Sartorial Stories In The News

sirloin said:
“GQ is cool now, which is the first time that sentence has ever been true in 30 years.”

nymag.com

After the Fall of the Glossy Magazine, What’s Left of Condé Nast?

Two years after Si Newhouse died (and Graydon Carter left), Anna Wintour and a new CEO map out the future they can afford.
nymag.com nymag.com
Click to expand...
05270d22ec03c3aca68b851c80c3aecaacb752-wide-thumbnail.jpg
 
Welch’s argument for the new GQ is that niche is what works in 2019. “It’s people who see the world through the prism of stylishness and taste,” he said of his GQ reader. “That’s not everyone, and I’m completely at peace with that.” The magazine’s covers and photo spreads were now being targeted less at a man looking for help picking out an outfit from J.Crew than at someone interested in the latest Supreme drop. Tips on tie width and face lotions would be relegated to the web. “That is a core GQ story, and we’ll do it until the world stops spinning, but I just can’t see any reason to print it in a magazine,” Welch said. He believed the narrow focus would lead to growth. “There was an era when GQ could legitimately claim to speak to ‘American Men,’ ” he said. “Now you can get a huge audience by being very focused.” A men’s-fashion rep told me he likes it: “GQ is cool now, which is the first time that sentence has ever been true in 30 years.”
 
You've just got to ROFLMAO at americans sometimes - a commentator blaming Conde issües on Anna Wintour as a "hard left editor
 
Protestors in Hong Kong on October 1, 2019 | Source: Shutterstock

GLOBAL

The Aftermath of Hong Kong’s Protest Uniform
In the wake of the city’s ongoing pro-democracy protests, an all-black look has become a polarising statement with wider repercussions in politics and retail.
Protestors in Hong Kong on October 1, 2019 | S
BY ZOE SUENNOVEMBER 7, 2019 05:20


HONG KONG, China — An all-black ensemble has always been in fashion. But as Hong Kong passes its twenty-second week of pro-democracy protests, the look has become a polarising political symbol.

An all-black uniform — black T-shirts, black jeans and face masks, often paired with helmets, goggles and umbrellas — was first seen on the streets in mid-June, after local police began attempting to disperse protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas, says Dr. Tommy Tse, assistant professor in media and culture at the The University of Hong Kong’s Department of Sociology.

“Protesters wanted to use [the colour of their clothes] to communicate their sorrow, anger and regret of the government's pushing the [now withdrawn] extradition law as well as the [local] police's increasing violence” against demonstrators, says Tse. “It also creates a stronger visual effect when it comes to the aerial photos by the media, symbolising a sense of unity and determination against the unprecedentedly suppressive political environment.”

Hong-Kong-Protests--1024x683.jpg

Protesters march on a street on August 3, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. | Source: Getty Images

Last month, the special administrative region’s government enacted a prohibition on face masks to deter rioters, which only escalated protests across Hong Kong. The uniform has also ignited backlash from the Chinese government, which recently banned exports of black clothing to the city.

The South China Morning Post reported that in a notice issued by a mainland courier company in July, China’s customs authority prohibited the delivery of Hong Kong-bound black clothing, in addition to items such as masks and flags. Another notice from Guangdong-based company Express boasted an even more extensive list, which included “black shirts and other clothing.”

Though some brands may be hit harder than others by the ban, China Market Research Group Managing Director Ben Cavender reckons there will be a limited effect on retailers’ sales in Hong Kong. “Buyers are likely to switch to other colours for the time being or will look at stock already available in Hong Kong.” Meanwhile, the chaos has driven locals to shop more online, and customers are likely to opt for cross-border e-tailers if their go-to brands can’t fulfil their wish lists.
"I’ve had people give me dirty looks because they recognise what my black outfit means."
Click to expand...
“I think if it's a large brand they are going to be very careful of angering Beijing, so [they] are probably not going to be stocking much in the way of black T-shirts,” Cavender adds. “Independent retailers probably have the ability to source from other markets, though customs may end up cracking down to some extent as well.”

Though protests typically take place from Friday to Sunday, this hasn’t deterred some from sporting black outfits during the week. “It’s an easy way to show where you stand,” says 22-year-old student Cindy Wong, who takes part in demonstrations on weekends. But as the protests continue to disrupt the city’s tourism and retail sectors, Hong Kong residents have become divided on whether highly disruptive mass protests are the way forward.

“Many people are supportive, but I’ve also had people give me dirty looks because they recognise what my black outfit means,” Wong adds. “Police officers pay more attention to us in public.”

White T-shirts, too, have become politically charged. On July 22, a mob of men in white T-shirts attacked black-clad protesters and passengers at Hong Kong’s Yuen Long railway station. Reports quoted witnesses alleging that the men in white were triad gangsters, and victims accused the riot police (who arrived at the scene after the mob had left) of deliberately avoiding the clash. The melee was followed by several altercations between the alleged triad members in white, and protestors in black.

shutterstock_1421884883-e1570464354612-1024x576.jpg

Protestors demonstrate against controversial extradition law in Hong Kong | Source: Shutterstock

According to Tse, protesters wore white on June 9, when the demonstrations kicked off. “It was long before the [triad attack], but the pro-democracy mass public later adopted such a stark colour contrast...to symbolise the antagonism between the government and [people].” He notes that the irony of triad members being associated with white, “which typically epitomises peace, purity, justice and freedom,” also came into play.

