What Is An Igent (2014 Update)?

One key aspect would be that an igent dresses for others and not for himself. He emulates the style of those he sees on the internet and as a result his style of dress will be somewhat outside the mainstream. Almost always fancies himself as a dandy or a connoisseur.
 
Extreme rigidity of style belief even though he fancies himself a dandy.

Tends to congregate with others of a similar mind-set. Let us call it a murder of iGents.

Favours quality of product but only if said product is held in high esteem by others.
 
thruth said:
Extreme rigidity of style belief even though he fancies himself a dandy.

Tends to congregate with others of a similar mind-set. Let us call it a murder of iGents.

Favours quality of product but only if said product is held in high esteem by others.
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They are conformists wanting be nonconformists or at least part of an inner circle. They do obsess over "quality" despite not really being able to explain what it is or why they even care.
Like the hipster, nobody ever self-identifies as such. What is the distinction between igent and hipster?
 
Do iGents have to take pictures of themselves for the internet (or have pictures taken of themselves knowing they'll be posted on the internet)? I'm thinking yes, otherwise, the only "i" is that they get their information on the web. If that's the case, I can't think of too many iGenty types on SF. At least, among the regular WAYWRN posters.

I also suspect that iGents can probably explain a decent bit about quality, though I'll agree about them not being really sure why they care (but isn't that true for most people when we end up talking about high end anything? It just comes down to "I like knowing I have something that is ______").

They probably fancy themselves a dandy and thus are likely drawn to a style of dress with rigid dictates just so they can break them. I also think that there are successful iGents. Folks that do legitimately pull it off. But they are rare. And generally don't post on forums.

As defined, it does seem to necessitate a certain self-awareness.

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(and for the record, I consider myself possessing the following iGent qualities:
  • takes pictures of himself for the internet
  • cares about what people on the internet think of his clothes (which I think is a good thing. Internet people are generally more knowledgeable about clothing and are more likely to point out when something is terrible. I care about what regular people think of my clothing, too, of course, but they rarely have anything useful to say. I also care about what I think of my clothing. And of course what my wife thinks)
  • dresses, in part, for the internet (because that's part of the fun)
but hopefully all that is mitigated by the fact that I find the whole process of choosing what to wear, setting up my tripod, and taking a picture all rather soothing. It's an enjoyable ritual for me, and nothing really more than that. )
 
Is not one of the characteristics ascribed to hipsters the appropriation of style without the context e.g. Hipster instead of Hippie? I suppose in the worst cases of iGentry there is an intersection of the two. But does iGentry have the same soulessness that is used to define Hipsterism? Again, in some cases, yes, given the desire to do insouciant things either in a misguided or purposeful manner within the framework of the framework of serious dressing.

Is not snark a hallmark of both?

Demographically, there are similarities but are not iGents slightly older? Maybe Hipsters grow into iGents?
 
Chorn said:
Do iGents have to take pictures of themselves for the internet (or have pictures taken of themselves knowing they'll be posted on the internet)? I'm thinking yes, otherwise, the only "i" is that they get their information on the web. If that's the case, I can't think of too many iGenty types on SF. At least, among the regular WAYWRN posters.

I also suspect that iGents can probably explain a decent bit about quality, though I'll agree about them not being really sure why they care (but isn't that true for most people when we end up talking about high end anything? It just comes down to "I like knowing I have something that is ______").

They probably fancy themselves a dandy and thus are likely drawn to a style of dress with rigid dictates just so they can break them. I also think that there are successful iGents. Folks that do legitimately pull it off. But they are rare. And generally don't post on forums.

As defined, it does seem to necessitate a certain self-awareness.

