Sartorial Stories In The News

Keep generating names. It popped up several times
Any hipster startups are doomed to failure unless they include the words ‘artisanal’ and ‘curated’ in their spiel. Extra points if they include ‘hand picked’ (whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean - “the leathers for our shoes were hand picked [as opposed to randomly selected by a computer algorhythm]”
 
36.000$, are lizard or cocodrile? Mate has a horrible last and look, is this trolling?
They're pretty garish and as you know, the Dutch specialise in fake crocodile and lizard shoes for a mere 200 bucks. They're literally everywhere and they look no different from those $36,000 variety. Same with the C&J Magee I posted yesterday. No one yet has explained to me why the 5 grand Johnny Lobb limited edition is any better than the C&J's GBP 650 version. Near identical shoes in style, possibly last and construction.
 
Any hipster startups are doomed to failure unless they include the words ‘artisanal’ and ‘curated’ in their spiel. Extra points if they include ‘hand picked’ (whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean - “the leathers for our shoes were hand picked [as opposed to randomly selected by a computer algorhythm]”

The handjobs those do each other must “hand picked” as well.
 
I'm deeply surprised that neither of those names included the word "Dapper".


All hypes and brands coming from the other chinavirus forum are doomed to

A rot in Hell
B rot in the pawns of tackys
C all the above


Jeopardy:
For 50 cents each name a few of those specially a Swedish shop comes to my mind... and crapmina, Crapelli and all the sportive
crap shown there.
 
Lumpen (friend of sarto) how many years have you studied The Psychology?

have you not gained any slight understanding and insight into projection?
 
Lumpen (friend of sarto) how many years have you studied The Psychology?

have you not gained any slight understanding and insight into projection?


Sarto finished the career last Christmas after slowly being half a live with it, now is with 1 of the 2 masters he wants to be forensic he said when he gives me some euros for coffee.

But do you mean Psychological Projection, to project in others what ironically one is?

Or about freudian insight?
 
Bespoke Russian sheepskin suits.

Apparently quite reasonably priced(for Western incomes)

Also very butch and not at all gay.

He's got a fur lined sheepskin jacket, My ma said they cost a packet...

Lloyd's of London being petitioned to ditch suit and tie:


The insurance company is being lobbied to do away with dress codes. Does it spell the end for smart attire?

STEPHEN DOIG
MEN'S STYLE EDITOR

While I’m generally against the priggishness around the dos and don’ts of dress codes - snobbishness around folding a pocket square correctly is best left to Thackeray’s great dandy, Major Pendennis - some standards are worth upholding. So with the news that the historic Lloyd's of London insurers is facing calls to do away with suits as part of its required office attire, I can’t help but feel that it’s worth fighting the tailoring industry’s corner, at a time when it needs it more than ever.

The world’s biggest insurer, founded in 1686, has been lobbied by the London & International Insurance Brokers Association to do away with suits at its City of London office, when a return to its HQ is eventually phased in, post pandemic. The body lists a series of expectations for its workers as and when office working becomes more prevalent, and amongst flexible working, one casualty is "an end to...dress codes". The existing one specifies suits or a jacket with trousers for men, with a shirt and tie - although the latter accessory is not compulsory.

It follows a trend in recent years where even the most established and upright of City giants have loosened the tie notch and unbuttoned the collar of office attire. In 2019, Goldman Sachs eased its rules around what men could wear, opting for clothes that reflected a more ‘casual environment’.

Of course, the Gordon-Gekko approach to corporate dressing is no longer relevant; the brash pinstripes, overly decorous cufflinks and braces, the status symbol watch. But to do away with dress codes overall, and more specifically, the suit, is to blindly sweep centuries of tradition and skill off the table.
I think being painfully waspish about the intricacies of suit-wearing is beyond tiresome; I rarely wear a proper, starched-collar shirt with a suit, and far prefer pairing one with trainers to add a bit of modernity. But the suit is the backbone of a man’s professional wardrobe, and after a year of lockdown, we need it more than ever.

