Australian Members

[meister]



Mrs GF father was a 16yo Irish Machine Gunner at the Somme. Lied about his age to enlist then after 1918 was part of the Irish Catholic diaspora which ended up in Oz due to taking the King's shilling.

My grandfather forged his birth certificate back to age 39. He was born in 1873 (we are from his second marriage). He then got incensed that they would not let him join up in 1939!

They wanted to cut his leg off after being wounded at Lone Pine. He refused and was repatriated back to Australia in 1916. He played first grade cricket for St George Cricket Club into his 40s.

He had a bit of shrapnel in the leg that got TB eventuallly and he had it amputated in 1957!

Here he is around 1920s - always dapper - in the classic Squizzy era clobber loved by the Channel 9 Underbelly series and as seen in that book on Sydney criminal mug shots.

 

[streetminimal]

Yo foxy, you need to stop postin' pics of yourself with that stay-at-home bathroom backdrop bruh. I'm cringing so hard that I'm scared my face might keep it permanent.

PS whoever mentioned that you can look good in a suit without a suit jacket on - it's a subjective matter, but like the other guy said, unless you have your proportions correct with the waist and the fitting of the shirt then it'll look just mad sloppy.

 

[couldnthaveknow]

Doubt BB will have parity pricing, or even close

Even if Australia had the same USD purchase price as the US chain, we have ~6% more in taxes, higher shipping costs and lower volumes.

~20% more than US is what id expect at best

Well, even 20% is ok! Keeping in mind I am a discount shopper. The deal itself is a JV with BB so the purchase price shouldn't be a disadvantage. Tax wise, I think most US states are 5-7% for sales tax. In any case, I would guess its likely to be a similar % premium as RL local pricing vs US pricing. Not too sure how much that is though, although I find the prices during sales to be ok. But, I have read somewhere that most consumers are willing to pay an extra 10-15% (roughly the delivery cost or thereabouts) for local goods.

Perhaps you can help me, I want to grab a new camera - one of the smaller but powerful ones (perhaps mirrorless). There's a lot of options. I was just going to wait until I went to HK (because I've heard there are a number of good, cheaper camera stores there). Any insight? Is it easier just to buy here?

Ya sure mate

This is subject to a discussion on your requirements, but my recommendation for mirrorless is the Olympus OMD EM5. At the $1k mark this camera performs very well, especially in low light conditions. I find this important because - during the day, when light is not a problem, the difference in output between 2 cameras is not usually that noticeable. But during the night, its the difference between getting a shot and a blurred mess. The lens makes a big difference here too...

Lens - this is a question for you. Do you plan on getting different lenses eventually (i.e. become a prosumer?) or do you just want a measure of sophistication to your point and shoot?

If you're planning to invest in a variety of lenses (more than 2), then I'd have to recommend you buy something non Olympus. Their system of lenses for the 4 3rds system is not huge, and this type of camera is not suitable for going pro - it just doesnt compare to full frame. If you're going down this route then we can discuss separately, but its canon, nikon, and perhaps pentax

If you just want a decent shooter, and are likely to stick to the 2 lenses, then give the olympus some thought. I shot with an Olympus for 7 years (and still do, but about to upgrade to Nikon). I have 2 kit lenses (14-55, 55-150mm, equivaneltn to 1-3x zoom, 3-10x zoom). On the whole I find photograph difficult and finicky, but also extremely rewarding for the patient. I once stood on a tokyo street for 45 minutes in the snow to try and get a good shot of the snow. Some of the shots I took a few hours of trial and error and tens of failures to get 1 good shot.

I think to get your money's worth from a camera like the Olympus EM5, a level of commitment like that is probably good. If you don't think that's for you, please consider the Canon G12. Its in the style of a rangefinder, but does not have interchangeable lens. However, because it offers a full range of manual controls, with practice, it can produce excellent pictures. Its also smaller which means you'll have it with you more often - after all, the best camera is the one you have with you, as the moment happens.

Before going onto buying here vs HK, have a look at some of these pics - these pictures are entirely possible on the G12, although using the EM5 will get you there faster and easier.

Rainbow (1/2) | Rainbow (2/2) | Concrete Tornado | Choices, Decisions Consequences | Dawn | Dreamscape

Now, whether to buy here or HK - this is a choice for you mate. For instance, the EM5 with 12-50mm lense is 1170 at digital camera warehouse (local warranty), vs. 1079 on dwi (hk onlien store). If it were me, I would spend the extra 90 for peace of mind, given its actually only 8% difference or so. Having said that, I bought my camera from HK and never had a problem with it. But for my nikon, i'm off to JB Hi Fi. Again, that's my view and perception of value and price, so yeah...

