gus walbolt (Gusw and @abitofcolor) notorious SHILL for khakis of carmel

FriendCustomer

FriendCustomer

Awful Tie Aficionado
Messages
2,267
Gus
Is a well know shill on the forums and instagram. Here is just one example of one trunk show for one store. Style forum is polluted with hundreds of his posts like this. Again these images are just one example. All marketing, pr, advertisement, organizational bullshit for a trunk show being passed off as just the work of a friendly menswear hobbyist. The reality of the shill game should be clear to even our most mentally challenged members.

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If you guys have any other examples of Gus Walbolt shilling for Khakis of Carmel or any other brands feel free to post. All comments welcome.
 
A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. FriendCustomer FriendCustomer art is demounting. He's about to paint his masterpiece.
 
I actually liked the look of the food from Dirty Habit.

That neon-madrass jacket and waistcoat is winner, I do hope it glows in the dark.
 
Why would someone looking to set up an interview with Jim Ockert or wanting information about the store need to contact Gus Walbolt. Friendly menswear hobbyist or paid consultant? You decide.

The smoking gun (source PRWeb) :

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And here's me thinking that shills at S.F was just a conspiracy theory, but it turns out it is actually TRUE! It's really opened my eyes up to what's really going on.
 
Has anyone told Gus he's been busted and posted this thread to him?

In case he reads this, hey Gus...looks like your goose is cooked mate! :lolguy::crazytroll:
 
The Shooman said:
Has anyone told Gus he's been busted and posted this thread to him?

In case he reads this, hey Gus...looks like your goose is cooked mate! :lolguy::crazytroll:
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well, he did send me this PM on Monday, and hasn't been back since Tuesday afternoon, after FC started the thread.

Hey Rambo,

I have some feedback for you since I read your thread about improving DW. You seem sincere in trying to improve the forum and to get more people. I also think an option to SF is a great idea.

I spent a decent amount of time yesterday and this morning on your site. Although I enjoyed much of it, there are a lot of accusations being tossed around naming people and stating assumptions, with absolutely no proof especially when it comes to the forums obsession with shills. Of course we know that there are shills out there. But, as an example, the entire Dieworkwear Shill thread is BS, without a single shred of evidence to support the claim. I've heard brands and retailers admit that they tried "everything" to get him to write about them, but he ignores them or just says "No". Where is evidence that he writes about anything other than what he buys and wears or is paid to write for PTO? There isn't any. Just false assumptions by people who are sure they are right yet have no facts. Yet posters are allowed to make slanderous statements.

Then FriendCustomer calls me a shill but, of course, no proof.

I doubt you would have invited me to check out the forum if you felt I was a shill, right? And, if I was, wouldn't I use a fake name?

My point is, if you want to improve your forum, you need credibility. And you will never have it as long as you allow people to make false and slanderous accusations. (FC making baseless statements about me doesn't mean much because it isn't my livelihood). But you will never attract quality members, retailers, or vendors as long as you condone slander. Anyone with a career stake in menswear would be crazy to participate unless you make a change.

OK, I'm done...no more preaching. But, hey it's your playground so you get to make the rules.

Gus
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Rambo said:
well, he did send me this PM on Monday, and hasn't been back since Tuesday afternoon, after FC started the thread.
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So why is he listed on the khakis website as the contact person for PR related inquiries? Does he just like the store so much that he does it out of the goodness of his heart? I find that hard to believe, but I'd like hear his reasoning behind it.

Dieworkwear being a shill is harder to prove, but he writes an awful lot about NMWA/Drakes/Armoury. That one Kiehls piece was totally out of place as well and read like a random plug. Anyways, he's just not a very nice person and has had a particularly bad influence on SF, so some questioning of his motives is warranted.
 
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Rambo said:
well, he did send me this PM on Monday, and hasn't been back since Tuesday afternoon, after FC started the thread.
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Gus said:
...you will never attract quality members, retailers, or vendors as long as you condone slander. Anyone with a career stake in menswear would be crazy to participate unless you make a change.
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I think the biggest misconception here is that he is a 'quality member' - I doubt even our esteemed FriendCustomer FriendCustomer could find evidence to support that theory. He seems like a nice enough fellow - when he's selling you something - but when every post has a hidden agenda, how can you trust such a person?
 
prince nez said:
I think the biggest misconception here is that he is a 'quality member' - I doubt even our esteemed FriendCustomer FriendCustomer could find evidence to support that theory. He seems like a nice enough fellow - when he's selling you something - but when every post has a hidden agenda, how can you trust such a person?
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Another misconception is that we want vendors. There's a difference between discussing clothes and being sold clothes. Mixing the two is bad practice.

I believe research analysing amazon reviews found that reviews regarding products received for free are more positive than those who had to pay for the products. Even if the seller is asking for honest reviews, the fact that a person didn't have to pay for it will create an unconscious positive bias.
 
prince nez said:
I think the biggest misconception here is that he is a 'quality member' - I doubt even our esteemed FriendCustomer FriendCustomer could find evidence to support that theory. He seems like a nice enough fellow - when he's selling you something - but when every post has a hidden agenda, how can you trust such a person?
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Precisely. Gus, shlomo and other dubiously honored members on SF have blurred the lines between enthusiasts and shill. This along with the protected affiliate vendors have turned SF into one big press release, commercial forum where honest feedback is at a minimum. Even a guy like crompton admits to receiving discounts. At least with him you know where you stand.

i take Gus 's point concerning DWW, and I have never accused him of being a shill, but as as Monkeyface Monkeyface notes he is a righteous bitch.

