StyleForum - Behind the Veil: Money, Politics & Bullshit

[The Machine]

One of the affiliate vendors, Linjer, got Trolled pretty hard over the last week. Looks like a sock account was calling them out for stealing the designs of companies like Mismo and misleading marketing. Thread got locked last night, but opened back up around lunch. Best guess is Linjer's investors got spooked by the negative messaging appearing so high in Google's search results. StyleForum has been a bit of a cash cow to the brand. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they owe a large part of their initial success on the forum.

Good stuff starts after this post: http://www.styleforum.net/t/417448/linjer-leather-goods-official-affiliate-thread/1980#post_8800347

 

[The Machine]

Looks like Linjer bowed out of the AV game. Official story is they got too busy to give the thread the attention it deserves, but you obviously have to wonder if part of it is the recent trolling and backlash they received a short while back from the poor handeling of their watch promotion.

 

[Pauly Chase]

Thoughts on the redesign?

 

[gambit50]

Thank you for your inquiry!
I'd like to announce that animated avatars are now available again. You'll have to reload, but they are once more possible.

We've been doing a ton of work behind the scenes. The site load speed was already under 1/2 of what Huddler's was, on average, and we installed cloudflare(to accommodate the very flares that are the hems of primo poster StanleyVanBuren when going retro), which means that the site should be even faster. A ton more will go on in the weeks and months to come, and some things will be more visibile(moar fits&kops), and some less(fapping).
Please take a moment to visit our newest affiliate vendor FriendCustomer and the Friendly Tweeds. We think they will be a community favorite and look forward to their amazing photo inspirations for your pleasure.

Cheers,

Fok+Rambo for the StyleWellDressed.net team

 

[C0keZer0]

Didn't Greggggggg Ladouche go apesht whenever someone talk sht about one of their brands?

 

[The Machine]

Thoughts on the redesign?

Much better now that they have fixed a lot of the bugs and added back features that were missing. I still prefer the old platform, but am getting used to it.

Biggest annoyance to me is how it handles monitoring threads you posted in for new replies. The old style had a simple list I could glance quickly at for activity.

I'm curious why they made the move again, but I don't believe Fok has given details.

 

[C0keZer0]

What are we gonna talk about when SF sinks under water completely? They've already sunk pretty deep.

Fok the details.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

What are we gonna talk about when SF sinks under water completely? They've already sunk pretty deep.

Fok the details.

What would "sinks under water" be? I'm not asking to pick a fight, asking out of curiosity. It's sort of an existential question, I guess. What is a successful website and what is an unsuccessful website?

For example, I think dressedwell.net is a successful website, a notion that many of SF would sneer at. But you have a guy (Rambo) who was dissatisfied with one website, started his own with virtually no experience in this sort of thing, and has a devoted, albeit small, following who are willing to contribute to keep the site running.

I also think SF is a successful website in that it can financially support a few people and has a large following. Sure, it seems like many of the forums on the site are seeing declining participation, but the mission of the site is not to facilitate discussions on Trump foreign policy aides or dumb threads.

Success and failure is all relative.

 

[C0keZer0]

I have been a member of SF since 2013. I cannot say exactly when it exactly happened and it probably is a slow death but the "sinking" started sometime around late 2015 or early 2016. Why do I think this way? When SF was on fire, they had great WAYWRN posts from various members and a lot of them knew how they wanted to dress and why. On top of that, there were discussion threads where members got good advice/recommendations. Fast-forward to today, they have the same goofy looking blokes posting the same looking fits everyday. There are no advice or discussion threads anymore where people get good menswear education. It's just an effing front for a few vendors. That's all SF is now.

 

[Lord Buckley]

I don't follow any of those sites these days, unless I want some visual entertainment, it all seems like ad content. Like Esquire in the 1990s. Boring. The sartorial blogs by individuals have died a death too, less frequent postings and less and less.