Ok, hope that helps!

Ah but you misinterpret the Aussie menswear market. The average punter doesn't need to know why one shirt is better than the other, they just need to think that one shirt is better than another. And they will. When Brooks Brothers opens it will appeal perfectly to the middle aged or older man who wants something a bit nicer than the average Joe. The shop fit-out will look nice, the BB materials will feel slightly nicer to him (or at least he'll think so), "Brooks Brothers" sounds like a nice quality brand to him, the shop assistant tells him it's big in America etc etc. Shirts are the most profitable area of the menswear market. This is why TM Lewin opened in Australia, why Charles Tyrwhitt has its own Australian website and mails catalogs here every couple of months and why MJ Bale advertises its shirts so much. Aussie blokes love poor to mediocre quality shirts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by couldnthaveknow
...then, in the knowledgeable end of the market, they'd be battling kamakura near the 100 bucks mark...

The knowledgeable end of the market remains persistently small and unprofitable. Again, they're after the type of bloke who walks in, asks the shop assistant to recommend some nice striped shirts, throw in a couple of pink OCBDs for the weekend. in all likelihood his wife is helping him choose the pattern. "No honey, the plain white is boring, try this pink, green and blue bengal stripe, here, pair it with this nice red tie I've found."

When I visited a couple of BB stores in HK I was very underwhelmed. Most of the shirts fit like a tent, and I am by no means a small bloke. The suits aren't really going to appeal to many people in this thread. Very heavy, bulky, padded shoulders classic American style. Golden Fleece stuff is pretty nice, but seriously pricey. Despite this, I think BB will fulfill exactly what it is supposed to, which is plug the GAP (hah!) in Oroton's revenue after the loss of the RL licence. As for what has happened to RL since then, this is a rant for another time...

Ya I've been told not to apply my own convoluted views and logic to the market! But uh hmm... I have several TM Lewin and charles tyrwhitt shirts... does that make me a bad person? Joking, I already know I am

 

[JimmyHoffa]

I have several TM Lewin and charles tyrwhitt shirts... does that make me a bad person? Joking, I already know I am

I found DR's remarks about TM Lewin and CT a little elitist and condescending as well.

 

[LonerMatt]

Ya sure mate

This is subject to a discussion on your requirements, but my recommendation for mirrorless is the Olympus OMD EM5. At the $1k mark this camera performs very well, especially in low light conditions. I find this important because - during the day, when light is not a problem, the difference in output between 2 cameras is not usually that noticeable. But during the night, its the difference between getting a shot and a blurred mess. The lens makes a big difference here too...

Lens - this is a question for you. Do you plan on getting different lenses eventually (i.e. become a prosumer?) or do you just want a measure of sophistication to your point and shoot?

If you're planning to invest in a variety of lenses (more than 2), then I'd have to recommend you buy something non Olympus. Their system of lenses for the 4 3rds system is not huge, and this type of camera is not suitable for going pro - it just doesnt compare to full frame. If you're going down this route then we can discuss separately, but its canon, nikon, and perhaps pentax

If you just want a decent shooter, and are likely to stick to the 2 lenses, then give the olympus some thought. I shot with an Olympus for 7 years (and still do, but about to upgrade to Nikon). I have 2 kit lenses (14-55, 55-150mm, equivaneltn to 1-3x zoom, 3-10x zoom). On the whole I find photograph difficult and finicky, but also extremely rewarding for the patient. I once stood on a tokyo street for 45 minutes in the snow to try and get a good shot of the snow. Some of the shots I took a few hours of trial and error and tens of failures to get 1 good shot.

I think to get your money's worth from a camera like the Olympus EM5, a level of commitment like that is probably good. If you don't think that's for you, please consider the Canon G12. Its in the style of a rangefinder, but does not have interchangeable lens. However, because it offers a full range of manual controls, with practice, it can produce excellent pictures. Its also smaller which means you'll have it with you more often - after all, the best camera is the one you have with you, as the moment happens.

Before going onto buying here vs HK, have a look at some of these pics - these pictures are entirely possible on the G12, although using the EM5 will get you there faster and easier.