“I’m sure some protesters are still wearing their white shirts to work during the week,” says Wong. “But as my school doesn’t require it, I choose not to.”

Though the chaos has seen Hong Kong’s September retail sales grow at their slowest pace in 15 months, T-shirt sales are being uniquely affected.

According to Kayla Marci, market analyst at retail data platform Edited, Hong Kong’s mass market retailers pulled back their assortments of white T-shirts over the past three months compared to the month prior. The shade has decreased by 30 percent, driven predominantly by a reduction in men's T-shirts, whereas new arrivals of black T-shirts have increased by 11 percent.
New arrivals of black T-shirts have increased by 11 percent in Hong Kong
Click to expand...
At Japanese retailer Muji’s outpost in WTC mall (located in the city’s once-bustling retail haven Causeway Bay), a staff member confirmed that though business has been sluggish in general, white T-shirt sales have slowed while black T-shirt sales have picked up. A salesperson at Uniqlo’s Lee Theatre flagship said the same. Muji and Uniqlo have not responded to BoF’s requests for comment.

Months of unrest have had a well-documented effect on the luxury sector in Hong Kong, which as one of the top five global luxury travel destinations has long been a shopping hot spot for mainland tourists and accounted for 5 to 10 percent of global luxury sales, according to Bernstein data. The city’s retail sales took another dive in September, falling 18.3 percent year-on-year according to recent government data. Tourist visits plunged around 50 percent in the first half of October, according to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong-Kong-briefing-lead-e1565958571562-1024x576.jpg

Riot police officers rush through the streets during anti-government protests in Hong Kong | Source: Getty Images
After Prada announced its plans to shut its flagship store in Hong Kong’s retail haven Causeway Bay next year due to low foot traffic, the store’s landlord told the South China Morning Post that it is amenable to slash rents by 44 percent.

As the political chaos goes on to drive tourists and shoppers away from stores, both luxury and mass retailers will continue to see slow sales overall, but the black clothing trading ban adds another layer of complexity to an already highly-charged business environment. “These kinds of spikes or drops in demand create massive issues for inventory planning, [which] will leave a lot of brands wondering what to do in regard to Hong Kong for future seasons,” Cavender adds, noting the impending challenges facing e-commerce players serving the city. “However, most are opportunistic, inexpensive operations that will likely try to pivot to something else.”
 
fxh said:
You've just got to ROFLMAO at americans sometimes - a commentator blaming Conde issües on Anna Wintour as a "hard left editor
Click to expand...

Haha!

Yes - I’m the bearded, hand-tattoed, ugly-glasses-wearing new hipster editor of GQ. My philosophy on rebuilding and rebranding the failing readership in a time of across the board failing print media is to alienate the main demographic who have supported us for decades, by featuring outlandish clothes in garish colours on various nose-pierced, face-tattooed members of the hip hop community. In doing so I will create a niche readership which will stimulate the magazine to thrive like the Phoenix from the flames and take its rightful place among the most popular and widely read magazines ever.

Yeah that’s my plan. What could possibly go wrong?
 
Scherensammler said:
He might already sport a Prince Albert one!
Click to expand...

Imagine the article on Permanent Style.

First of all he would set the scene with an extensive historical assessment of the prince and all the places in London and elsewhere that have links to him.

Then he would need to find someone to do the deed. That would involve extensive consultations over several months or maybe years. Then he would go ahead.

The piercing artisan would be prohibitively expensive( assuming you were happy with the idea in the first place).

He would preferably be from Italy.
 
Kingstonian said:
Imagine the article on Permanent Style.

First of all he would set the scene with an extensive historical assessment of the prince and all the places in London and elsewhere that have links to him.

Then he would need to find someone to do the deed. That would involve extensive consultations over several months or maybe years. Then he would go ahead.

The piercing artisan would be prohibitively expensive( assuming you were happy with the idea in the first place).

He would preferably be from Italy.
Click to expand...
... and finally there would be a plethora of comments from his slavvering sycophants saying how great it looked, what a fantastic influence he is on them and if only they could afford the same Italian artisan they would get theirs done too. Any derisive comments to the tune of what an insufferably pretentious prick he is would be immediately deleted.
 
Kingstonian said:
Imagine the article on Permanent Style.

First of all he would set the scene with an extensive historical assessment of the prince and all the places in London and elsewhere that have links to him.

Then he would need to find someone to do the deed. That would involve extensive consultations over several months or maybe years. Then he would go ahead.

The piercing artisan would be prohibitively expensive( assuming you were happy with the idea in the first place).

He would preferably be from Italy.
Click to expand...

Done.

MY PIERCING
by Crompers Crompton

Most readers will have heard of piercing, a process whereby non-organic metallic elements are attached to the human body for decorative purposes. However, few will have heard of Gennaro Henley-Contadino.

At our June pop-up shop on Savile Row, as I was talking to Bryce while examining his selvedge Japanese denims, I was introduced to Gennaro by Ganesh. Gennaro was browsing through Ring Armoury's autumn collection of high-twist gabardine trenchcoats and was trying one.

