Word: gammarellis
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...face it, the Pope is a snappy dresser. When he visits Cuba this week, he will be donning at least half a dozen outfits. But John Paul II isn't just a Beau Brummel; most of his wardrobe has a symbolic religious aspect. The Italian firm Gammarelli's has served as a papal tailor for nearly 200 years. The Vatican also has its own seamstresses, and there are four black-robed nuns who oversee his considerable laundry. Using your very own John Paul II cutout doll, you can create your favorite papal ensembles...
...ecclesiastical tailoring firm of Gammarelli, which has long prepared robes for the new Pope to wear in his first public appearance, was at work on white cassocks in four sizes (small, medium, large and extra large). It used to make only three sizes, but this time decided on four, using a confidential in-house list of ten Italians and two foreigners it thinks are the best candidates...
...order came from the Vatican to make three papal soutanes, one for a large man, one medium, one small. When the cardinals were locked in conclave to elect a new Pope, the outfits were locked up with them. "It is difficult to cut without anyone specific in mind," says Gammarelli. A shrewd papal handicapper, he felt that in case of a deadlock the compromise candidate might be an old customer of his, Venice's Cardinal Roncalli, and cut the garments for the large man with him in mind. Bonaventura's hunch was right: when Pope John XXIII appeared...
...wave of new cardinals always means brisk business for Gammarelli; once his five seamstresses and one cutter, who work in two cramped rooms above the store, turned out 18 cardinal vestments at one time. To make sure all the garments conform to the church's centuries-old traditions, Gammarelli uses only the finest materials, carefully oversees the work. As a double check, he continually refers to a pattern book hand-painted in watercolors by his sister Maria...
From his trade Gammarelli earns a comfortable living. But his real reward comes from the praise of his customers. He treasures a leather-bound volume, prefaced with an autographed picture of Pope John, which reads like a Who's Who of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. One of his favorite endorsements came from a Texas bishop, who wrote simply: "We Texans like to deal with people who know their business...