I’d hazard a guess that most men, after 12 months of dress-down loungewear, are positively itching to get back into some proper, structured tailoring. Because putting on a suit can have a real, transformative effect, both physically and mentally.

The former is down to the technical skill involved in a good piece of tailoring; your shoulders stand straighter, your back is more upright, and the lapels are designed to narrow the waist and broaden the chest, making you feel more put-together. If well proportioned, and particularly if altered to your fame, a suit can change things about your body and make you feel infinitely more confident.

All of that has an effect on how you feel; more in control and authoritative. There’s a sense of purpose to a suit; you’ve made the effort and it shows respect for the situation or people you’re wearing it for, be it a formal event or dinner with friends. I’ve been lucky enough to wear and own many suits thanks to my role, and there’s something alchemic about their power. With loungewear now synonymous with such an unhappy time, formalwear is going to be associated with our newfound freedom.
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Beyond the personal benefits, the future of the tailoring industry depends on professional men requiring a smart set of togs to head back to the workspace after this is over. It’s been absolutely decimated by lack of sales, with men no longer requiring suits, shirts and ties for work life or socialising - meaning historic Savile Row houses have closed. Likewise, the myriad brands who support the ecosystem of formalwear - shirt makers, shoe makers and tie makers specifically, most of them British and employing thousands of skilled artisans in UK-based manufactures.

Putting on a great suit is so much more than meeting the demands of some corporate dress code. Dust down that old friend once this is over; or better yet, invest in a new one. Your psyche, and your tailor, will thank you for it.
 
Someone who wears sneakers with his suits arguing for maintaining the traditions of the corporate dress code.

Meme Wtf GIF
 
Someone who wears sneakers with his suits arguing for maintaining the traditions of the corporate dress code.
That particular Style Editor, does some very weak journalese and ad copy. But sadly, that's the best The Telegraph can come up, which reminds me, I must cancel my subscription.

There's loads of menswear tailors and outfitters going under in the UK. Surprised that the rebranded Thomas Pink has gone. They seemed to be the football commentator shirt look favourite. Which was very popular when I was still in the UK. That's 20 years ago now.

There's a change in menswear going on and it doesn't involve tailored clothing, suits or brogues.

Noticed Crockett & Jones have a web shop now and once they get the custom duties incorporated in the price on line, they will roll out to the EU. Once that's in place, I will just buy from the online store.

The travelling tailor trunk road shows may become a relic. I was told last week that the whole Hong Kong suit making/tailor thing has already vanished.

The future is online for staples and it will be niche high-end tailoring for the rest. But will it be in high rent places like Savile Row and Jermyn Street?
 
Depends if you have a good indie menswear store in town I think. Something like Anglo-Italian in London or Cavour here in Oslo. Since the latter has opened I've not shopped anywhere else really. Just my shirts which I get made to order by Inglese, though I'm thinking I might use Cavour for that in the future as well. These sort of places offer a made to measure service and fit wise its pretty nailed on for me.
 
We’re still a few generations away from the suit being relegated to Fedora Lounge cosplay eccentrics, but we are heading in that direction.
 
We’re still a few generations away from the suit being relegated to Fedora Lounge cosplay eccentrics, but we are heading in that direction.
Sad but that’s the way I see it too eventually.
The wave of the future is not the one piece jumpsuits of the sci fi space age shows we grew up with, it’s cotton jersey joggers for men and spandex yoga pants for women. With zero correlation to whether they actually do any jogging or yoga in said garments!
 
I would hate to have to wear a suit every day to work, but I think we need some signifiers of formality - a continuum from casual to formal that signal the seriousness of the occasion. But you are right, in a few generations people will have casual, business casual, formal and morning sweat pants.

