Gabriel Marfisi, a 41-year-old fashion designer in Corsica, spends his free time the way a lot of people do: rewatching The Sopranos. He’s not turning on HBO’s mafioso masterpiece simply to follow along with Tony and his crew’s underhanded misadventures, however. Instead, he’s poring over the tape to learn as much as he can about the clothes they’re all wearing.
As the man behind the popular Instagram account @TonySopranoStyle, Marfisi has established himself as something like the GeoGuessr guy of made men. Name a character and episode of The Sopranos, and Marfisi can likely tell you exactly what label designed their knitwear and where you might find a similar version online. He spends hours scouring eBay and Depop for otherwise unassuming menswear artifacts from the early 2000s—from Tony’s signature bowling shirts to Paulie’s “Pine Barrens” leather jacket—either to add to his ever-growing personal collection or to share with his 80,000+ followers, many of whom have joined him in his passion for obsessive Sopranos sartorial sleuthing.
Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of Gabriel Marfisi
In preparation for this interview, GQ reached out to a representative of David Chase, the creator and showrunner of The Sopranos, to ask whether Carmela bought Tony’s clothes for him or if he did it himself. “This is not the type of thing that David would speak to,” the spokesperson said. For his part, Marfisi likes to believe Tony shopped for himself most of the time, but his research has caused him to develop another theory: “I’ve realized these were brands that were in big department stores,” Marfisi said. “With the storyline, it would make sense that Carmela would go to these stores for herself and then see something that Tony might like and just buy it for him.”
We chatted with Marfisi about the rarest items in his collection, the best-dressed characters on the show, and the time Pete Davidson’s girlfriend asked him for help sourcing an item.
GQ: Which came first: Your interest in menswear or your interest in The Sopranos?
Gabriel Marfisi: Menswear. When I was a kid, about eight or nine, I started caring more about what I would wear.
When did you start watching The Sopranos?
When it was actually on TV, not so much. I started my first full watch in 2015 or 2016.
What made you decide to start searching for Tony and friends’ costumes?
When I started re-watching the show, the clothes really struck me. I was already in a phase where I was wearing a lot of Italian knits, mainly vintage from the 1960s—more like what Tony’s dad would wear. But the clothes really got my attention, especially Tony’s style because of the garish, very busy shirts he was wearing. So two or three episodes in, I started looking for these clothes.
What was the first item you found?
It was an Alan Stuart piece. I started looking for that because that was one of the brands that Julia Polcsa, The Sopranos’ costume designer, mentioned in an interview. It was a polo shirt Tony was wearing and I found the same one, but a long-sleeve version. A lot of these brands would use the same print—especially Alan Stuart—and then make a short-sleeve version and a long-sleeve version.
Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of Gabriel Marfisi
There are a lot of iconic scenes from The Sopranos. I am particularly curious about the episode “Funhouse,” from season two. There is a scene where Tony, Paulie Gaultieri, and Silvio Dante confront their friend Sal Bonpensiero on a boat. Do you own any of the garments from that episode?
Yes. I’ve got the jacket and the shirt that Tony is wearing on the boat. A friend of mine has the polo shirt by Alan Stuart that Silvio is wearing underneath a leather blazer. And I’ve also got the amazing cardigan that Paulie is wearing.
This one is so cool. The buttons on it are a fucking masterpiece. It’s sort of like a Greco, Versace design with a lion’s head. It’s great.
Do you have the track jacket that Sal was wearing in “Funhouse”?
I was not able to identify that one just yet. I mean, I have a vague idea of what it could be, but no, I don’t have that.
What about the leather jacket Paulie was wearing in “Pine Barrens”?
I’ve got that same jacket in another colorway. He’s wearing a tan one and I have a cream version of that. It’s by a brand called Alfani, which a lot of people have told me was a brand made for Macy’s at some point. [Ed. note: The actual screen-worn jacket sold for $1,290 in an auction. Marfisi says he paid “around $100” for the similar jacket.]
Is there a community of people who collect Sopranos clothes?
Even before I started the page, some people were already on that path. My page was a huge help to them, because there was stuff that I found that they didn’t, and vice versa. We started becoming more of a community, but I’d say as for serious collectors like me? There’s only probably 12 or so people looking for these clothes.
Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of Gabriel Marfisi
How many items do you have in your personal collection?
As for Tony’s stuff alone, I probably have about 70 items that are the same as what he wore. I don’t even have space for this anymore. It’s insane.
That is bananas, man.
It’s funny to talk about it with someone who is not collecting because obviously it sounds crazy. But to me, it’s become completely normal.
What’s your favorite garment?
There’s one shirt that Tony wore a lot in promo photos. It’s black with a beige pattern. When I zoomed in, I saw a fraction of the inside label, so I couldn’t make out a logo or brand name. But I went on a vintage clothes app in Europe and I found the same shirt. It’s actually a very dark midnight blue. So I basically have the same shirt, but it’s not the same brand.
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