If commercial interests are afraid of participating in DW it is because they can't handle honest criticism. OR they are simply turned off by the freewheeling and sometimes racial and homophobic jokes that infect this and any other lightly moderated forum that aren't over run with far leftist weirdos. It's a difficult line to balance and I don't really have a solution.

But the idea that Gus and other bottom feeders and their preferred "quality" merchants and vendors are needed here is a joke.

Most of the quality non commercial SF members have long since abandoned SF as well. It's not like chaps like Vox or RJman are still posting there. Sure they still monitor SF, but they and others seem to monitor DW as well.
 
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FriendCustomer said:
If commercial interests are afraid of participating in DW it is because they can't handle honest criticism. OR they are simply turned off by the freewheeling and sometimes racial and homophobic jokes that infect this and any other lightly moderated forum that aren't over run with far leftist weirdos. It's a difficult line to balance and I don't really have a solution.
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Even the wackos on DW haven't deterred all commercial interests - e.g. XofPentacles XofPentacles , HenryC... well, I would call them enthusiasts with transparent commercial interests, rather than commercial interests masquerading as enthusiasts. The fact neither pretend to know what they're talking about unless they actually do (unlike Schlomo & co.) is also a plus.

FriendCustomer said:
Most of the quality non commercial SF members have long since abandoned SF as well. It's not like chaps like Vox or RJman are still posting there. Sure they still monitor SF, but they and others seem to monitor DW as well.
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Yes, and don't forget LKP! Oh sorry, I forgot he has a major commercial relationship with OMP.
 
prince nez said:
Yes, and don't forget LKP! Oh sorry, I forgot he has a major commercial relationship with OMP.
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LKP is complaining about the lack of omp kick backs lately. so i wouldnt be surprised if he would be looking for another tiemakerfriend when were on napels next month

QuandoDio said:
I thought it was ConchitaWurst ConchitaWurst that does have a relationship with OB?
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NOT AT ALL!!! I'M JUST AN OB ENTHOUSIAST. funny you mention though. because totally coincidetally im wearing these PERFECTLY CUT ORLEBAR BROWN SHORTS while posting this. fid i ever mention that ORLEBAR BROWN IS THE BEST RESORT WEAR MAKER?

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Commercial interests have no interest in coming to DW because generally we have no interest in their interests from a commercial standpoint.

Plus there is no critical mass here to scoop up their fine deals.
 
Appreciate the love and I'm always eager to make some lifetime customers if possible. Criticism isn't a deterrent and can be useful in instances, but applying it to appease everyone doesn't guarantee sales either. My philosophy has been to create things that I would purchase as a consumer given my individual tastes. the beauty of coming to DW is working under the assumption that you've already been to the rodeo before. I don't have to explain much and if you like it, you're free to pull the trigger. We've all seen interpretations of pocket squares and ties before. People get hung up on shills but as a consumer they wouldn't influence my purchase anyway. Quality, price, and taste are my criteria for spending, not popularity. As a business you try to leave no stone unturned, so I understand the grassroots marketing approach via "Influencers" or the like. I think the tightrope is exposure versus being misleading; but again I have my own criteria when buying. Hopefully I give people enough product info to make an informed purchase. If the Rake wrote an article about the importance of hot pink flamingo embroidered socks in a man's wardrobe, it wouldnt prompt me to pull the trigger if it weren't my taste to begin with. Just my .02

The Minotaur's Labyrinth pre-order is live btw :woot:
 
ConchitaWurst said:
LKP is complaining about the lack of omp kick backs lately. so i wouldnt be surprised if he would be looking for another tiemakerfriend when were on napels next month



NOT AT ALL!!! I'M JUST AN OB ENTHOUSIAST. funny you mention though. because totally coincidetally im wearing these PERFECTLY CUT ORLEBAR BROWN SHORTS while posting this. fid i ever mention that ORLEBAR BROWN IS THE BEST RESORT WEAR MAKER?

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You buy them always on YOOX?
 
Thruth said:
Allow me to shill in this shill thread for X of Pentacles
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We hadn't realized the true impact of the Greek crisis. Poor X of Pentacles. Lost in the labyrinth of the pocket squares market. Visually astonishing. Aesthetically WTF!
 
Jupiter said:
We hadn't realized the true impact of the Greek crisis. Poor X of Pentacles. Lost in the labyrinth of the pocket squares market. Visually astonishing. Aesthetically WTF!
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I guess no man can escape the wrath of the gods. Luckily I'll also be releasing a norse square in two colorways. Because viking folklore needs love too!
 
I don't understand elaborate pocket squares. I can understand it if you're a stage magician, but outside of that, what's the point? Yes, the minotaur gig is all very nice, but no one will see that.
 
Lord Buckley said:
I don't understand elaborate pocket squares. I can understand it if you're a stage magician, but outside of that, what's the point? Yes, the minotaur gig is all very nice, but no one will see that.
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Add that to the increasing number of things you just don't get!

I am not a big square guy - well not anymore- but outside of white linen, 'elaborate' baroque-esque pocket squares are the most useful kind of squares.
 
Just simple white ones neatly folded in the style of Frank Sinatra does the trick. Nothing worse then walking down the street looking like you're going to pull a rabit or pigeon from your breast pocket.
 
XofPentacles said:
I guess no man can escape the wrath of the gods. Luckily I'll also be releasing a norse square in two colorways. Because viking folklore needs love too!
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Nordic myths deserve it indeed. A runic series could be great. Why not one with a Black Sun? An idea to dig.
 
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