BUTTON COLLECTION OF BESPOKE NEW YORK TAILOR SCALI: The Button Collection of bespoke tailor Salvatore Scali Finn (1930 – 2016, America). Hundreds of buttons from the best makers in the custom tailoring business, from Great Brittan and Italy including: sets in presentation boxes with the British Royal Coat of Arms; City of London Coat of Arms; U.S. Life-Saving Service (U.S. L.S.S.); Wain Shiell, Saville Row, London with their logo image of London Bridge; Kemington Express 20GA; Livery buttons by R. James B’Ham for the Royal Air Force with a flying bird surmounted by a crown, Fox head buttons; Some stamped STERLING and a group of buttons engraved with flying birds and another with clipper ships which test sterling silver; Group of commemorative enamel over metal buttons commemorating the 1976 bicentennial of the United States and featuring the Colonial and Modern American flag; C & J Weldon; Harve Buttons; Goldtone domed Royal Air Force buttons; Several sample cards and presentation book of buttons by Firenze – mostly of enamel over metal buttons; Also buttons with the images of flying geese, birds, partridge, tennis racquets, crests, coats of arms, arabesques materials found are 18k gold plate, horn, metal, mother of pearl, enamel over metal, gold filled, gold-tone, silver-tone.

BIOGRAPHY:

Salvatore Scali Finn (1930 – 2016, America), was a bespoke (custom) tailor in New York. He completed his apprenticeship at Scali-Balletta Tailors on East 52nd Street in N.Y.C. and later became business partners with his brother Vincent (James) Scali, known as Scali Tailors and later simply ‘Scali’. In the 1988 Scali’s tailoring expertise was mentioned in “The New Yorker” article ‘The Bespoking of Suits – Trading Up to Custom’ where the quality of work was compared and found equal to that of master suit maker, John Reyle. Then, as today, men’s suits were undergoing a renaissance and as Dyett mentions in her article “Suddenly men of style are craving the tradition-bound look, and not since the post-crash thirties has it appeared so elegant, so well made.” Dyett, Linda. “The Bespeaking of Suits – Trading Up to Custom.” The New Yorker, February 15, 1988, pp 52 - 66.

https://books.google.com/books?id=VOUCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=Vincent+(James)+Scali+tailor&source=bl&ots=DGPRiEduEU&sig=bf3j6NjfibbfyQ3LXOOUU9Ujus4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR5c-hwcnSAhWJ7CYKHd7EC4EQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q&f=false . Accessed March 9, 2017.