Bespoke western shirt?

[gnatty8]

Personally don't understand the hatred he engenders.

I'll be honest, I don't recall ever seeing him or his blog before, or at least not that I can recall, so I am only reacting to the set of photos linked herein. I guess in relative terms, it isn't as horrible as the casual fits one sees everywhere these days, so perhaps in those terms, it was a success. However, in the frame of "I am here to give you advice on how to assemble some cool outfits centered around this RRL western shirt" they were fails, unless of course his aim was to advise people on how to not look as awful as mainstream casual America?

 

[Substanceoverstyle]

Every now and then Simon C becomes a topic here I am reminded of the old saying of the tallest trees getting the most wind. He's by no means flawless (partly because his clothing and styling covers such a wide range as well) but come on, if he didnt have one of the biggest CM menswear blogs but was just another guy posting his pics here he'd be a lot more respected by the guys calling him a awkward nerd.

 

[clee1982]

well, this one looks a lot better than western shirt with shawl cardigan

 

[Bromley]

I wish Simon was weirder and bolder. I wish he'd let loose on the nutjobs in his own comment sections, rather than responding politely to insane criticisms. I'd love for him to find some kind of edge. I'd love for all menswear icons, self-made or otherwise, to have big, zany personalities. That Ferrari grandson was really something, but where'd he go? Rehab? Prison? You've got to know when to let off the gas. Or sometimes, where the gas pedal is at all.

 

[RJman]

I wish Simon was weirder and bolder. I wish he'd let loose on the nutjobs in his own comment sections, rather than responding politely to insane criticisms. I'd love for him to find some kind of edge. I'd love for all menswear icons, self-made or otherwise, to have big, zany personalities. That Ferrari grandson was really something, but where'd he go? Rehab? Prison? You've got to know when to let off the gas. Or sometimes, where the gas pedal is at all.

There are so many awful jerks in this area that Simon's light touch is g-d relief. Not everyone can be a gloomy, weird cuss like I am.

 

[dieworkwear]

Personally, I think this is a broader challenge within CM culture. Not necessarily classic men's style, but the sort of online culture that has been built around these clothes. Online, there's a culture where people have a very dialectical, analytical approach to clothing. That works for classic men's style because clothes used to be governed by time, place, and occasion, and you reach back into the "archives" (e.g., Apparel Arts images) to come up with some discussion about how men should dress.

But as the world has gotten more casual, a lot of guys who were previously into CM are now struggling to find ways to wear more casual outfits. Sometimes these casual CM outfits work, such as Simon's various outfits with Valstarinos. I like these outfits, for example.

Some CM aesthetics also have a niche for casualwear, such as trad guys with Barbour, Shetlands, and OCBDs

But these spaces are very small and limited. If a CM guy wants to expand his casual wardrobe, he's often stuck.

A lot of casual CM outfits to me look like business casual, "dad," or "#menswear." I don't think you can analyze your way out of this problem. Once you leave CM, fashion is more about sociology, identity, emotional resonance, etc.

Whenever Simon wears something more "adventurous," his comment section goes up in flames. People freak out because he's cultivated a very analytical, conservative type of audience. But also, some of these more adventurous looks aren't for everyone. Classic men's style is an easy plug-and-play. Most guys will look good in a navy sport coat or a grey suit. The proportions, when done well, are flattering because they conform to the idealized Western notion of a male body. They also speak a language everyone can understand -- classic menswear is the lingua franca of menswear -- and they often have a tinge of "respectability" that many guys find appealing.

But once you leave CM, it requires a totally different approach to fashion. You might need to know some things about history and sociology -- there's a "1980s punk look," a "1990s deconstructed Japanese look," or a "1970s cocaine cowboy look." It's not just an analytical problem. And even if you know about these things, such looks may not suit your personality, build, identity, or lifestyle. Sometimes Simon wears workwear-y things that I don't think suit him as well as his tailored clothing -- he's just a very "classic guy."

If you're only running a workwear blog and you're a "workwear guy," then you have a "workwear audience." But if you have a classic menswear blog and you're trying to explore casualwear, you're then caught in a bunch of problems. You can't easily import the analytical approach you took with CM. Things are not always about these precise notions of fit. And the styles may take more work to import. Your audience is probably not going to reform their entire identity around being a "workwear guy." It's much easier to foist classic men's style on a broader range of people because of the history of those clothes (again, it's the lingua franca of menswear). But a lot of guys aren't going to wear the more "coherent" outerwear pieces with that Western shirt because it doesn't suit their identity -- a black cowhide Schott double rider or an RRL ranch jacket or a vintage Lee 101J, etc. All those things require a different view of yourself.