It turned out Gennaro and I shared the same passions. He was a big photography and cycling nut, and had spent a term at Oxford when I was a fresher in the same college, studying Renaissance Art and Architecture. As we got talking, I learned that Gennaro grew up in Naples, where his British-American father was serving in the US Sixth Fleet. That's where his father had met his Italian mother. Gennaro spoke of the influence of Americana and prep fashion, surrounded as he was by vintage militaria, combined with the Southern Italian Neapolitan vibrancy and warmth.

After graduating, Gennaro spent some years working as a designer with Gustavo von Zorn, who revolutionised bespoke shoes after working with Olga Berluti in the 1970s (see my review here). But his main passion was piercings, and he opened his first atelier in Milan in 2009, and a second one in his hometown of Naples a year later.

I discovered that Gennaro had recently moved to the UK, and set up a new studio in Boyle Street, just round the corner from our pop-up store.

I had been planning to commission a bespoke nose piercing for some time, so the meeting was propitious.

It is something I took extremely - perhaps characteristically - seriously, and had been considering for several years.

To me, it is a deep expression of who I am, and what I value. I see it as something profound, to be treasured. An heirloom that I can pass on to my children. In some ways it’s a natural extension of how I think about decorating by body with everything else - but far, far more significant for its permanence.

The design had to be unique, besides showing my personality. So I went back through my notebooks full of sketches from my trips in Morocco and throughout Europe, seeking a design which would be harmonious and yet edgy - something which made a subtle statement.

I visited Gennaro in his atelier in September. He characteristically did not launch immediately into a discussion of my my commission, but took the time to make me some authentic Neapolitan espresso on an 1890s machine which he inherited from his great-grandmother, served in genuine Cretan Celadon ware.

As I sipped my coffee, he showed me round his studio and atelier. The handwork which goes into each unique creation never takes less than 900 hours. Gennaro uses metal wires sourced from Inner Mongolia. These are twisted on hand-operated looms to create two- or four-strand yarns, whose tensile strength comes from the elasticity of the metal. The ductile qualities of each metal give varying degrees of elasticity.

Gennaro showed me all his metal swatches, including some vintage wires made in the former German Democratic Republic. At this point we decided to choose the material first before discussing the design. I ended up choosing Ethiopian copper wire in a special four-in-three weave. Three strands of copper are wound round a central core of tungsten to give a lovely slubby texture and a luxurious hand.

We then went into Gennaro's studio to discuss the design.

I showed him a sketch of what I wanted, and he made some helpful suggestions, after studying the design carefully and in silence, his fingers stroking his beard, and his head tilted to one side.

We decided on a three-piece design. The piercing would be made in three parts joined together by a special countersunk bevelled screw. The central core would be polished, while the outer parts would be given an acid wash which gives a special lustre to the flat surfaces. The result is a screw which is unstructured while retaining a degree of formality. Something which can be worn easily, say, with flannels and knitwear, or with high-twist formal dinner jacketing.

Gennaro took careful measurements of my nose, noting down the numbers in Italian. In an interesting and unusual (for me) procedure, he asked me to insert my thumb into my right nostril. He explained that this is needed to check the air pressure in the nose, since excess pressure can blow the gaskets on the nasal piercing. English piercing artisans, by contrast, will use a pencil up the nose to test for air pressure, which gives a crisper, more formal reading. Most RTW piercing-makers just use a pressure gauge.

I visited Gennaro a couple of weeks later for my first fitting. We made some slight adjustments to the screw mechanism. He asked me to stand in front of a mirror and drink coffee through a straw until he got the diameter right, which he achieved by gently filing the surface of the central core using a diamond-coated file.

The piercing was practically finished at the second fitting. Gennaro had suggested we leave the choice of engraving until after the second fitting, so we took some time to discuss my design for an inscription on the tread of the screw. I chose a phrase in Punjabi from the archway over Davide Taub's shop.

The commission was complete after fourteen months, and I have been wearing my piercing almost daily on my commute to the office, and occasionally for formal evenings too. This is will be an item which will give me years of pleasure, something to be treasured.

I am preparing a detailed review and style breakdown of my piercing, which will deal will deal with the technical details and details of the construction (finish, canvas, tread pitch, elastic modulus, etc.)

Piercings start at £5000 (VAT not included) for the full bespoke option.

Gennaro also offers a MTM option starting at £3500 (excl. VAT), which will be attractive to many readers just starting out who are looking to build a wardrobe of piercings.

These prices are not cheap, but while they may look like they're expensive, an artisan like Gennaro only makes a small profit. Unlike the bigger high-street brands, he sources the materials himself, and, ultimately, you are paying for the design as well as the superb craftsmanship.

In this photoshoot I am wearing:
- piercing by Gennaro Henley-Contadino
- bespoke Fox yak weave Y-fronts by Orazio Gentileschi
- bespoke turtleshell rimmed spectacles by Atelier Gleisenstein

* Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored post. I paid the full amount for the items. I thank Gennaro for his kind hospitality.
 
Last edited:
Untermensch said:
Done.