Rainbow (1/2) | Rainbow (2/2) | Concrete Tornado | Choices, Decisions Consequences | Dawn | Dreamscape

Now, whether to buy here or HK - this is a choice for you mate. For instance, the EM5 with 12-50mm lense is 1170 at digital camera warehouse (local warranty), vs. 1079 on dwi (hk onlien store). If it were me, I would spend the extra 90 for peace of mind, given its actually only 8% difference or so. Having said that, I bought my camera from HK and never had a problem with it. But for my nikon, i'm off to JB Hi Fi. Again, that's my view and perception of value and price, so yeah...

Ok, hope that helps!

Definitely helps.

At the moment I would like to NOT go down the lenses route. I usually go for long (15-20km) walks to photograph, so from a functionality standpoint I don't really want a large body with an epic lense - it's just too bulky. My current camera is a $150 entry level Canon - so I'm sure there's a large range of improvements available. This 'rules' out DSLRs, although I'm also very flexible. Seeing images with excellent clarity is just realy inspiring and frustrating because there's no way my current skills allow me to get that with the setup I have.

I've recently heard very good things about Ricoh GR series (price around $650) and a lot of the mirrorless cameras (of which there are many - Sony, Olympus, Nikkon, etc). The Nikon AW1 is also looking good.

I know photography is a bit of a gear-centric hobby at times, so I don't want to go too far down that rabbit hole yet. I'm also not adverse to buying second hand - I doubt I need cutting edge technology. Recommendations there = much appreciated.

 

[DartagnanRed]

Given how Oroton handled Purple Label, I suspect that Black Fleece willl be as rare as hens' teeth and priced accordingly.

I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think RL under Oroton was actually better than RL under RL Corp as now. RL Corp is destroying the brand in Australia.

Prior to ranting, I should mention I have not seen what has happened to the Melbourne store (I assume it's still the best one). I have seen several Myer/DJs concessions, the QVB store, the Brisbane store and the Bondi Junction store. Under Oroton most stores were a mix of absolute crap (think big pony three tone mesh polos) and fantastic, albeit pricey when not on sale stuff like some Corneliani jackets and trousers. Now everything's just mediocre. The entire store is like a concept store, filled with aspirational but impractical pieces like a full range in Black and White, with everything crested and slightly over-designed. The mannequins in the QVB store are covered in rowing sportswear. There's borrowing elements and themes for a design (eg a few embroidered oars on a varsity jacket), and then there's what RL have done: cotton jumpers covered in "RALPH LAUREN ROWING CLUB" with thick white crossed oars on the back. How many people are seriously going to buy that? You'd think that maybe it's just an aspirational/tone setting piece out the front, but the entire store is like that. The colour range is either straight black and white, or its orange, purple, lime green and electric blue all at the same frickin' time. Oh yeah, STOP trying to make RLX happen Ralph Lauren. ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. RLX should be a little corner in the back of the store with 2 orange high vis jackets, not taking pride and place.

The suits are gone (they were never marketed properly and were priced wrong to begin with) and there's a couple of Corneliani jackets left (eg maybe 2 in the store, both are some strange flax/wool blend in brown or plaid). There. are. no. basics. left. Plain navy sportscoat? Why would you want that when you can have a Chinese made blue jacket with printed palm trees for $499? Likely RL reponse: "It's called fashion, idiot, you wouldn't know".

Everything store-wide has been marked up, except for polos and oxfords interestingly, which have come down slightly. They used to be quite expensive, but everyone bought on sale anyway. There will be fewer sales now, and when there are sales they'll be 20% off instead of the 50-60% off they used to be.

I was quite optimistic when I originally found out about the licence change. As you can probably tell, I am quite passionate because I love the RL brands, the concept and the business model. I just wanted some of the amazing things I saw they had overseas. I spoke to similarly optimistic staff prior to the move (one of whom at DJs looks like he's been fired, likely because he was too old and didn't fit the Hollister/Abercrombie-style young, attractice and useless staff model that RL seems to be going for.) But the change never happened. The footwear line never came (again, I don't know about Melbourne), no C&J shell in Australia that's for sure (not that there'd be a market for it unfortunately). The suiting line wasn't expanded, it was cut entirely. The line I thought would work best in Australia (Rugby) got cut globally. The only improvement I can truly see has been womenswear, not that it'll do them any good though because no young girl would be seen in RL after the horrible reputation Oroton gave it.