 

[gnatty8]

Personally, I think this is a broader challenge within CM culture. Not necessarily classic men's style, but the sort of online culture that has been built around these clothes. Online, there's not a culture where people have a very dialectical, analytical approach to clothing. That works for classic men's style because clothes used to be governed by time, place, and occasion, and you reach back into the "archives" (e.g., Apparel Arts images) to come up with some discussion about how men should dress.

But as the world has gotten more casual, a lot of guys who were previously into CM are now struggling to find ways to wear more casual outfits. Sometimes these casual CM outfits work, such as Simon's various outfits with Valstarinos. I like these outfits, for example.


View attachment 1624550

See I like left and center. In fact, center looks fantastic.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I love how when a few minor criticisms are made of a Simon Compton fit, all these senior members turn up to defend "Simon," as if he has been subjected to the most awful and undue harassment as opposed to a couple of perfectly normal critiques. He's a privileged white guy with access in the industry, he doesn't need to be defended. It's especially bizarre given the same people were celebrating the "golden years of SF" a few pages ago, when the most horribly ****** behaviour was apparently hilarious...

 

[dieworkwear]

I love how when a few minor criticisms are made of a Simon Compton fit, all these senior members turn up to defend "Simon," as if he has been subjected to the most awful and undue harassment as opposed to a couple of perfectly normal critiques. He's a privileged white guy with access in the industry, he doesn't need to be defended. It's especially bizarre given the same people were celebrating the "golden years of SF" a few pages ago, when the most horribly ****** behaviour was apparently hilarious...

Why is this always the critique whenever someone says anything back?

I genuinely don't understand. Any time I've said anything counter to the majority here, my personality or motives are put into question. Why can't someone just have a point of view, like you have a point of view?

If you say something dickish, you are considered more "authentic." If you say something counter to the person being dickish, you are "inauthentic." How does this make sense at all?

 

[edinatlanta]

I think so much of the criticism is because everyone is jealous of a dude who gets paid to preen in in bespoke clothes with a photographer in tow.

 

[TheFoo]

I love how when a few minor criticisms are made of a Simon Compton fit, all these senior members turn up to defend "Simon," as if he has been subjected to the most awful and undue harassment as opposed to a couple of perfectly normal critiques. He's a privileged white guy with access in the industry, he doesn't need to be defended. It's especially bizarre given the same people were celebrating the "golden years of SF" a few pages ago, when the most horribly ****** behaviour was apparently hilarious...

I think his western shirt outfits look fucked, but there is no need to racialize things.

 

[radicaldog]

you mean switch out western for chambary shirt without western detail or as it is?

Both are OK I think as this particular western shirt isn't very prominently western, though chambray would've been better. Or a non-western denim shirt.

 

[radicaldog]

here's the thing for me, it is just sort of inconsistent or incongruent with everything else he has on. For example, had Uncle Ralph worn a white OCBD shirt with the rest of this outfit below, I'd have thought "hmm, rare fail there Uncle Ralph"". Similar with this. Not to say to wear a western shirt well, you may only do so with the full kit, western boots, grape-smugglers and bolo tie. Not at all. I think its the shawl collared suburban dad cardigan and the jaunt to the mall chinos that make this a fail.


View attachment 1624542

I don't follow. Ralph's outfit is four western things and one non-western thing (the tweed jacket). Crompton's outfit is the opposite, with just one western element. In that sense they're comparable. If Ralph had worn a white OCBD he would've been a cowboy from the belt on down, and that would've been jarring. But, for example, he could've worn shoes other than cowboy boots and be fine (e.g. desert boots, work boots, even sneakers). I just don't see how this photo works as a critique of Crompton unless you think western elements need to become dominant in any outfit.

 

[radicaldog]

I personally don't wear shawl collar cardigans outside of the home, but I wouldn't describe Simon's outfit as bad.

Personally don't understand the hatred he engenders. He has a very analytical approach to clothing that this forum seems to favor. He also promotes a dying trade and style. The fashion industry at this point is obsessed with the stupidest things -- inflatable Balenciaga sneakers, luxury normcore, and ironic clothes. Simon has done a lot to promote craft-based menswear and classic style in that space.

He wore this a while ago. I dig the outfit. The boots from this angle look like balmoral boots, but they are just regular CM-styled derby boots. The Western shirt is from Bryceland's.

View attachment 1624543

Fwiw I completely agree, though I also think the pocket handkerchief looks affected and out of place in this look.

 

[radicaldog]

Sometimes Simon wears workwear-y things that I don't think suit him as well as his tailored clothing -- he's just a very "classic guy."

Spot on. I think SC is just a very, very West London type, and sometimes he dresses as if he wants to hang with the cool kids in East London (from 15-20 years ago). But even then he's better dressed than the vast majority of people, and so his blog continues to provide a good service.