MY PIERCING
by Crompers Crompton

Most readers will have heard of piercing, a process whereby non-organic metallic elements are attached to the human body for decorative purposes. However, few will have heard of Gennaro Henley-Contadino.

At our June pop-up shop on Savile Row, as I was talking to Bryce while examining his selvedge Japanese denims, I was introduced to Gennaro by Ganesh. Gennaro was browsing through Ring Armoury's autumn collection of high-twist gabardine trenchcoats and was trying one.

It turned out Gennaro and I shared the same passions. He was a big photography and cycling nut, and had spent a term at Oxford when I was a fresher in the same college, studying Renaissance Art and Architecture. As we got talking, I learned that Gennaro grew up in Naples, where his British-American father was serving in the US Sixth Fleet. That's where his father had met his Italian mother. Gennaro spoke of the influence of Americana and prep fashion, surrounded as he was by vintage militaria, combined with the Southern Italian Neapolitan vibrancy and warmth.

After graduating, Gennaro spent some years working as a designer with Gustavo von Zorn, who revolutionised bespoke shoes after working with Olga Berluti in the 1970s (see my review here). But his main passion was piercings, and he opened his first atelier in Milan in 2009, and a second one in his hometown of Naples a year later.

I discovered that Gennaro had recently moved to the UK, and set up a new studio in Boyle Street, just round the corner from our pop-up store.

I had been planning to commission a bespoke nose piercing for some time, so the meeting was propitious.

It is something I took extremely - perhaps characteristically - seriously, and had been considering for several years.

To me, it is a deep expression of who I am, and what I value. I see it as something profound, to be treasured. An heirloom that I can pass on to my children. In some ways it’s a natural extension of how I think about decorating by body with everything else - but far, far more significant for its permanence.

The design had to be unique, besides showing my personality. So I went back through my notebooks full of sketches from my trips in Morocco and throughout Europe, seeking a design which would be harmonious and yet edgy - something which made a subtle statement.

I visited Gennaro in his atelier in September. He characteristically did not launch immediately into a discussion of my my commission, but took the time to make me some authentic Neapolitan espresso on an 1890s machine which he inherited from his great-grandmother, served in genuine Cretan Celadon ware.

As I sipped my coffee, he showed me round his studio and atelier. The handwork which goes into each unique creation never takes less than 900 hours. Gennaro uses metal wires sourced from Inner Mongolia. These are twisted on hand-operated looms to create two- or four-strand yarns, whose tensile strength comes from the elasticity of the metal. The ductile qualities of each metal give varying degrees of elasticity.

Gennaro showed me all his metal swatches, including some vintage wires made in the former German Democratic Republic. At this point we decided to choose the material first before discussing the design. I ended up choosing Ethiopian copper wire in a special four-in-three weave. Three strands of copper are wound round a central core of tungsten to give a lovely slubby texture and a luxurious hand.

We then went into Gennaro's studio to discuss the design.

I showed him a sketch of what I wanted, and he made some helpful suggestions, after studying the design carefully and in silence, his fingers stroking his beard, and his head tilted to one side.

We decided on a three-piece design. The piercing would be made in three parts joined together by a special countersunk bevelled screw. The central core would be polished, while the outer parts would be given an acid wash which gives a special lustre to the flat surfaces. The result is a screw which is unstructured while retaining a degree of formality. Something which can be worn easily, say, with flannels and knitwear, or with high-twist formal dinner jacketing.

Gennaro took careful measurements of my nose, noting down the numbers in Italian. In an interesting and unusual (for me) procedure, he asked me to insert my thumb into my right nostril. He explained that this is needed to check the air pressure in the nose, since excess pressure can blow the gaskets on the nasal piercing. English piercing artisans, by contrast, will use a pencil up the nose to test for air pressure, which gives a crisper, more formal reading. Most RTW piercing-makers just use a pressure gauge.

I visited Gennaro a couple of weeks later for my first fitting. We made some slight adjustments to the screw mechanism. He asked me to stand in front of a mirror and drink coffee through a straw until he got the diameter right, which he achieved by gently filing the surface of the central core using a diamond-coated file.

The piercing was practically finished at the second fitting. Gennaro had suggested we leave the choice of engraving until after the second fitting, so we took some time to discuss my design for an inscription on the tread of the screw. I chose a phrase in Punjabi from the archway over Davide Taub's shop.

The commission was complete after fourteen months, and I have been wearing my piercing almost daily on my commute to the office, and occasionally for formal evenings too. This is will be an item which will give me years of pleasure, something to be treasured.

I am preparing a detailed review and style breakdown of my piercing, which will deal will deal with the technical details and details of the construction (finish, canvas, tread pitch, elastic modulus, etc.)

Piercings start at £5000 (VAT not included) for the full bespoke option.

Gennaro also offers a MTM option starting at £3500 (excl. VAT), which will be attractive to many readers just starting out who are looking to build a wardrobe of piercings.

These prices are not cheap, but while they may look like they're expensive, an artisan like Gennaro only makes a small profit. Unlike the bigger high-street brands, he sources the materials himself, and, ultimately, you are paying for the design as well as the superb craftsmanship.

