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Around 6 pm I left Pitti for a "Tailors Symposium", presented by Simon Crompton and The Rake. The event began with a discussion between the tailors (artfully described by Simon here, with pictures that are better than mine) at Stefano Bemer's atelier, and then segued into a lavish party at the Four Seasons hotel.
Let me first say that this party was so wonderful that I am not in much of a critical mood regarding the symposium. I have been wined and dined into fawning praise, and feel quite good about the transaction. I announce openly that if you invite me to a night of beautiful food, beautiful wine, beautiful people, and beautiful clothes, in a beautiful setting, I will sing of your valorous deeds, keen wit, and artful elegance from the highest hills I can climb, which in these shoes might be the home of a large-ish ant colony. Anyway, I promise not to mention any of the event's shortcomings, no matter how slight, even if Edward Sexton doesn't know how to operate a microphone, and the Bemer AC unit is no match for 150 living, breathing, red-blooded humans plus Antonio Panico (understand, these hypotheticals have absolutely nothing to do with the absolutely splendid event and party organized by the gentleman scholar Simon Crompton, whose excellent blog you can visit here).
The tailors brought dates to the party. Arrayed around the room were mannequins wearing jackets from each of the six tailors represented at the symposium - Anderson and Sheppard, Richard Anderson, Edward Sexton, Cifonelli, Panico, and Liverano. Each of these tailors has a very distinctive style, and between them, they capture much of the bespoke universe. Seeing them all together in one room was quite satisfying. I decided to do a blind taste test to see if I could assign each jacket to its author. I passed, with the help of one hint, which I will give to you as well (all of the pictured shoes are Stefano Bemer)
Jacket 1 (Quizzical head posture says "Who made me?")
Jacket 2
Jacket 3
Jacket 4
Jacket 5
Jacket 6
I also met the jovial Sam Carlisle of Augustus Hare, who was wearing his grandfather's Anderson and Sheppard jacket, made in 1938 (he says he was handed down 15 more):
As the night drew to a close, I had the distinct pleasure of sharing a few moments over a very nice Campari with a resplendent Crompton, who even in this triumphant moment remained humble and dignified, parrying my pestering queries ("How did you resist calling your blog 'Straight Outta Crompton'?" h/t @RJman) with pithy, politic answers ("I don't know if that would connect with my non-American readership"). Very politic indeed, Simon. Well done.
My only concern with this model is that, having done a shoemakers symposium last Pitti, and a tailors symposium this time, we may be running out of clothing articles that could fund parties at the Four Seasons. But if anyone comes up with something between now and the next Pitti, I hope they invite me.
Follow all of Styleforum's Pitti Uomo 88 coverage.
Let me first say that this party was so wonderful that I am not in much of a critical mood regarding the symposium. I have been wined and dined into fawning praise, and feel quite good about the transaction. I announce openly that if you invite me to a night of beautiful food, beautiful wine, beautiful people, and beautiful clothes, in a beautiful setting, I will sing of your valorous deeds, keen wit, and artful elegance from the highest hills I can climb, which in these shoes might be the home of a large-ish ant colony. Anyway, I promise not to mention any of the event's shortcomings, no matter how slight, even if Edward Sexton doesn't know how to operate a microphone, and the Bemer AC unit is no match for 150 living, breathing, red-blooded humans plus Antonio Panico (understand, these hypotheticals have absolutely nothing to do with the absolutely splendid event and party organized by the gentleman scholar Simon Crompton, whose excellent blog you can visit here).
The tailors brought dates to the party. Arrayed around the room were mannequins wearing jackets from each of the six tailors represented at the symposium - Anderson and Sheppard, Richard Anderson, Edward Sexton, Cifonelli, Panico, and Liverano. Each of these tailors has a very distinctive style, and between them, they capture much of the bespoke universe. Seeing them all together in one room was quite satisfying. I decided to do a blind taste test to see if I could assign each jacket to its author. I passed, with the help of one hint, which I will give to you as well (all of the pictured shoes are Stefano Bemer)
Jacket 1 (Quizzical head posture says "Who made me?")
Jacket 2
Jacket 3
Jacket 4
Jacket 5
Jacket 6
I also met the jovial Sam Carlisle of Augustus Hare, who was wearing his grandfather's Anderson and Sheppard jacket, made in 1938 (he says he was handed down 15 more):
As the night drew to a close, I had the distinct pleasure of sharing a few moments over a very nice Campari with a resplendent Crompton, who even in this triumphant moment remained humble and dignified, parrying my pestering queries ("How did you resist calling your blog 'Straight Outta Crompton'?" h/t @RJman) with pithy, politic answers ("I don't know if that would connect with my non-American readership"). Very politic indeed, Simon. Well done.
My only concern with this model is that, having done a shoemakers symposium last Pitti, and a tailors symposium this time, we may be running out of clothing articles that could fund parties at the Four Seasons. But if anyone comes up with something between now and the next Pitti, I hope they invite me.
Follow all of Styleforum's Pitti Uomo 88 coverage.
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