatings and of course various tweeds you will find it all.
The bespoke shirts that Netousek is making are worth a try as well. They are true bespoke shirts which means there will be fittings, it will be done in the atelier in the back of the shop by hand and a lot of attention for detail is putted into these shirts. Pattern matching is one of them and this is something that makes the heart of a bespoke clothing lover beat 10 times faster. If you have a striped or checked fabric you for sure notice at most shirts that it’s almost never perfectly matched. With bespoke there is some more care taken into this and you will find that all striped from the different parts on the shirts will perfectly match each other and so it will be with checked fabrics. It’s a small detail that you only notice when you look more detailed, but isn’t that the beauty of it?
The most famous hidden gem in Vienna
Even though Netousek is still seen as a hidden gem their name is well established and famous among politicians, business men, Austrian Aristocracy and there was even a time they made uniforms for the Spanish Riding School. I’ve been informed that the old formula 1 driver Niki Lauda has even been a customer up till his passing. But Mr. Netousek wouldn’t confirm it since discretion is the most important rule for every bespoke tailor and so it is for Mr. Netousek.
If you happen to make it to Vienna feel free to walk in and chat with Mr. Thomas Netousek who speaks perfectly English as well by the way. Once you have seen Netousek you start to feel the culture of craftsmanship that Vienna still has.
Netousek
Gumpendorferstraße 17
1060 Vienna
Austria