As a corollary, I was talking about “dressing up” with a 20 something neighbor who is looking forward to returning to his office. When I dig into it a little, I realised that he saw little to no distinction between leather shoes, chinos, oxford and sport coat and a matching suit and tie - it was all “dressing up”.
 
I would hate to have to wear a suit every day to work, but I think we need some signifiers of formality - a continuum from casual to formal that signal the seriousness of the occasion. But you are right, in a few generations people will have casual, business casual, formal and morning sweat pants.

As a corollary, I was talking about “dressing up” with a 20 something neighbor who is looking forward to returning to his office. When I dig into it a little, I realised that he saw little to no distinction between leather shoes, chinos, oxford and sport coat and a matching suit and tie - it was all “dressing up”.
Yeah the amount of times strangers will say to me “nice suit” when it’s absolutely clear I’m wearing odd jacket and pants. I think for many people there’s zero distinction. If you’re wearing jacket and tie you’re “dressed up” in a “suit” regardless of whether the top matches the bottoms!
 
I had to go into the work office a couple of weeks back and the service dept. manager called me "all dressed up" in a sports coat, trousers and open neck shirt. In Norway its all sweatshirts and jeans in offices mainly.

Though to be fair I'm normanally kitted out in dayglow green so I can't say to much.
 
Man I would love to.
Sports jacket or blazer and tie for me. Two weeks ago I went back to work with ties each day. Someone has to raise the bar.

A lot of businesses are already back in the office, or coming back. Also now, but for how long, you don't have to wear masks in the office, so long as you socially distance. Official instruction from the government is that you must still work from home if you can. So all my staff remain at home, I have a few Teams meetings a day, so I can justify the tie.
 
The last "real" independent haberdasher in the city I work in is closing. Elwood Flynn, the gaunt giant is 91 years old and opened the shop since 1953. He was there everyday along with his two over-retirement age sales associates. His lease is up, he has a bum knee (he has stairs all over the joint) and it is obvious that his son is happier selling Euro brands to millennials (Sand, Bikkembergs, J Lindeberg, Boss Orange) in the shop next door.

At one point, he was one of the best haberdashers between Toronto and Vancouver, which is saying something for a town that is only 250,000 people today and was much smaller for decades. He was doing Ivy unlike many in Canada at the time. His name is spoken in the same breath as Harry Rosen and Henry Singer in terms of great Canadian haberdashers.

I was visiting his shop before I even lived here. Back in the golden age of menswear, BB King, Harry Belafonte and Red Skelton got MTM though him. He used to sell Hart and McHale shoes which were on a level of Alfred Sargent but in the end it was AE that he sold. He dressed Team Canada hockey. He used to have trunk shows from all the Canadian MTM outfits like Samuelsohn, Warren K. Cook (tons of handwork) and other suit makers.

When my son required a wedding/funeral/special occasion/only suit, I took him to Elwood. This last decade was really telling as he was selling more Hugo Boss and Ted Baker to the uninformed mouth breathers. Elwood and the lads were always willing to talk even though they knew I'd never buy much of what they were selling being a Big Daddy and all. Ololololo. But he sold decent accessories and I brought others into the shop. It was always my benefit as I learned so much about the Canadian rag and shoe trade history from him. Sucks because I am working downtown several days a week now and he was just a couple of blocks away.

A sign of the times.

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1617384621268.png
 
The last "real" independent haberdasher in the city I work in is closing. Elwood Flynn, the gaunt giant is 91 years old and opened the shop since 1953. He was there everyday along with his two over-retirement age sales associates. His lease is up, he has a bum knee (he has stairs all over the joint) and it is obvious that his son is happier selling Euro brands to millennials (Sand, Bikkembergs, J Lindeberg, Boss Orange) in the shop next door.

At one point, he was one of the best haberdashers between Toronto and Vancouver, which is saying something for a town that is only 250,000 people today and was much smaller for decades. He was doing Ivy unlike many in Canada at the time. His name is spoken in the same breath as Harry Rosen and Henry Singer in terms of great Canadian haberdashers.

