Disagreeable Menswear Post Of The Day

“They are, aesthetically, the best pair of glasses I’ve ever put on. I also haven’t worn them in 8 months since arriving home” . That sums it up. The Emperors New Clothes.

It’s also matey’s fault for ‘living so far from Europe’

He could just walk into Specsavers, or its Australian equivalent, and they would heat his frame up for free so that it fits better. They might not want to listen to a long monologue though.
 
Monsieur Bonnet now has a shop in London called an ‘atelier’.

On the front it says ‘Lunetier’. Classy. Chic.

He also has a French title ‘Maitre d’Art’ and four generations of ‘provenance’ including grandads tools. Provenance also includes ‘a concise 17th century Florentine skill-set’.

You begin to see the picture
 
Are we all sure that Crompton is not running a parody site and it’s all part of an elaborate troll?

The amount of supplicating sycophants prostrating themselves before him in the response section would suggest he should run for office as he’s certainly shown a gift for hauling in a sackful in what may be all part of his elaborate prank.

I find it hard to take his blathering seriously, and even harder to believe - even looking at those who are in power in the UK and US - that there are THIS many gullible people in the world.
 
The fussing is what Crompton and many of his kind buy into. A typical panto-style spectacle frame can easily be picked up for 130 euros. Crompton made it an even easier sell because he was predisposed to that style.

So the shopkeeper earns 1000 euros in addition to the standard profit on the frames just for listening to Crompton.

It was the same with the tattoo man. Crompton spent ages just talking about the design.

Additionally they gain free promotion to other gullible types.

"Franck put the relevant part of the frame in the heater (see artistically-posed nature morte taken by sidekick photographer who must be one notch down from gentleman's fluffer). Then he gently bend the frame into the desired shape."

I did all of the above at home, using hot water and plain old common sense.
 
"Franck put the relevant part of the frame in the heater (see artistically-posed nature morte taken by sidekick photographer who must be one notch down from gentleman's fluffer). Then he gently bend the frame into the desired shape."

I did all of the above at home, using hot water and plain old common sense.
You can put some clean white sand in an old electric frypan at home. That’s basically what optometry technicians do. Bend carefully. It’s actually much easier if you have some one sensibly to help fit them. That someone sensible can be anyone.
 
I use a hairdryer to bend the arms of my sunglasses.

Exactly - and if you look at the device on the workbench in the photos of the frame-maker, you can see that the device they use is basically a hairdryer in a different case.

It's not complicated at all but it's surrounded by mystique in this case because you're paying a vast amount for the frames.
 
If Crompers will condescend to visit my kitchen-cum-atelier, I promise to listen to him with tilted head for at least 90 minutes.
 
I'm surprised Crompton did not get tortoiseshell. This and eccentric designs like Jacques Chirac's squares (what foo got) or archiect rounds are the only reasons to go to maison bonnet for.
 
I'm surprised Crompton did not get tortoiseshell. This and eccentric designs like Jacques Chirac's squares (what foo got) or archiect rounds are the only reasons to go to maison bonnet for.
Yes - and not just any tortoiseshell but the lightest colour, rarest, most expensive tortoiseshell that the lunetier had persuaded him was just right for his face.
 
To be fair, I was quite nervous about heating and bending a pair of Cutler & Gross sunglasses many years ago, so I can see why someone might fear dealing with those glitzy gallic ones. I eventually did it with hot water and no instruction and, for all I knew, they would snap despite the heat.
 
To be fair, I was quite nervous about heating and bending a pair of Cutler & Gross sunglasses many years ago, so I can see why someone might fear dealing with those glitzy gallic ones. I eventually did it with hot water and no instruction and, for all I knew, they would snap despite the heat.

I hear you. In that case, one can pop into one's local lunetier and ask them to do it for you. They do this sort of thing all the time, and the chances of the frame snapping are next to nil, which is to say about as high as if you one were to take them to the original maitre artisan. The service houldn't cost more than a few sous, or Australian dollars, or pounds, or conch shells.
 
Not sure I can say much. Kirby has moved on from hangers to fill the shoes of bespoke types who no longer post on the internet. Flusser is a name I have heard of but don’t know much about. He could do with a decent haircut.