 

[Great White Snark]

I have been a member of SF since 2013. I cannot say exactly when it exactly happened and it probably is a slow death but the "sinking" started sometime around late 2015 or early 2016. Why do I think this way? When SF was on fire, they had great WAYWRN posts from various members and a lot of them knew how they wanted to dress and why. On top of that, there were discussion threads where members got good advice/recommendations. Fast-forward to today, they have the same goofy looking blokes posting the same looking fits everyday. There are no advice or discussion threads anymore where people get good menswear education. It's just an effing front for a few vendors. That's all SF is now.

Exactly right.
This topic came up on here a while back and I did a quick unscientific survey and more than 50% of the threads on the front page were either affiliates or 'brand' threads (Allen Edmonds, etc) with little to know discussion or advice. People post pictures mostly to show off and don't request advice and ignore it anyway.
Then you get a noob with a wardrobe full of shit who posts a picture, gets a bunch of well meaning advice as to how to improve, then spends the next six months posting daily pictures of the entirety of his shit wardrobe before giving up (qf that ginger fella with the beard and glasses)

 

[bischero]

Everything that could be said, has been said. The site has been around since the early aughts. There is nothing left to discuss that hasn't been Foo'ed to death like the proverbial equine and it is all there in the archives. Noobs who ask questions are either told to do a search, given shitty advice, or driven away by GBR's particular charm. All that's left is to cop and seek internet validation for said cops. The site is done and will become a ghost town of deluded saps shilling to each other.

 

[Thruth]

Everything that could be said, has been said. The site has been around since the early aughts. There is nothing left to discuss that hasn't been Foo'ed to death like the proverbial equine and it is all there in the archives. Noobs who ask questions are either told to do a search, given shitty advice, or driven away by GBR's particular charm. All that's left is to cop and seek internet validation for said cops. The site is done and will become a ghost town of deluded saps shilling to each other.

It is true - in some respects - that discussion has been relegated to searching the annals of that which came before. In fact, telling people to do a search is the best advice as the best menswear intercourse was in the past.

There are still certain threads in which discussion and exchange of ideas/opinions still do occur; Unfunded Liabilities comes readily to mind.

There has been a shift at SF and across the Interwbbz: discourse has been replaced by voyeurism.

Looking at pictures and thumbing/liking/loving visual posts has replaced discussing posts. Many more threads on SF are about appreciation of a particular brand. Appreciation translates into "like only discussion". Dissenting opinions have no place in "appreciation" threads. Have no place in IG/Pinterest/LoveBlogs.

This is why BluePolackLoafers can be rated as one of the best dressed men in Euroland. Not because he is, but because he posts and posts copious quantities of pics/forwards/shares/virtual blowjobs that result in reciprocal acknowledgments that build a false cult of personality.

Then Interwebz/IG voyeurs pass on the love not because they have background knowledge of good/bad, tacky/stylish but because they are either passive/active shills or just plain ignoramuses.

That is how Polack/Swedish/Finnish engineers can be seen as style influencers: by presence alone. They take the time to whore themselves over the interwebz to vacuous voyeurs just waiting for content without context.

True elites rarely engage in menswear cosplay because because they are more interested in tissue vs brand while all the voyeurs just want immediate visual gratification without acquiring the base knowledge to understand.

Whores and pimps, pimps and whores. And even those who have knowledge are loathe to share it and instead chose vendettas over mentoring.

Case in point, a Latino former member here buys "pretty" suede balmorals because they are a safe brand and "look good" despite the fact that he rarely wears a suit let alone one of the type of tissue that would best compliment the sexy suede of the balmoral.

 

[Journeyman]

There has been a shift at SF and across the Interwebz: discourse has been replaced by voyeurism.

Looking at pictures and thumbing/liking/loving visual posts has replaced discussing posts. Many more threads on SF are about appreciation of a particular brand. Appreciation translates into "like only discussion". Dissenting opinions have no place in "appreciation" threads. Have no place in IG/Pinterest/LoveBlogs.

This is why BluePolackLoafers can be rated as one of the best dressed men in Euroland. Not because he is, but because he posts and posts copious quantities of pics/forwards/shares/virtual blowjobs that result in reciprocal acknowledgments that build a false cult of personality.

Then Interwebz/IG voyeurs pass on the love not because they have background knowledge of good/bad, tacky/stylish but because they are either passive/active shills or just plain ignoramuses.