In this photoshoot I am wearing:
- piercing by Gennaro Henley-Contadino
- bespoke Fox yak weave Y-fronts by Orazio Gentileschi
- bespoke turtleshell rimmed spectacles by Atelier Gleisenstein

* Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored post. I paid the full amount for the items. I thank Gennaro for his kind hospitality.
Click to expand...

Excellent. I did have to make a quick check on Permanent Style to see if I had missed an article.
 
Untermensch said:
Done.

MY PIERCING
by Crompers Crompton

Most readers will have heard of piercing, a process whereby non-organic metallic elements are attached to the human body for decorative purposes. However, few will have heard of Gennaro Henley-Contadino.

At our June pop-up shop on Savile Row, as I was talking to Bryce while examining his selvedge Japanese denims, I was introduced to Gennaro by Ganesh. Gennaro was browsing through Ring Armoury's autumn collection of high-twist gabardine trenchcoats and was trying one.

It turned out Gennaro and I shared the same passions. He was a big photography and cycling nut, and had spent a term at Oxford when I was a fresher in the same college, studying Renaissance Art and Architecture. As we got talking, I learned that Gennaro grew up in Naples, where his British-American father was serving in the US Sixth Fleet. That's where his father had met his Italian mother. Gennaro spoke of the influence of Americana and prep fashion, surrounded as he was by vintage militaria, combined with the Southern Italian Neapolitan vibrancy and warmth.

After graduating, Gennaro spent some years working as a designer with Gustavo von Zorn, who revolutionised bespoke shoes after working with Olga Berluti in the 1970s (see my review here). But his main passion was piercings, and he opened his first atelier in Milan in 2009, and a second one in his hometown of Naples a year later.

I discovered that Gennaro had recently moved to the UK, and set up a new studio in Boyle Street, just round the corner from our pop-up store.

I had been planning to commission a bespoke nose piercing for some time, so the meeting was propitious.

It is something I took extremely - perhaps characteristically - seriously, and had been considering for several years.

To me, it is a deep expression of who I am, and what I value. I see it as something profound, to be treasured. An heirloom that I can pass on to my children. In some ways it’s a natural extension of how I think about decorating by body with everything else - but far, far more significant for its permanence.

The design had to be unique, besides showing my personality. So I went back through my notebooks full of sketches from my trips in Morocco and throughout Europe, seeking a design which would be harmonious and yet edgy - something which made a subtle statement.

I visited Gennaro in his atelier in September. He characteristically did not launch immediately into a discussion of my my commission, but took the time to make me some authentic Neapolitan espresso on an 1890s machine which he inherited from his great-grandmother, served in genuine Cretan Celadon ware.

As I sipped my coffee, he showed me round his studio and atelier. The handwork which goes into each unique creation never takes less than 900 hours. Gennaro uses metal wires sourced from Inner Mongolia. These are twisted on hand-operated looms to create two- or four-strand yarns, whose tensile strength comes from the elasticity of the metal. The ductile qualities of each metal give varying degrees of elasticity.

Gennaro showed me all his metal swatches, including some vintage wires made in the former German Democratic Republic. At this point we decided to choose the material first before discussing the design. I ended up choosing Ethiopian copper wire in a special four-in-three weave. Three strands of copper are wound round a central core of tungsten to give a lovely slubby texture and a luxurious hand.

We then went into Gennaro's studio to discuss the design.

I showed him a sketch of what I wanted, and he made some helpful suggestions, after studying the design carefully and in silence, his fingers stroking his beard, and his head tilted to one side.

We decided on a three-piece design. The piercing would be made in three parts joined together by a special countersunk bevelled screw. The central core would be polished, while the outer parts would be given an acid wash which gives a special lustre to the flat surfaces. The result is a screw which is unstructured while retaining a degree of formality. Something which can be worn easily, say, with flannels and knitwear, or with high-twist formal dinner jacketing.

Gennaro took careful measurements of my nose, noting down the numbers in Italian. In an interesting and unusual (for me) procedure, he asked me to insert my thumb into my right nostril. He explained that this is needed to check the air pressure in the nose, since excess pressure can blow the gaskets on the nasal piercing. English piercing artisans, by contrast, will use a pencil up the nose to test for air pressure, which gives a crisper, more formal reading. Most RTW piercing-makers just use a pressure gauge.

I visited Gennaro a couple of weeks later for my first fitting. We made some slight adjustments to the screw mechanism. He asked me to stand in front of a mirror and drink coffee through a straw until he got the diameter right, which he achieved by gently filing the surface of the central core using a diamond-coated file.

The piercing was practically finished at the second fitting. Gennaro had suggested we leave the choice of engraving until after the second fitting, so we took some time to discuss my design for an inscription on the tread of the screw. I chose a phrase in Punjabi from the archway over Davide Taub's shop.

The commission was complete after fourteen months, and I have been wearing my piercing almost daily on my commute to the office, and occasionally for formal evenings too. This is will be an item which will give me years of pleasure, something to be treasured.

I am preparing a detailed review and style breakdown of my piercing, which will deal will deal with the technical details and details of the construction (finish, canvas, tread pitch, elastic modulus, etc.)