Kirby seems pleasant enough.
 
Not sure I can say much. Kirby has moved on from hangers to fill the shoes of bespoke types who no longer post on the internet. Flusser is a name I have heard of but don’t know much about. He could do with a decent haircut.

Kirby seems pleasant enough.

Flusser has made shitloads of money by telling the bleeding obvious.
 
As noted, Flusser made the book "Dressing the man" which is iconic. He's been dressing up guys since forever, and has had some costume gigs too; IIRC, he designed the wardrobe of Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street".

With that said, he's incredibly hit-and-miss. I've seen him in some very nice pieces, and other times in atrocious combinations. I would lump his style with Paul Stuart and (softer) Ralph Lauren.
 
My father was an engineer who wore navy polyester slacks and a white shirt. Flusser and Bernie Roetzel were good to me.

Oh I don't know. I am the lowest of the low-bred, and my sartorial journey was an empirical one. A lot of trial and error. Looking back, it was mostly error, and even if I had read Flusser's book back then, I'd have learned nothing. Flusser and Roetzel did not write an Idiot's Guide. It's an aide-mémoire for the gentleman who is already familiar with the subject.

Be that as it may, I'd love to have Flusser cut a suit for me. I want the Gordon Gekko aesthetic, and I want to look like a film star, damn it.
 
Be that as it may, I'd love to have Flusser cut a suit for me. I want the Gordon Gekko aesthetic, and I want to look like a film star, damn it.

You don't need Flusser to access the Gordon Gekko look. Whilst I'm very partial to an 80s silhouette, it's the braces that put me off.
 
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That's Cromptonspeak for Finamore refusing him a freebie and an all expenses paid trip to visit the factory, doing a photoshoot while touching shit and reminisce about the famous craftsmen in factories where everyone is treated like family and they have lunch after a common prayer.

The best part is in the comments once again:
Crompers: I've tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers and prefer Italian (well, Neapolitan of course)! to English shirts, other aren't woth it aswell.
Commenter: Don't get it. Care to elaborate?
Crompers: Sorry, can't do that. It's in the feel.

If he was anything more than a glorified influencer he would have tried to really illustrate the differences between the differences in cuts, construction and collars. This post is nothing more than name dropping while again avoiding any serious criticism. Still, his followers trust him, he's a serious and impartial menswear journalist after all.
 
Be that as it may, I'd love to have Flusser cut a suit for me. I want the Gordon Gekko aesthetic, and I want to look like a film star, damn it.
My biggest concern would be that Flusser would make me look like Flusser.

Come on, how can you be taken seriously as an icon of menswear when you’re a fat sloppy mess?

(See also that Orson Welles character with the shop in Japan).
 
That's Cromptonspeak for Finamore refusing him a freebie and an all expenses paid trip to visit the factory, doing a photoshoot while touching shit and reminisce about the famous craftsmen in factories where everyone is treated like family and they have lunch after a common prayer.

The best part is in the comments once again:
Crompers: I've tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers and prefer Italian (well, Neapolitan of course)! to English shirts, other aren't woth it aswell.
Commenter: Don't get it. Care to elaborate?
Crompers: Sorry, can't do that. It's in the feel.

If he was anything more than a glorified influencer he would have tried to really illustrate the differences between the differences in cuts, construction and collars. This post is nothing more than name dropping while again avoiding any serious criticism. Still, his followers trust him, he's a serious and impartial menswear journalist after all.

Anyone with a clout of sartorial awareness, knows that a number of English bespoke shirtmakers as with shoe manufacturers are in their own premier league. To pretend that the maestros of Neapolitan ice cream are in the same league is a scam. Back in 2009 that pigeon chested boy wonder was bigging up T&A with his first bespoke shirt. Now he's exhausted the old country and he's just going round and around in the boot of Italy.

But riddle me this: if you had tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers, as a style guru, you likely would have formed an opinion based on construction and quality of fit, above and beyond some ''feel'' and that Italians do it better than anyone else. You would zero on the best. I can do that with English makers of shoes and shirts. How many of those 21 bespoke shirtmakers are in Naples?
 