I was visiting his shop before I even lived here. Back in the golden age of menswear, BB King, Harry Belafonte and Red Skelton got MTM though him. He used to sell Hart and McHale shoes which were on a level of Alfred Sargent but in the end it was AE that he sold. He dressed Team Canada hockey. He used to have trunk shows from all the Canadian MTM outfits like Samuelsohn, Warren K. Cook (tons of handwork) and other suit makers.

When my son required a wedding/funeral/special occasion/only suit, I took him to Elwood. This last decade was really telling as he was selling more Hugo Boss and Ted Baker to the uninformed mouth breathers. Elwood and the lads were always willing to talk even though they knew I'd never buy much of what they were selling being a Big Daddy and all. Ololololo. But he sold decent accessories and I brought others into the shop. It was always my benefit as I learned so much about the Canadian rag and shoe trade history from him. Sucks because I am working downtown several days a week now and he was just a couple of blocks away.

A sign of the times.

View attachment 36800
View attachment 36802
A sign of the times indeed.

When I first came to the Netherlands back in 2004, you would never see any street wear or track suits being worn outside of the gym. Not even by drug dealers. That lasted quite sometime. Now, it's everywhere and even people my age and much older. I was in Amsterdam today and it was 99% street wear and I saw a couple of real shoes and that was it, in 5 hours of hanging out there mainly on pedestrianised streets whilst my family did the shopping. It's all the same look of bubble coats, tight sports pants and white or black trainers. Hard to find a woman too with any finesse, femininity or flair for dressing, it may be the end of winter and Covid times and all that, but really Amsterdam has gone down several notches. Even The Hague is better dressed than that. And for the seat of government The Hague has always been lacking against equivalent cities IMCO.

The traditional gentleman outfitters model is coming up against cultural change that is unique in the history of dressing well: mass produced tat that is sported and coveted even by those who should know better.
 
A sign of the times indeed.

When I first came to the Netherlands back in 2004, you would never see any street wear or track suits being worn outside of the gym. Not even by drug dealers. That lasted quite sometime. Now, it's everywhere and even people my age and much older. I was in Amsterdam today and it was 99% street wear and I saw a couple of real shoes and that was it, in 5 hours of hanging out there mainly on pedestrianised streets whilst my family did the shopping. It's all the same look of bubble coats, tight sports pants and white or black trainers. Hard to find a woman too with any finesse, femininity or flair for dressing, it may be the end of winter and Covid times and all that, but really Amsterdam has gone down several notches. Even The Hague is better dressed than that. And for the seat of government The Hague has always been lacking against equivalent cities IMCO.

The traditional gentleman outfitters model is coming up against cultural change that is unique in the history of dressing well: mass produced tat that is sported and coveted even by those who should know better.
You cannot fight the casualization of clothing and we all see that in what you describe and it is no different here. It is the lack of choice for those who want to dress well. But I guess that is what the internet is for. You can only get Lobbs in one place in the country now. EG at another.

Even that SF fool who opened a shop selling St. Crispin's and similar in Toronto went out of business.
 
You cannot fight the casualization of clothing and we all see that in what you describe and it is no different here. It is the lack of choice for those who want to dress well. But I guess that is what the internet is for. You can only get Lobbs in one place in the country now. EG at another.

Even that SF fool who opened a shop selling St. Crispin's and similar in Toronto went out of business.
It happened to the main haberdasher here too. Once the lease was up, and the father had been retired, the son gave up. I actually still have a gift card that I never got to use there.

Another local haberdashery actually took over the space though as it was better than their previous location, so not a complete loss, but they are not the same level Dan Ryan was.
 
The family run haberdashery here is now a restaurant and taco joint. The weird thing is the restaurant kept the sign and the name, stealing the 70 year heritage of the clothing shop.
 