Very good post.

It's interesting to see the change in the SF "What are you wearing now" thread over the years. Until a few years back, most of the photos were very amateurish and, when someone went to the trouble of taking good pics - such as Phat Guido/GuidoWongolini - the pics really stood out.

Now, most of the regular contributors have gone to the trouble of getting some sort of remote camera set-up, even if it's just a stand for their iPhone, so that they can take full body shots in various poses.

From the occasional glance in there, the thread has become more limited and self-referential and, as you say, there seems to be a tendency to not say anything negative about the regulars, as illustrated by the acclaim given to IS's gun-club check jacket, even though the sleeves had been totally butchered.

 

[viaattovannucci]

the best advice as the best menswear intercourse was in the past.

Quoted and highlighted for de trut.

Great post, but I would really like InstaHate to apply his TOP TOP analice in order to elaborate on the sexual innuendos that run through it.

 

[Scherensammler]

It is true - in some respects - that discussion has been relegated to searching the annals of that which came before. In fact, telling people to do a search is the best advice as the best menswear intercourse was in the past.

That is a general trend. Sign of the times, I guess. Folks seeking answers are just fucking lazy these days.
Most annoying part is when the people you tell to do a search express their hurt because they didn't get the attention (or appreciation) they want. Or worse, you give them an answer they don't like. Then it's "cry baby" reply ("What have I done to deserve this?"), big time. Best case scenario is they stay away and go elsewhere.
Another sign of our times are the group wanks, whether it's a certain brand and/ or a style that gets them off.
So, yes, people who post pictures of tight fitting jackets and butt hugging, ball squeezing short trousers get likes from people who wear the same style, or hope to one day can afford to do it.

 

[OfficePants]

So this dying a slow death narrative has been floated for several years, for me the death happened in 3 acts, with 3 people.

First the preamble. In a galaxy far, far away, a decision was made by the management to monetize the forum thru affiliates and advertising. Unbeknownst to the management, this turned off key players in the clothing threads, and they started to slowly melt away into the night.

Act 1 was a few months before voxsatroria left, when he started ".." his posts, and expressed his annoyed at the way the forum was being managed, and it's direction. The clothes side never recovered.

Act 2 was the emergence of that piobare guy and his minions who started to dominate all the dumb and CE threads, and imposed group think on the non-style parts of the forum, and so they became unreadable and boring.

Act 3 was the death knell of institches. He overran the forum, dumbed everything down, and killed every thread with his incessant posting. Making him a moderator was inexplicable.

 

[Great White Snark]

The term 'circle jerk' seems to have been thrown around for several years but the WAYW thread seems to be inhabited by (almost) daily contributions from the likes of Crusty, Roycru, AAS et al who, whether you like their style or not, seem to post the same more or less interchangeable shit every day and despite in some cases obvious shortcomings the seeming relentlessness of their posting means they've established themselves as beyond criticism or reproach. Nothing new to see.

I think the volume of posters must be on the wane too. There used to be a 20 thumb thread or something. Now it seems that even the most exemplary threads despite the quid pro quo thumbing struggle to get near 20 thumbs.

 

[doghouse]

I cannot say exactly when it exactly happened and it probably is a slow death but the "sinking" started sometime around late 2015 or early 2016.

I'll tell you why, they banned me just before that.

 

[Noob]

What's driving me to visit and contribute less at SF is the group think and the arrogance of some of a few respected posters.

There is one particular peacock who embodies a peculiar combination of the two. The tipping point came when I saw him haranguing someone for buying off-the-rack clothing because he declares that buying bespoke means not letting anyone tell him what to wear. WTF

 

[Monkeyface]

What's driving me to visit and contribute less at SF is the group think and the arrogance of some of a few respected posters.

There is one particular peacock who embodies a peculiar combination of the two. The tipping point came when I saw him haranguing someone for buying off-the-rack clothing because he declares that buying bespoke means not letting anyone tell him what to wear. WTF

We're very arrogant too, especially fxh

 

[Noob]

We're very arrogant too, especially fxh

Yeah but you guys don't seem to take things as seriously as the clown I have in mind

 

[fxh]

We're very arrogant too, especially fxh

But I'm right. That's not arrogance. And I'm not stateless like you.