Piercings start at £5000 (VAT not included) for the full bespoke option.

Gennaro also offers a MTM option starting at £3500 (excl. VAT), which will be attractive to many readers just starting out who are looking to build a wardrobe of piercings.

These prices are not cheap, but while they may look like they're expensive, an artisan like Gennaro only makes a small profit. Unlike the bigger high-street brands, he sources the materials himself, and, ultimately, you are paying for the design as well as the superb craftsmanship.

In this photoshoot I am wearing:
- piercing by Gennaro Henley-Contadino
- bespoke Fox yak weave Y-fronts by Orazio Gentileschi
- bespoke turtleshell rimmed spectacles by Atelier Gleisenstein

* Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored post. I paid the full amount for the items. I thank Gennaro for his kind hospitality.
Click to expand...
Hall of fame worthy
 
Untermensch said:
Done.

MY PIERCING
by Crompers Crompton

Most readers will have heard of piercing, a process whereby non-organic metallic elements are attached to the human body for decorative purposes. However, few will have heard of Gennaro Henley-Contadino.

At our June pop-up shop on Savile Row, as I was talking to Bryce while examining his selvedge Japanese denims, I was introduced to Gennaro by Ganesh. Gennaro was browsing through Ring Armoury's autumn collection of high-twist gabardine trenchcoats and was trying one.

It turned out Gennaro and I shared the same passions. He was a big photography and cycling nut, and had spent a term at Oxford when I was a fresher in the same college, studying Renaissance Art and Architecture. As we got talking, I learned that Gennaro grew up in Naples, where his British-American father was serving in the US Sixth Fleet. That's where his father had met his Italian mother. Gennaro spoke of the influence of Americana and prep fashion, surrounded as he was by vintage militaria, combined with the Southern Italian Neapolitan vibrancy and warmth.

After graduating, Gennaro spent some years working as a designer with Gustavo von Zorn, who revolutionised bespoke shoes after working with Olga Berluti in the 1970s (see my review here). But his main passion was piercings, and he opened his first atelier in Milan in 2009, and a second one in his hometown of Naples a year later.

I discovered that Gennaro had recently moved to the UK, and set up a new studio in Boyle Street, just round the corner from our pop-up store.

I had been planning to commission a bespoke nose piercing for some time, so the meeting was propitious.

It is something I took extremely - perhaps characteristically - seriously, and had been considering for several years.

To me, it is a deep expression of who I am, and what I value. I see it as something profound, to be treasured. An heirloom that I can pass on to my children. In some ways it’s a natural extension of how I think about decorating by body with everything else - but far, far more significant for its permanence.

The design had to be unique, besides showing my personality. So I went back through my notebooks full of sketches from my trips in Morocco and throughout Europe, seeking a design which would be harmonious and yet edgy - something which made a subtle statement.

I visited Gennaro in his atelier in September. He characteristically did not launch immediately into a discussion of my my commission, but took the time to make me some authentic Neapolitan espresso on an 1890s machine which he inherited from his great-grandmother, served in genuine Cretan Celadon ware.

As I sipped my coffee, he showed me round his studio and atelier. The handwork which goes into each unique creation never takes less than 900 hours. Gennaro uses metal wires sourced from Inner Mongolia. These are twisted on hand-operated looms to create two- or four-strand yarns, whose tensile strength comes from the elasticity of the metal. The ductile qualities of each metal give varying degrees of elasticity.

Gennaro showed me all his metal swatches, including some vintage wires made in the former German Democratic Republic. At this point we decided to choose the material first before discussing the design. I ended up choosing Ethiopian copper wire in a special four-in-three weave. Three strands of copper are wound round a central core of tungsten to give a lovely slubby texture and a luxurious hand.

We then went into Gennaro's studio to discuss the design.

I showed him a sketch of what I wanted, and he made some helpful suggestions, after studying the design carefully and in silence, his fingers stroking his beard, and his head tilted to one side.

We decided on a three-piece design. The piercing would be made in three parts joined together by a special countersunk bevelled screw. The central core would be polished, while the outer parts would be given an acid wash which gives a special lustre to the flat surfaces. The result is a screw which is unstructured while retaining a degree of formality. Something which can be worn easily, say, with flannels and knitwear, or with high-twist formal dinner jacketing.

Gennaro took careful measurements of my nose, noting down the numbers in Italian. In an interesting and unusual (for me) procedure, he asked me to insert my thumb into my right nostril. He explained that this is needed to check the air pressure in the nose, since excess pressure can blow the gaskets on the nasal piercing. English piercing artisans, by contrast, will use a pencil up the nose to test for air pressure, which gives a crisper, more formal reading. Most RTW piercing-makers just use a pressure gauge.

I visited Gennaro a couple of weeks later for my first fitting. We made some slight adjustments to the screw mechanism. He asked me to stand in front of a mirror and drink coffee through a straw until he got the diameter right, which he achieved by gently filing the surface of the central core using a diamond-coated file.

The piercing was practically finished at the second fitting. Gennaro had suggested we leave the choice of engraving until after the second fitting, so we took some time to discuss my design for an inscription on the tread of the screw. I chose a phrase in Punjabi from the archway over Davide Taub's shop.