----

(and for the record, I consider myself possessing the following iGent qualities:
  • takes pictures of himself for the internet
  • cares about what people on the internet think of his clothes (which I think is a good thing. Internet people are generally more knowledgeable about clothing and are more likely to point out when something is terrible. I care about what regular people think of my clothing, too, of course, but they rarely have anything useful to say. I also care about what I think of my clothing. And of course what my wife thinks)
  • dresses, in part, for the internet (because that's part of the fun)
but hopefully all that is mitigated by the fact that I find the whole process of choosing what to wear, setting up my tripod, and taking a picture all rather soothing. It's an enjoyable ritual for me, and nothing really more than that. )
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I like what you have outlined here. At the very least you have verified that you are not a Hipster!
 
patrickBOOTH used to be a serious hipster. Apparently he joined SF mostly on the SW&D side of things. When he got into CM, he began wearing exclusively navy ties with gray suits (or gray ties with navy suits) and only black shoes. So. That is how you hipster CM.
 
IMHO, the hipsters are divided into two camps. One is the dreadfully self-aware douchebag that is doing everything for irony and contarianism and just to be ugly and annoying or "different." Then there is the artisanal or authenicity-obsessed or anachronistic type that is just doing their own thing and inadvertently happens to be found weird and off-putting by the average person. I fall into the latter in many ways.

There is a question of when an interest is a harmless and possibly beneficial thing and when does it become a masturbatory self-indulgence that detracts from a normal, healthy existence. The humble lover of haberdashery, or even the tolerable fop, is okay. The obsessed narcissistic is in igent territory.

Is motivation a part of it? Is there a Luciferian desire to not just dress better but to be better because of it?
 
Oh i thought was internet gentlemen but seems what i expossed for years. Low personality tackys and social degenerates on disguises.
 
I've never understood the criticisms of iGent that centered around class. Even those criticisms that I disagree with, I can see where folks are coming from. But I really don't think that the association of dressing a certain way with social mobility is one that iGents, as a group make. This is not to say no iGent thinks like this, only that he doesn't think like this as an iGent but as an individual.
 
Yeah. There is a certain honesty to it. I think I posted an article about it here a while back. It's very silly, but they seem like they are having a very good time, as do the people around them, so no hate.
 
very interesting. some might do well in SWD:

Sapeurs_001-1.jpg
 
Chorn said:
I've never understood the criticisms of iGent that centered around class.
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not sure what you are referring here. e.g. you're the prototype of an igent. you took the classic ladder/elevator on sf and you still try hard almost every day. you've been sold from your first post there. probably, you're torn which part of the fora universe is more comfortable for yourself. I dunno...
 
Russell Street said:
FNB used to rant about how they were criminal-class rubes hoping to pass as middle-class.
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It just seems that we've moved well beyond the point where clothes are any real indication of socioeconomic class.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm fairly iGent-y. But that's only because clothes are a tremendous amount of fun. If you're going to have a hobby, you might as well do it right.
 
Chorn said:
It just seems that we've moved well beyond the point where clothes are any real indication of socioeconomic class.
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Mention custom-made clothing, which you most certainly wear, and see people's reactions.
Admittedly, there is a reverse snobbery with slobwear, and in many areas shirt and tie is indicative of a service sector McJob...

I do think that a key aspect of igentism is the absolute lack of humor. As Ari Samsky said of the upper middle class and bicycling, they take something fun and turn it into a joyless competition.
 
Outside of igent fruitfests, where does one wear such things? Or are they put under glass under the curatorship of the oddball "collectors?"
 
Russell Street said:
Outside of igent fruitfests, where does one wear such things? Or are they put under glass under the curatorship of the oddball "collectors?"
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Is this fascination with extreme patination as fad or will it continue on? While in rare cases adding a bit of patina or burnishing (I'm thinking JL Museum calf here) looks reasonable if it is discrete, is there a sartorial history of doing such things or is this just a new creation?
 
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Good question. It may well have always been a niche affectation of dubious taste, or it may be a modern contrivance. Like monk strap shoes and all these other things, I never see real people wearing such things and thus have no idea.
 