 

[TOGLIATTI]

Yeah but you guys don't seem to take things as seriously as the clown I have in mind

This forum is all about stating names and blaming people
Dont be soft

 

[Noob]

 

[Scherensammler]

View attachment 24469

Is that "Geil after fifty"?

 

[FriendCustomer]

View attachment 24469

 

[doghouse]

View attachment 24469

I'll take "Wearing Inappropriate Clothing and Being Insufferably Condescending About It" for 400 Alex.

 

[Noob]

Release the Kraken!

 

[Thruth]

Yeah but you guys don't seem to take things as seriously as the clown I have in mind

Arrogance without group think

 

[Monkeyface]

Arrogance without group think

That's what you think!

 

[prince nez]

That's what you think!

That's what we all think!

 

[Thruth]

That's what you think!

I do not agree with that thought. Me thinks that is the high vamp loafers talking

 

[Jan Libourel]

Frankly, I think the whole topic of menswear has gotten kind of stale: The criticisms of SF are set forth above. A handful of active participants are keeping AAAC alive. FNB is all but dead. I thought some of my loss of interest in clothing was because I pretty well have my clothing and find it hard to justify further acquisitions that could end up barely worn in a thrift shop when I cash in my chips in comparatively few years. But it may be that the fora are just less "vibrant" (for want of a better word) and more stagnant than when I joined up in 2004.

 

[doghouse]

Frankly, I think the whole topic of menswear has gotten kind of stale: The criticisms of SF are set forth above. A handful of active participants are keeping AAAC alive. FNB is all but dead. I thought some of the my loss of interest in clothing was because I pretty well have my clothing and find it hard to justify further acquisitions that could end up barely worn in a thrift shop when I cash in my chips in comparatively few years. But it may be that the fora are just less "vibrant" (for want of a better word) and more stagnant than when I joined up in 2004.

You can only talk about clothes but so much.

One reason DW is ideal is there are a core set of people to talk about other stuff. FNB was too, but just went so dead. SF is full of shallow morons whose raison d'être is crass consumption.

 

[Scherensammler]

Well it was fun for a while to point out the technical flaws in some people's Neapolitan bespoke garments.
Especially the guys with the big bums who insisted on the extended front dart because it makes it look more Neapolitan...
Both aspects show that they (and probably even their tailors) have no clue what that extended dart does and where it originally came from.
Then, at some point these guys (here in particular customers of A&S and Rubinacci) got very aggressive towards people who expressed even the slightest criticism.

 

[formby]

Well it was fun for a while to point out the technical flaws in some people's Neapolitan bespoke garments.
Especially the guys with the big bums who insisted on the extended front dart because it makes it look more Neapolitan...
Both aspects show that they (and probably even their tailors) have no clue what that extended dart does and where it originally came from.
Then, at some point these guys (here in particular customers of A&S and Rubinacci) got very aggressive towards people who expressed even the slightest criticism.

I remember the 'Neapolitan dart' my tailor was putting them in my Jackets in the early 90s....and the closest he's been to Naples is an ice cream parlour...

 

[Scherensammler]

I remember the 'Neapolitan dart' my tailor was putting them in my Jackets in the early 90s....and the closest he's been to Naples is an ice cream parlour...

That dart already existed outside of Naples for a very long time. Same for the "manica mappina".

 

[formby]

That dart already existed outside of Naples for a very long time. Same for the "manica mappina".

Oh I know...There were a lot of clueless phuckas on the forums, some of them so called 'big names' I remember one style guru thinking that Mohair suiting came from a Rabbit. The poor dear was confusing the Angora Goat with the Angora Rabbit.

The Rabbit hair is used (Angora sweaters, sometimes called Mohair sweaters) but it isn't used for Mohair suiting...

It does find its way into Harrison's Moonbeam though. That really is lovely cloth...

 

[TOGLIATTI]

That dart already existed outside of Naples for a very long time. Same for the "manica mappina".

There are many schools on Naples.