You cannot fight the casualization of clothing and we all see that in what you describe and it is no different here. It is the lack of choice for those who want to dress well. But I guess that is what the internet is for. You can only get Lobbs in one place in the country now. EG at another.

Even that SF fool who opened a shop selling St. Crispin's and similar in Toronto went out of business.
The lesson learnt was: I didn't quite think I was that far out of the mainstream, but evidently I am.
It happened to the main haberdasher here too. Once the lease was up, and the father had been retired, the son gave up. I actually still have a gift card that I never got to use there.

Another local haberdashery actually took over the space though as it was better than their previous location, so not a complete loss, but they are not the same level Dan Ryan was
One of the traditional men's outfitters here, I know about. They had good business up until the 2008 crisis. They did most of the politicians here with bespoke and MTM. In their twice yearly sales they were doing €2.5 million a week from their 3 stores which went on for several weeks and had all the latest inventory software to ensure the stores were restocked from their warehouse. And these are not Ralph Lauren outlet sized stores, these are quite small. Surprisingly small to be doing that kind of sale business.

Now the politicians are either like Mark Rutte taking the Oger personal shopper solution, or Suitsupply customers. That business stream has vanished completely. And they're next to the Dutch Houses of Parliament.

They sell good RTW stuff, but their demographic has gone over being elected, retired and not interested or over the horizon of being alive.

That's how quick it can go.
 