The commission was complete after fourteen months, and I have been wearing my piercing almost daily on my commute to the office, and occasionally for formal evenings too. This is will be an item which will give me years of pleasure, something to be treasured.

I am preparing a detailed review and style breakdown of my piercing, which will deal will deal with the technical details and details of the construction (finish, canvas, tread pitch, elastic modulus, etc.)

Piercings start at £5000 (VAT not included) for the full bespoke option.

Gennaro also offers a MTM option starting at £3500 (excl. VAT), which will be attractive to many readers just starting out who are looking to build a wardrobe of piercings.

These prices are not cheap, but while they may look like they're expensive, an artisan like Gennaro only makes a small profit. Unlike the bigger high-street brands, he sources the materials himself, and, ultimately, you are paying for the design as well as the superb craftsmanship.

In this photoshoot I am wearing:
- piercing by Gennaro Henley-Contadino
- bespoke Fox yak weave Y-fronts by Orazio Gentileschi
- bespoke turtleshell rimmed spectacles by Atelier Gleisenstein

* Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored post. I paid the full amount for the items. I thank Gennaro for his kind hospitality.
Click to expand...

I would have had him have a tongue piercing as well.
 
Haha - almost nailed it but remember the PS law of only a two sentence maximum for each paragraph. (Even his grammar / punctuation style is irritating!)
 
Untermensch said:
Done.

MY PIERCING
by Crompers Crompton

Most readers will have heard of piercing, a process whereby non-organic metallic elements are attached to the human body for decorative purposes. However, few will have heard of Gennaro Henley-Contadino.

At our June pop-up shop on Savile Row, as I was talking to Bryce while examining his selvedge Japanese denims, I was introduced to Gennaro by Ganesh. Gennaro was browsing through Ring Armoury's autumn collection of high-twist gabardine trenchcoats and was trying one.

It turned out Gennaro and I shared the same passions. He was a big photography and cycling nut, and had spent a term at Oxford when I was a fresher in the same college, studying Renaissance Art and Architecture. As we got talking, I learned that Gennaro grew up in Naples, where his British-American father was serving in the US Sixth Fleet. That's where his father had met his Italian mother. Gennaro spoke of the influence of Americana and prep fashion, surrounded as he was by vintage militaria, combined with the Southern Italian Neapolitan vibrancy and warmth.

After graduating, Gennaro spent some years working as a designer with Gustavo von Zorn, who revolutionised bespoke shoes after working with Olga Berluti in the 1970s (see my review here). But his main passion was piercings, and he opened his first atelier in Milan in 2009, and a second one in his hometown of Naples a year later.

I discovered that Gennaro had recently moved to the UK, and set up a new studio in Boyle Street, just round the corner from our pop-up store.

I had been planning to commission a bespoke nose piercing for some time, so the meeting was propitious.

It is something I took extremely - perhaps characteristically - seriously, and had been considering for several years.

To me, it is a deep expression of who I am, and what I value. I see it as something profound, to be treasured. An heirloom that I can pass on to my children. In some ways it’s a natural extension of how I think about decorating by body with everything else - but far, far more significant for its permanence.

The design had to be unique, besides showing my personality. So I went back through my notebooks full of sketches from my trips in Morocco and throughout Europe, seeking a design which would be harmonious and yet edgy - something which made a subtle statement.

I visited Gennaro in his atelier in September. He characteristically did not launch immediately into a discussion of my my commission, but took the time to make me some authentic Neapolitan espresso on an 1890s machine which he inherited from his great-grandmother, served in genuine Cretan Celadon ware.

As I sipped my coffee, he showed me round his studio and atelier. The handwork which goes into each unique creation never takes less than 900 hours. Gennaro uses metal wires sourced from Inner Mongolia. These are twisted on hand-operated looms to create two- or four-strand yarns, whose tensile strength comes from the elasticity of the metal. The ductile qualities of each metal give varying degrees of elasticity.

Gennaro showed me all his metal swatches, including some vintage wires made in the former German Democratic Republic. At this point we decided to choose the material first before discussing the design. I ended up choosing Ethiopian copper wire in a special four-in-three weave. Three strands of copper are wound round a central core of tungsten to give a lovely slubby texture and a luxurious hand.

We then went into Gennaro's studio to discuss the design.

I showed him a sketch of what I wanted, and he made some helpful suggestions, after studying the design carefully and in silence, his fingers stroking his beard, and his head tilted to one side.

We decided on a three-piece design. The piercing would be made in three parts joined together by a special countersunk bevelled screw. The central core would be polished, while the outer parts would be given an acid wash which gives a special lustre to the flat surfaces. The result is a screw which is unstructured while retaining a degree of formality. Something which can be worn easily, say, with flannels and knitwear, or with high-twist formal dinner jacketing.

Gennaro took careful measurements of my nose, noting down the numbers in Italian. In an interesting and unusual (for me) procedure, he asked me to insert my thumb into my right nostril. He explained that this is needed to check the air pressure in the nose, since excess pressure can blow the gaskets on the nasal piercing. English piercing artisans, by contrast, will use a pencil up the nose to test for air pressure, which gives a crisper, more formal reading. Most RTW piercing-makers just use a pressure gauge.