Russell Street said:
Good question. It may well have always been a niche affectation of dubious taste, or it may be a modern contrivance. Like monk strap shoes and all these other things, I never see real people wearing such things and thus have no idea.
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i think Berluti has done this for some time but their shoes have always been way out there. The other maker that comes to mind is Septieme Largeur. I've not seen such patinas in real life but that is probably because of where I live. I wonder if in a few years this will be seen as follow not unlike all the navy bleu and green shoes that are currently in vogue?
 
thruth said:
...is there a sartorial history of doing such things or is this just a new creation?
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alright, whenever I asked the question about deep burnished toes. I never get/got a response until today.

what's shown here is called a glacage/patinage. afaik, this technique has it's roots in france. although berluti is located in paris, the founders are eyetalians. dandy shoe care is located in parma/italy. the owners name Alexander Nurulaeff sounds like a towarish from mother russia.

the guy who does the patinage for G&G, a new established service for the non bespoke clients, is french.

from what he and JFP told me, there is a demand from the market and target groups. either these are typical igents or not. it's a trend, who is not our friend.
 
thruth said:
Is this fascination with extreme patination as fad or will it continue on? While in rare cases adding a bit of patina or burnishing (I'hinking JL Museum calf here) looks reasonable if it is discrete, is there a sartorial history of doing such things or is this just a new creation?
Click to expand...
 
walker said:
alright, whenever I asked the question about deep burnished toes. I never get/got a response until today.

what's shown here is called a glacage/patinage. afaik, this technique has it's roots in france. although berluti is located in paris, the founders are eyetalians. dandy shoe care is located in parma/italy. the owners name Alexander Nurulaeff sounds like a towarish from mother russia.

the guy who does the patinage for G&G, a new established service for the non bespoke clients, is french.

from what he and JFP told me, there is a demand from the market and target groups. either these are typical igents or not. it's a trend, who is not our friend.
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Good. Trends come & go. But who will buy these shoes when the fad passes? Maybe:

http://www.ringling.com/contentpage.aspx?id=45924&section=45688
 
On Spain there was a law about social dangerous people until the death of our Saviour in 1975. His vicepresident was killed by Kissinger's order.

There were judges of the social.order who i have some oldis as friends. All this degenerate igents and Gianni would be beaten up by policemen and good defenders or Natural Order as myseAnd put into prison by degenerates.
 
Serious question: what could I (claghorn/chorn) do to become more of an iGent? A slightly different approach than just asking "what is an iGent?"

Snark welcome (e.g. felate someone working at Armoury), but also hoping for a few thoughtful replies.
 
Chorn said:
Serious question: what could I (claghorn/chorn) do to become more of an iGent? A slightly different approach than just asking "what is an iGent?"

Snark welcome (e.g. felate someone working at Armoury), but also hoping for a few thoughtful replies.
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Aren't you that already? Not being snarky or rude either. I am looking at it from the non-pejorative sense. You are in the upper ranks of SF, actively involved in popular threads, dubiously honoured as a hall monitor, post fits, have more than dabbled with bespoke, your default (non-shoe) is MTO, you go beyond worsted wool for suiting & jacketing, pocket squares, colours, the list goes on.

What more do you want without straying over to the dark side of iGentism?

I think self-admittedly, you need to up your game in shoes (knowledge is more important than acquiring the mega-rotation).

How well do you rate on Manton's everything an iGent should have (I know it is not the correct title) but in the list that a well dressed man should have he posted when the elders crept out of their caves to try and recapture the old SF vibe.

I think you need to emphatically state your opinion on double monks if not done already. Same for shell cordovan. Breanish tweed.

Would you consider a corduroy suit or for that matter corduroy for other than trousers?

Is brown for farmer?

Have you ever had a dust in your Rolex?

Do you have opera pumps?

Do you defend AE & Alden just because they are American icons.

Have you ever had a meltdown and quit SF never to come back but then you did and said nothing about it?

Are you drawn to LL fabrics and think that a £50 increase in the book at Fox is reasonable.

I will develop more based on your responses. Remember this is a test.
 
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