Anyone with a clout of sartorial awareness, knows that a number of English bespoke shirtmakers as with shoe manufacturers are in their own premier league. To pretend that the maestros of Neapolitan ice cream are in the same league is a scam. Back in 2009 that pigeon chested boy wonder was bigging up T&A with his first bespoke shirt. Now he's exhausted the old country and he's just going round and around in the boot of Italy.

But riddle me this: if you had tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers, as a style guru, you likely would have formed an opinion based on construction and quality of fit, above and beyond some ''feel'' and that Italians do it better than anyone else. You would zero on the best. I can do that with English makers of shoes and shirts. How many of those 21 bespoke shirtmakers are in Naples?


Don't get me started. And British bespoke shirtmakers DO take single orders. Not all. But some do. Just like the Italians.

A few posts ago, Crompers declared solemnly that freebies and discounts do not influence his reviews. Lies! How can you talk about 'value' ('price' sticks in his delicate throat) unless you pay for the damn thing? At the end of the day, it's about what you can afford.
 
Come on, how can you be taken seriously as an icon of menswear when you’re a fat sloppy mess?

Observe Flusser's mouth, his eyebrows, and his hands. There's a certain kind of smugness which only the Americans can do. And East Coast Americans do it best. We in Europe are still struggling. We've got that Sotheby's estate agent wotsisname, but he doesn't do videos.
 
Anyone with a clout of sartorial awareness, knows that a number of English bespoke shirtmakers as with shoe manufacturers are in their own premier league. To pretend that the maestros of Neapolitan ice cream are in the same league is a scam. Back in 2009 that pigeon chested boy wonder was bigging up T&A with his first bespoke shirt. Now he's exhausted the old country and he's just going round and around in the boot of Italy.

But riddle me this: if you had tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers, as a style guru, you likely would have formed an opinion based on construction and quality of fit, above and beyond some ''feel'' and that Italians do it better than anyone else. You would zero on the best. I can do that with English makers of shoes and shirts. How many of those 21 bespoke shirtmakers are in Naples?

Great post. I’m tempted to copy and paste this into his comments section and stand back as the sycophants recoil in horror at the thought of their emperor with no clothes. He would probably delete it ASAP.
 
Don't get me started. And British bespoke shirtmakers DO take single orders. Not all. But some do. Just like the Italians.

What he means is, the English shirtmakers won't give him half-a-dozen shirts for a bit of ad copy prosody.

Observe Flusser's mouth, his eyebrows, and his hands. There's a certain kind of smugness which only the Americans can do. And East Coast Americans do it best. We in Europe are still struggling. We've got that Sotheby's estate agent wotsisname, but he doesn't do videos.

I think we had it in the past, or certain echelons did. The Americans seem to do a certain style of effervescent earnestness better than anyone else. But in saying that, I didn't pick that up from Flusser.

Great post. I’m tempted to copy and paste this into his comments section and stand back as the sycophants recoil in horror at the thought of their emperor with no clothes. He would probably delete it ASAP.

Please don't I have enough voodoo pins being stuck into me as it is. Thanks!
 
Anyone with a clout of sartorial awareness, knows that a number of English bespoke shirtmakers as with shoe manufacturers are in their own premier league. To pretend that the maestros of Neapolitan ice cream are in the same league is a scam. Back in 2009 that pigeon chested boy wonder was bigging up T&A with his first bespoke shirt. Now he's exhausted the old country and he's just going round and around in the boot of Italy.

But riddle me this: if you had tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers, as a style guru, you likely would have formed an opinion based on construction and quality of fit, above and beyond some ''feel'' and that Italians do it better than anyone else. You would zero on the best. I can do that with English makers of shoes and shirts. How many of those 21 bespoke shirtmakers are in Naples?

The quality differences between upmarket English, Italian, French etc. makers are marginal, no matter the product. There are styling differences and in the make but an Edward Green shoe isn't better or worse than a Bontoni shoe, or a shirt by Anna Matuozzo will be on par with a shirt by T&A, ignoring hits and misses on both sides. Most shirtmakers these days don't do bespoke anyway, it's mostly a more refined version of MTM.

He basically ingores anything outside the UK, Italy and France. The reason he gives is that his audience is mostly British/American so no interest there. Yet if you talk to craftsmen from Central Europe many will have customers from there. Guess no freebies to get there, they would probabaly laugh at the suggestion.
 