I visited Gennaro a couple of weeks later for my first fitting. We made some slight adjustments to the screw mechanism. He asked me to stand in front of a mirror and drink coffee through a straw until he got the diameter right, which he achieved by gently filing the surface of the central core using a diamond-coated file.

The piercing was practically finished at the second fitting. Gennaro had suggested we leave the choice of engraving until after the second fitting, so we took some time to discuss my design for an inscription on the tread of the screw. I chose a phrase in Punjabi from the archway over Davide Taub's shop.

The commission was complete after fourteen months, and I have been wearing my piercing almost daily on my commute to the office, and occasionally for formal evenings too. This is will be an item which will give me years of pleasure, something to be treasured.

I am preparing a detailed review and style breakdown of my piercing, which will deal will deal with the technical details and details of the construction (finish, canvas, tread pitch, elastic modulus, etc.)

Piercings start at £5000 (VAT not included) for the full bespoke option.

Gennaro also offers a MTM option starting at £3500 (excl. VAT), which will be attractive to many readers just starting out who are looking to build a wardrobe of piercings.

These prices are not cheap, but while they may look like they're expensive, an artisan like Gennaro only makes a small profit. Unlike the bigger high-street brands, he sources the materials himself, and, ultimately, you are paying for the design as well as the superb craftsmanship.

In this photoshoot I am wearing:
- piercing by Gennaro Henley-Contadino
- bespoke Fox yak weave Y-fronts by Orazio Gentileschi
- bespoke turtleshell rimmed spectacles by Atelier Gleisenstein

* Disclaimer: This is an unsponsored post. I paid the full amount for the items. I thank Gennaro for his kind hospitality.
Click to expand...

Grand Potentate Grand Potentate , put this in the HOF
 
I think I shall do a Die Workwear piece next. No less than a thousand sentences per paragraph, followed by five hundred mostly grainy black-and-white shots of Steve McQueen (the one with the coffee), Ralph Lauren (the one on Lake Geneva), the Japanese OAP from Forza, Serge Gainsbourg (smoking), Mohammed Ali, and the one with Mick Jagger off his head on coke being driven to his wedding.
 
Untermensch said:
I think I shall do a Die Workwear piece next. No less than a thousand sentences per paragraph, followed by five hundred mostly grainy black-and-white shots of Steve McQueen (the one with the coffee), Ralph Lauren (the one on Lake Geneva), the Japanese OAP from Forza, Serge Gainsbourg (smoking), Mohammed Ali, and the one with Mick Jagger off his head on coke being driven to his wedding.
Click to expand...

And don't forget some discrete reference to Naples in every other paragraph.
 
Untermensch said:
I think I shall do a Die Workwear piece next. No less than a thousand sentences per paragraph, followed by five hundred mostly grainy black-and-white shots of Steve McQueen (the one with the coffee), Ralph Lauren (the one on Lake Geneva), the Japanese OAP from Forza, Serge Gainsbourg (smoking), Mohammed Ali, and the one with Mick Jagger off his head on coke being driven to his wedding.
Click to expand...
For added authenticity make sure to include several oblique references to sociology and philosophy to demonstrate how edumacated and intellectual you are / he is, and there has to be a few photos of that snaggle-toothed Japanese bundled up in a huge overcoat.
 
Great White Snark said:
For added authenticity make sure to include several oblique references to sociology and philosophy to demonstrate how edumacated and intellectual you are / he is, and there has to be a few photos of that snaggle-toothed Japanese bundled up in a huge overcoat.
Click to expand...

With molto pleasure. Any particular topic you'd like me to write on? I thought I might write about the socio-cultural implications of the underwear design, starting with a quote from Thoreau.
 
Dropbear said:
Sounds like BS to me:
Click to expand...

I don't think that cheaper sneakers are so profitable, but the more expensive sneakers are probably insanely profitable per pair.

I can't imagine that it costs much more to make more expensive sneakers, as opposed to cheap sneakers, so if you imagine those same costs of approximately $15 per pair applied to sneakers that then sell for $200/pair, as opposed to $70/pair, the profit margins are clearly much higher.
 
Pimpernel Smith said:
Yes, indeedy. There is great comfort to have risen above the rank and file of street wear. Doesn't look good on a middle aged gut.
Click to expand...

My dad wears sneakers all the time - I think that Baby Boomers see jeans and trainers as liberating and egalitarian. My formative years were the mid to late 1980s, when the cool kids wore Doc Martins and the riff raff were in disposable canvas runners.



But speak for yourself with that middle aged gut :)
 
Dropbear said:
My dad wears sneakers all the time - I think that Baby Boomers see jeans and trainers as liberating and egalitarian. My formative years were the mid to late 1980s, when the cool kids wore Doc Martins and the riff raff were in disposable canvas runners.

But speak for yourself with that middle aged gut :)
Click to expand...

They definitely like their denim. But outside of Status Quo, I don't remember my father's generation in the UK taking to trainers/sneakers outside of the gym. The casual terrace look was big on Adidas sneakers, but that was really the generation immediately before mine. Ours was denim with nubuck leather jackets and suede shoes in the style of The Smiths.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top Bottom