A Daily "Mens Clothing" and "Streetwear and Denim" Fit Comparison Thread

[johanm]



yeah, the money talk went far past my original thought anyway - my idea is that if you show up with a stack of cash, MC is not so hard to do. I can go to my local MC-approved shop (Beams F) and walk out (ok, maybe 10 days later after using their in-house tailoring services that are implied and included for free upon purchase) with a head to toe fit that that MC would love, and it'd only cost many thousands of dollars and like 20 minutes of my time.
Great SWD fit? Isn't going to come cheaply, as I mentioned, but there's no solid correlation between pricetag and textile with SWD clothes, whereas it's mostly the basis for MC clothes. Quality and fit are overlooked down here, design and styling are king. The way you guys quibble about fit is beyond anything comparable within SWD.

Anyone can spend a couple hours on WAYWT, see what fits get a lot of thumbs up, and then go to Atelier and Barneys (or your local equivalents) and also Tres Bien Shop online and put together a nice SW&D wardrobe. There would be room for improvement that would come through education, as there is with MC.

I think your issue with MC is that the outfits are based on a format (the suit) whereas SW&D is more freestyle. But that's just the starting point - putting together good looking outfits in either category requires knowledge and taste.

 

[The Thin Man]

No. You'd also have to share the hair/facial hair, as well as the surroundings of those posters. You'd have to recognize not just the individual pieces, but what worked for your body. And you would really have to do this in person, rather than online, so you could try them on.

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



Drake's or Marinella tie= $200, pocket square=$100; cufflinks from Arnys, $3,000; Patek Philippe watch, $20,000, Hermes wallet, $1,500.

Collecting admiration from interwebz MC masses, while looking like "that guy" to 99% of the population = priceless...

 

[whodini]



At first I thought putting Aether´s fit pic  was not a fair fight

I still don't think it is.

The problem with this thread, as with every other juxtapose MC vs SWD circlejerk thread in the history of SF, is that there's no objective middle ground. There never will be.

Take a random photo from SW&D and a random photo from MC. Those from one camp would think that the photo from the other side is the "norm" or at least approved. Aether's fit might only be Aether's cup of tea; his contribution isn't necessarily indicative of the taste of the sub-forum, rather, it's a photo like any other.

Just look at the comments from people hung up on the velcro strap shoes. How many people on SW&D actually wear that? How many actually like that? Or better still, how many on MC know the answers to the last two questions?

Take a "the best of" photo from SW&D and one from MC. Same outcome, same circlejerk.

And why wouldn't it turn out that way? If one group has little-to-no interest or understanding of the other, how can anyone expect the formation of informed opinions or appreciation?

It doesn't have to be apples and oranges as some people just love fruit in general, like Fok.

 

[Caveat]

LOL at most of the comments in this thread.

Why is it a "problem with this thread" if people are biased? Why is it a problem if the comparisons aren't typical of the forums? Why is it a problem if there isn't a middle ground? Why is it a problem if all the comments in the MC thread are idiotic and/or insulting? Who cares? Jesus. Just look at the fits and comment on them. Is it really important to analyze and comment on why it is or isn't a perfect exercise? It's obviously interesting to get everyone this riled up.

The last comparison goes to Aether IMO just because the cargo pants and shoes on the MC fit are horrible. Aether's bracelet is the only thing wrong with his fit. It's not sensational or anything, but it's not offensive either.

 

[Caveat]



MC is easier to master than SWD - all you need is stacks of cash, and the terms and checklists you guys have already written. The clothes do most of the rest. SW+D has shown that money can't buy style.

I agree with this. In fact, I made almost the same comment several weeks ago:

link

 

[F. Corbera]

Addendum #1: 03.24.12





[MC comments]

 

[poorsod]



My understanding is that this kind of hyper nitpicking doesn't really work over here. But it's really the heart and soul of MC. I think it's both a good thing and a bad thing. For one thing, tailored clothing allows you to obsess about a lot more details than you can with SW&D stuff. A tailor once told me about a guy who insisted on having his pants taken in 1/8 of an inch. And having an understanding of these details can really improve your critical eye. Plus, being a hobby, this kind of arcane knowledge is sort of fun. "Look at that guy over there! His sleeve pitch is off!" But it can also turn you into an anal retentive jerk who needs to up his OCD meds.

I think the nitpicking, of a few millimeters here and there, is the bane of MC. Aside from the pros, such as jefferyd or Despos, I doubt most people can realistically discern such subtle issues on a single static image (often poorly taken via camera phone in the lavatory). I suspect many of such critiques are written to feign erudition, and I generally ignore them. Those pictures with definite flaws in fit have more fundamental problems than a fraction of an inch here or there.

I get it. Although I think the style decisions as far as mixing fabrics, colors and details in MC are generally pretty bad, aside from fit. Whether it's based on examples from the forum, Pitti or GQ, a lot of people there look bad, even those who are praised. So if they have bad ideas about these things, then they're going to do poorly interacting with a bespoke tailor (unless they trust the tailor's judgment, and he has good taste). And while many of them could do well if they just spent their money at one store, they don't.
Of course we're talking about different things. When I criticize design and styling on MC, my criteria would look fairly rules-based to you (like F. Corbera's "Coherent Combinations" thread).

I think the color and texture are the "big picture" useful information that you can get from a static image. I agree that the way people have been putting together their ensembles in MC have been rather poor lately. Years ago, I used to find WAYWRN to have quite inspired looks. Now, they are often quite mediocre. Vox's "Coherent Combinations" thread was a response to such deficiencies in MC and I think it offers rather good insight. Manton's "The Suit" is a better (or at least stricter) guide for the "rules". The rules are a good starting point for those without basic knowledge. But to dress well is like any other skill, it requires introspection and practice. You have to learn what works with your personality, body type, the social context and etc.

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



Addendum #1: 03.24.12

Can someone elaborate on the top pic? I'm not familiar as to fully understand the comparison...

 

[Miran2]

The top pic is a famous photo of the Antwerp 6, taken in 1987 I think. Dries van Noten is the one trying to look like Rene Magritte...

Edit: JubeiSpiegel, I don't know precisely what F. Corbera intended, but when the Antwerp Six came to London in the late 1980s, the "old masters" on Savile Row (bottom pic) dismissed them as "twerps" (English slang for "dork" or "marsupial")...
Since then...the Antwerp 6 and their copycats (Martin Margiela, Raf Simon, etc) have defined nearly all the trends over the past 20 years...as for Savile Row...well even James Bond, who once represented everything British that the rest of the world wanted to lap up...even James Bond has jumped ship to the Italian tailors...

 

[LA Guy]



Can someone elaborate on the top pic? I'm not familiar as to fully understand the comparison...

It's hard to think of van Bereindonck not looking like a bear.

Dirk Bikkembergs is the tall one who looks like Kevin from 30 Rock.

 

[1969]



Can someone elaborate on the top pic? I'm not familiar as to fully understand the comparison...

I believe the French call it Joie de Vivre.

 

[whodini]



Who cares? Jesus.

As much as I try, this isn't DT. But continue jerking in the circle.

 

[fritzl]



Comparison #2: 03.23.12

i pass on these...

 

[F. Corbera]

Comparison #3: 03.24.12





[MC comments]