Don't get me started. And British bespoke shirtmakers DO take single orders. Not all. But some do. Just like the Italians.

A few posts ago, Crompers declared solemnly that freebies and discounts do not influence his reviews. Lies! How can you talk about 'value' ('price' sticks in his delicate throat) unless you pay for the damn thing? At the end of the day, it's about what you can afford.

Do you honestly think he creates any considerably traffic for the more upmarket tailors he's reviewed? I highly doubt that anyone goes to Dege & Skinner because he saw the suit they made for him. If you can afford Savile Row, Caraceni or whatever you don't need Simon Crompton's blessing. His readership will mostly look for the mid-range MTM with the best chance of a decent fit, this seems the only area he can offer helpful advice.
 
The way I see it, is that Italian brands have more to gain on Cromptons gospel. Italy has lower salaries than say England, and I'd imagine a much lower base of clientele, compared to major European hubs like London. But they can charge just as much as English tailors, and probably have fatter margins (this is just a wild guess, arrest me if I'm wrong).

I'd guess that they simply get a much nicer ROI than their western peers, on flying in / wine and dine / give freebies to influencers like Crompton, and that's on top of their flat fees.
 
The way I see it, is that Italian brands have more to gain on Cromptons gospel. Italy has lower salaries than say England, and I'd imagine a much lower base of clientele, compared to major European hubs like London. But they can charge just as much as English tailors, and probably have fatter margins (this is just a wild guess, arrest me if I'm wrong).

I'd guess that they simply get a much nicer ROI than their western peers, on flying in / wine and dine / give freebies to influencers like Crompton, and that's on top of their flat fees.

The Italian rag trade relies heavily on Chinese labour up there in them Tuscany hills. Salaries in Italy on tentative perusal look lower than say England, but you have to factor in 14 salaries and 8% severance funds. Whilst I see lots of small tailors still in Italy, the costs for RTW shirts and the like are not cheap. It's not a cheap country to operate in, nor is it sartorially cost effective. But it does have variety in terms of number of tailors you can visit.
 

I was the one who asked about Finamore. His remark about them not doing bespoke didn't cut it (pun very much intended) when his list includes MTM. I mean, how much have we heard about Samanamel (or whatever they're called) lately? Crompton strays from bespoke when it suits him (two puns per paragraph).

I asked him a similar question about Cesare Attolini a while ago. Of course he's as likely to get a freebie from them as he is from Brioni. With his physique, a trip around the corner to Brioni wouldn't be a bad idea, actually.
 
I was the one who asked about Finamore. His remark about them not doing bespoke didn't cut it (pun very much intended) when his list includes MTM. I mean, how much have we heard about Samanamel (or whatever they're called) lately? Crompton strays from bespoke when it suits him (two puns per paragraph).

I asked him a similar question about Cesare Attolini a while ago. Of course he's as likely to get a freebie from them as he is from Brioni. With his physique, a trip around the corner to Brioni wouldn't be a bad idea, actually.
Much respect for pun rate
 
I'm fine with what is below the neck. You just know he's insufferable. From Sartoria Dalcuore.
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That's Cromptonspeak for Finamore refusing him a freebie and an all expenses paid trip to visit the factory, doing a photoshoot while touching shit and reminisce about the famous craftsmen in factories where everyone is treated like family and they have lunch after a common prayer.

The best part is in the comments once again:
Crompers: I've tried 21 bespoke shirtmakers and prefer Italian (well, Neapolitan of course)! to English shirts, other aren't woth it aswell.
Commenter: Don't get it. Care to elaborate?
Crompers: Sorry, can't do that. It's in the feel.

If he was anything more than a glorified influencer he would have tried to really illustrate the differences between the differences in cuts, construction and collars. This post is nothing more than name dropping while again avoiding any serious criticism. Still, his followers trust him, he's a serious and impartial menswear journalist after all.
What he is saying is I have tried 21 shirt makers - including the big names. Therefore you should be impressed. ‘ I only do bespoke’ is more of the same.
Yes, he is trying to gain a reputation as ‘an influencer’. I suspect some of his replies are not genuine, though I cannot prove it.
 

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