Nick Foulkes ripping Lex Greensill has to be my favorite story of the year so far.
NIcholas Foulkes April 21 2021
Once glimpsed, the widely circulated picture of David Cameron and Lex Greensill enjoying a cup of Arabian coffee in the desert beside a blazing camp fire is impossible to unsee. Greensill looks into the middle distance with the air of a man to whom some eternal truth has just been revealed and which he is about to elucidate for the benefit of his eager companion. From now on Cameron’s career, possibly his entire life, will be bookended by two images: one from the 1980s as a tailcoated member of the Oxford dining club the Bullingdon; and this one a generation later showing a jowly former statesman filling his metaphorical boots. But rather than figurative footwear it is Lex Greensill’s actual ankle boots that have been troubling me: filling the foreground, their fabric pull tabs clearly visible beneath trousers that have been rucked up the calf. These boots by Australian heritage brand RM Williams are almost indestructible thanks to their single-piece construction, and are as central to the rugged masculine mythology of Australia as Levi’s denim is in the US. Designed for life in the outback, billabong, sheep station and so forth, these boots should not have been out of place for a fireside dinner in the dunes, but Greensill gives a masterclass in how to make the right footwear look wrong. I felt saddened that a blameless boot had been sucked into the lobbying scandal surrounding Cameron’s enthusiastic proselytising of the now-collapsed financial services business founded by Greensill. As well as approaching the UK chancellor and health secretary on Greensill’s behalf, he accompanied him on such business trips as the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia whence this picture originates. ‘Avengers’ star Patrick Macnee’s mastery of suit and elastic-sided boot, pictured here with Diana Rigg ‘Avengers’ star Patrick Macnee’s mastery of suit and elastic-sided boot, pictured here with Diana Rigg © Shutterstock It may be an Australian oligarch thing — not moving in the exalted circles of our former PM I cannot say — but the whole blue suit in the desert thing doesn’t do it for me. It is not even a particularly nice blue suit; you could fly one of the Greensill private jets down the gap between his suit collar and his neck while the voluminously knotted dark tie imparts the air of a delegate at a regional sales conference who expects to be called away at any moment to attend a funeral. I thought maybe I was reading too much into what was after all just a pair of boots, but then this paper’s esteemed Whitehall editor Sebastian Payne tweeted that he too had trouble banishing this image from his mind’s eye. “About twice an hour, I remember this photo exists” he tweeted. “The more I look, the more questions come to mind. Mostly disappointed that I have the same boots as Lex Greensill”. I thought maybe I was reading too much into a pair of boots, but then this paper’s Whitehall editor Sebastian Payne tweeted he too had trouble banishing the image from his mind’s eye Other commentators felt Greensill’s literal interpretation of suited and booted should have raised questions in Cameron’s mind. But who can blame Cameron for focusing on the bigger picture of a few tens of millions in share options? After all Cameron’s own shoe choices have raised questions in the past: his attempt to get with the Sprezzatura in Siena by wearing stout black loafers suited to office wear without socks (better to display his pale English ankles) gave substance to his claim to be “not really interested in clothes”. Greensill has reignited the debate about Chelsea boots and whether they can be worn with a suit. On the whole the professional advice would appear to be not to try the Greensill at home, but to pair the boots with more casual trouser styles, such as jeans. But it can be done. According to James Fox of Crockett and Jones it is all about thoughtful combination of last, the foot-shaped form upon which shoes are shaped imparting the silhouette, and fabric weight. Describing Greensill’s look “as an interesting one most of our customers would try to avoid,” he adds cautiously “boots and suits can work, it depends on the last that they are made upon”. I would also add that the fabric needs to be heavy enough to have a bit of drape and I tend to overcompensate with what many would regard as too much break in order that I minimise the chances of doing a Greensill and exposing the fabric pull tabs; alternatively, you could always use the old tailoring trick and sew lead fishing weights into the trouser bottoms. For an example of excellence, one has to return to the 1960s when Avengers star Patrick Macnee’s mastery of suit and elastic-sided boot was a thing of beauty, putting them together in a way that united the dandified neo-Edwardianism of Bunny Roger with the brash youthful energy of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He managed this with a narrow, but not skinny, cavalry-cut trouser with a slanted hem longer at the back than at the front and Chelsea boots made on a narrow last. Australian Channel 10 meteorologist Josh Holt Australian Channel 10 meteorologist Josh Holt The RM Williams Instagram account demonstrates that there are plenty of other ways to wear them. Take meteorologist Josh Holt, who on assuming his role on Australia’s Channel 10 sported a pair of RMW’s Santa Fe boots with their exaggerated Cuban heel and decorative Tex-Mex stitching, wearing them with a grey suit with narrow legged trousers featuring a commendably generous break. He showed how a little thought and care can create a (pleasantly) memorable style statement while making the weather in Wagga Wagga a lot more watchable. RM Williams is another Greensill victim; after all it is hardly like the company invited him to do a collaboration. Far from it. Instead, the brand asked Marc Newson, a design deity who has done more than anyone to reverse the Fosters-guzzling Crocodile Dundee stereotype, to riff on its 1950s Gardener boot. The result is the one-piece Yard Boot 365, the second capsule of which has just been released in three new colours. I did try to talk to RMW’s designer but was told that the brand was “in a transition period so a new creative director will be announced in August”. Even though Greensill may find himself with time on his hands, he probably need not apply.
 
Nick Foulkes ripping Lex Greensill has to be my favorite story of the year so far.
'In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential.' - Oscar Wilde
 
I'm not sure this qualifies as in the news, but Richard Thompson Ford's new book is a ostensibly a study of dress codes since the middle ages. It's quite good, and is actually significantly more encompassing than just dress codes, but delves into psychology and messaging in clothing.

 
I'm not sure this qualifies as in the news, but Richard Thompson Ford's new book is a ostensibly a study of dress codes since the middle ages. It's quite good, and is actually significantly more encompassing than just dress codes, but delves into psychology and messaging in clothing.

Just put an order in for that book.

This made me smile: ''Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s lace neckwear..'' We had an art teacher back in the 1980s who had that look, but with a subtle Elizabethan high collar. She has a completely unique and eccentric style. If she's still alive, she'd be in her late nineties now.
 
So did Trump really have his pants on back to front for that speech he gave recently?
Photographic evidence is not conclusive but it sure seems that way.
 

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