Worst of all, again in HK, I visited the brand new RL store. It was hands down, the most amazing store I have been into. Three levels, one dedicated to PRL, one to Black Label, one to Purple Label. There may have been >100 different suiting and jacketing styles in the store. There was a full adjoining footwear room the size of the entire QVB store. The staff were passionate, and the store was lined with things Mr Ralph Lauren loved: models of ferraris, marble chess sets, paintings etc.

Obviously Australia can never have something like this due to a smaller, crappier market, but if RL could do 1/10th of what they have done in HK here, I would be a happy man. I used to buy some small but quality item from RL every few months (I'm poor). Since RL took over the licence I have bought nothing, indeed I walk out of the store each time pissed off.

RL Australia: get your **** together.

 

[Petepan]

^^^ Marlows were available in the Chatswood shop only.

 

[DartagnanRed]

Ya I've been told not to apply my own convoluted views and logic to the market! But uh hmm... I have several TM Lewin and charles tyrwhitt shirts... does that make me a bad person? Joking, I already know I am

Not at all, I have bought multiple CT and TM Lewin shirts, they are good, not great, but very affordable options. (TM>CT in my experience).

I was just trying to describe the Aussie shirt market. The average bloke sees TML/CT as being some of the best shirts out there and will actively seek them out, as they will do with Brooks Brothers.

I wasn't being condescending about these brands at all (except MJ Bale shirts-they are ****, I have bought two and regret it), in fact I was using them as an example of how the Aussie shirt market is actually larger and more evolved than pretty much everything else and this is why BB will survive.

 

[DartagnanRed]

^^^ Marlows were available in the Chatswood shop only.

Really? Recently?

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



My grandfather forged his birth certificate back to age 39. He was born in 1873 (we are from his second marriage). He then got incensed that they would not let him join up in 1939!

They wanted to cut his leg off after being wounded at Lone Pine. He refused and was repatriated back to Australia in 1916. He played first grade cricket for St George Cricket Club into his 40s.

He had a bit of shrapnel in the leg that got TB eventuallly and he had it amputated in 1957!

Here he is around 1920s - always dapper - in the classic Squizzy era clobber loved by the Channel 9 Underbelly series and as seen in that book on Sydney criminal mug shots.

In September 1939 my father and his brother rode from Roma to Brisbane to enlist in the AIF his brother signed up and the recruiting sergeant knocked my father back as he didn't turn 21 till the end of the month. They then sold the horses and bought a motorbike and rode to Sydney by the time they got there he was 21 and he enlisted at Vic barracks. What I don't understand seeing as I have read of it so often in history and fiction books is why the recruiter didn't say ' come back tomorrow when your 21'

 

[JimmyHoffa]

Incredible war stories from everyone. Very inspiring.

 

[The Ernesto]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think RL under Oroton was actually better than RL under RL Corp as now. RL Corp is destroying the brand in Australia.

Prior to ranting, I should mention I have not seen what has happened to the Melbourne store (I assume it's still the best one). I have seen several Myer/DJs concessions, the QVB store, the Brisbane store and the Bondi Junction store. Under Oroton most stores were a mix of absolute crap (think big pony three tone mesh polos) and fantastic, albeit pricey when not on sale stuff like some Corneliani jackets and trousers. Now everything's just mediocre. The entire store is like a concept store, filled with aspirational but impractical pieces like a full range in Black and White, with everything crested and slightly over-designed. The mannequins in the QVB store are covered in rowing sportswear. There's borrowing elements and themes for a design (eg a few embroidered oars on a varsity jacket), and then there's what RL have done: cotton jumpers covered in "RALPH LAUREN ROWING CLUB" with thick white crossed oars on the back.[SIZE=14.44444465637207px] How many people are seriously going to buy that? You'd think that maybe it's just an aspirational/tone setting piece out the front, but the entire store is like that. The colour range is either straight black and white, or its orange, purple, lime green and electric blue all at the same frickin' time. Oh yeah, STOP trying to make RLX happen Ralph Lauren. ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. RLX should be a little corner in the back of the store with 2 orange high vis jackets, not taking pride and place.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]The suits are gone (they were never marketed properly and were priced wrong to begin with) and there's a couple of Corneliani jackets left (eg maybe 2 in the store, both are some strange flax/wool blend in brown or plaid). There. are. no. basics. left. Plain navy sportscoat? Why would you want that when you can have a Chinese made blue jacket with printed palm trees for $499? Likely RL reponse: "It's called fashion, idiot, you wouldn't know".[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]Everything store-wide has been marked up, except for polos and oxfords interestingly, which have come down slightly. They used to be quite expensive, but everyone bought on sale anyway. There will be fewer sales now, and when there are sales they'll be 20% off instead of the 50-60% off they used to be.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]I was quite optimistic when I originally found out about the licence change. As you can probably tell, I am quite passionate because I love the RL brands, the concept and the business model. I just wanted some of the amazing things I saw they had overseas. I spoke to similarly optimistic staff prior to the move (one of whom at DJs looks like he's been fired, likely because he was too old and didn't fit the Hollister/Abercrombie-style young, attractice and useless staff model that RL seems to be going for.) But the change never happened. The footwear line never came (again, I don't know about Melbourne), no C&J shell in Australia that's for sure (not that there'd be a market for it unfortunately). The suiting line wasn't expanded, it was cut entirely. The line I thought would work best in Australia (Rugby) got cut globally. The only improvement I can truly see has been womenswear, not that it'll do them any good though because no young girl would be seen in RL after the horrible reputation Oroton gave it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]Worst of all, again in HK, I visited the brand new RL store. It was hands down, the most amazing store I have been into. Three levels, one dedicated to PRL, one to Black Label, one to Purple Label. There may have been >100 different suiting and jacketing styles in the store. There was a full adjoining footwear room the size of the entire QVB store. The staff were passionate, and the store was lined with things Mr Ralph Lauren loved: models of ferraris, marble chess sets, paintings etc.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]Obviously Australia can never have something like this due to a smaller, crappier market, but if RL could do 1/10th of what they have done in HK here, I would be a happy man. I used to buy some small but quality item from RL every few months (I'm poor). Since RL took over the licence I have bought nothing, indeed I walk out of the store each time pissed off.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.44444465637207px]RL Australia: get your **** together.[/SIZE]

Now that is customer feedback.

 

[ben21652]

I have bought a pair of suede single monk from them (not mto). The shoes are made very well and the price is reasonable.

 

[Henry Carter]



Definitely helps.

At the moment I would like to NOT go down the lenses route. I usually go for long (15-20km) walks to photograph, so from a functionality standpoint I don't really want a large body with an epic lense - it's just too bulky. My current camera is a $150 entry level Canon - so I'm sure there's a large range of improvements available. This 'rules' out DSLRs, although I'm also very flexible. Seeing images with excellent clarity is just realy inspiring and frustrating because there's no way my current skills allow me to get that with the setup I have.

FWIW Matt, I take my DSLR out fly fishing with me quite a bit, mostly when water levels are low in summer/autumn and the chances of falling in are negligible. I just strap it accross my body away and don't find it impedes anything, even casting. It does only have a standard size lens on it though.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



Definitely helps.

At the moment I would like to NOT go down the lenses route. I usually go for long (15-20km) walks to photograph, so from a functionality standpoint I don't really want a large body with an epic lense - it's just too bulky. My current camera is a $150 entry level Canon - so I'm sure there's a large range of improvements available. This 'rules' out DSLRs, although I'm also very flexible. Seeing images with excellent clarity is just realy inspiring and frustrating because there's no way my current skills allow me to get that with the setup I have.

I've recently heard very good things about Ricoh GR series (price around $650) and a lot of the mirrorless cameras (of which there are many - Sony, Olympus, Nikkon, etc). The Nikon AW1 is also looking good.

I know photography is a bit of a gear-centric hobby at times, so I don't want to go too far down that rabbit hole yet. I'm also not adverse to buying second hand - I doubt I need cutting edge technology. Recommendations there = much appreciated.

Having taught photography at University to both 1st and 2nd year the best advice I gave my students was to just shoot images, this was still with film and processing and if your lucky you would get 2 images on a roll of 24. With digital its a lot easier to learn framing and composition its like being in a narrative and every so often you are confronted with an image that has an entry and exit point, in other words something happened prior to taking the photo and then something continues after the photo is taken. Its a mind set and then its just a case of shoot and shoot again, the more you take the better your eye gets.

I spent the past six years taking photos of junior rugby matches the first were so, so then it dawned on me that I had to get into the rhythm of the play and anticipate the shots, knowing Rugby helped and it produced some good images over the years but essentially it was the same narrative mind set at work.

These days I avoid photoshop and just crop to get the image in tighter, because with digital I can snap away and review immediately and most of the time I have just been using the iphone5 camera over my Cannon. There are a couple of good books worth reading I could recommend, not technical but dealing with subject and approach also just looking at images and working through the composition seeing what works and what doesn't PM if you want the details.