OFFICIAL Simon Crompton thread (PermanentStyle.com)

[02054218]

Simon should have been a bee-keeper—or anything else that doesn't require him to wear proper clothing and pose for photos.

 

[ha er]

yo

Simon should have been a bee-keeper—or anything else that doesn't require him to wear proper clothing and pose for photos.

your behaviour seems a bit obsessive.
just ignore this thread before you are loosing your fuses.

 

[jonathanS]

Simon is just not a good looking fellow. Like there’s an old saying. You can put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig.

I’m hardly a Simon defender.

 

[GabrielJF]

Yeah dude, it’s a bit much. It’s just clothing. Permanent Style is a useful resource, even if it’s proprietor can be a bit of a pompous ninny at times. He’s a nice guy and seeks to genuinely help the patrons of his site and shop.

Using the word hate whilst describing someone who’s job is to tell you about clothes is a little bit…mental?

 

[te0o]

The guy is simply off his rocker chaps, don’t feed the fire or else he might start digging out old post and passing style judgement on you too! 😂

 

[Thin White Duke]

I haven’t looked at the site in a while. I suppose there’s something to be learned from the archives about tailoring details etc. but his more recent pivot towards trying to be a standard bearer for the current trend of casual clothes is an abject failure and he often looks laughably bad trying to chase trends when his previous iteration of classic tailoring existed more or less outside of the whims of fashion.

A turning point for me after seeing endless pictures of his milk bottle shoulders was a comment in which he said that rather than use tailoring to mitigate the steep slopes, he in fact claimed to embrace this look.

I accept that maybe I’m just not his target audience. When reading repeated commentary in detail about various European tailoring houses that I will never patronise, sooner or later the law of diminishing returns sets in for this reader, especially when the end result is often yet another brown suit or jacket with cream trousers😄

Occasionally he can come across as very out of touch, using terms akin to ‘budget’ or ‘entry level’ for items that cost several thousand pounds and would surely be out of reach to all but the tiny minority of people with that level of disposable income who have that deep an interest in clothing.

Also does he ever allow criticism in the comments section? Years ago I tried posting comments a couple of times and was blocked from doing so. I don’t recall my proposed comments being anything beyond perhaps mildly critical.

Still - he seems to make a good living out of doing something he enjoys and you can’t knock that can you?

 

[Texasmade]

I haven’t looked at the site in a while. I suppose there’s something to be learned from the archives about tailoring details etc. but his more recent pivot towards trying to be a standard bearer for the current trend of casual clothes is an abject failure and he often looks laughably bad trying to chase trends when his previous iteration of classic tailoring existed more or less outside of the whims of fashion.

A turning point for me after seeing endless pictures of his milk bottle shoulders was a comment in which he said that rather than use tailoring to mitigate the steep slopes, he in fact claimed to embrace this look.

I accept that maybe I’m just not his target audience. When reading repeated commentary in detail about various European tailoring houses that I will never patronise, sooner or later the law of diminishing returns sets in for this reader, especially when the end result is often yet another brown suit or jacket with cream trousers😄

Occasionally he can come across as very out of touch, using terms akin to ‘budget’ or ‘entry level’ for items that cost several thousand pounds and would surely be out of reach to all but the tiny minority of people with that level of disposable income who have that deep an interest in clothing.

Also does he ever allow criticism in the comments section? Years ago I tried posting comments a couple of times and was blocked from doing so. I don’t recall my proposed comments being anything beyond perhaps mildly critical.

Still - he seems to make a good living out of doing something he enjoys and you can’t knock that can you?

I remember there was a comment on an article about soft Italian tailoring on why he doesn't use Steed for soft tailoring and Simon was like "I don't think it would be good to have an English soft tailor doing Italian soft tailoring" something to that effect. One of the Steed guys (can't remember if it was the dad or son) basically said to keep my name out of your mouth.

 

[MaE]

I still enjoy reading his blog from time to time, but I feel that his content has perhaps lost a little of its appeal in recent years. The only real critic that I have is the (possible) lack of objectivity of some of his writings. I find the fact that he receives free garments from brands and tailors or is paid to create content for them without telling his audience quite problematic.

The last example that comes to mind is the video he did for Saman Amel. In the article, he says that "when the brand opened their new London showroom, they asked to help make a video for them that explained some of the services.". A reader asked him in the comments what this actually means, and he responded that "as is mentioned in the article, the video was made for them – to use in their communications and their marketing etc. So yes they paid for it."

 

[styleforum_username]

I still enjoy reading his blog from time to time, but I feel that his content has perhaps lost a little of its appeal in recent years. The only real critic that I have is the (possible) lack of objectivity of some of his writings. I find the fact that he receives free garments from brands and tailors or is paid to create content for them without telling his audience quite problematic.

The last example that comes to mind is the video he did for Saman Amel. In the article, he says that "when the brand opened their new London showroom, they asked to help make a video for them that explained some of the services.". A reader asked him in the comments what this actually means, and he responded that "as is mentioned in the article, the video was made for them – to use in their communications and their marketing etc. So yes they paid for it."

I agree that it is still nice to read the content with the caveat that there is no real objectivity with the admission that he regularly receives free products/services.
Since you mentioned the article on Saman Amel (showing again the issues he denies that there is an inherent quid pro quo), I also thought about the dearth of content when reading that. Maybe it is not part of his contract to write an article when they pay him for a marketing video, but given that he seems to grasp for anything to write it is at least likely he will.

Just to make the case: when looking at the last month in articles, 1 is a list of products he will be offering in his shop, 4 are by guest authors, 1 is an announcement that he will be on holidays, 3 are based on paid collaboration (Saman Amel, Fox Brothers, VBC), 1 a (meandering) piece on cloth and his evolution in style, and 1 a review (of boat shoes, that is not even comprehensive as he admits in the text). Admittedly in a holiday month, but this is a pattern throughout the year. This, to me, is a lack of seriousness in writing and editorial direction and fuels a certain aversion, even more so when keeping in mind he quite successfuly uses his position monetarily.

 

[comrade]

Kirby looks so much better in his clothes than Simon. He's conservative, but he has taste.

Alexander Kraft is annoying and pretentious, but there's surely no disputing that he has beautiful clothing.

I'll concede that Dan Trepanier is more hit-and-miss.

As for Nick Wooster, he's a bit out there. But again, when he dresses in classic style, he puts Crompton to shame. He's just so much more stylish and fashionable.

He's just so much more stylish and fashionable.

The word is "FASHIONISTA". I was unaware that this clown was still around.

 

[comrade]

This discussion is necessarily ad hominem, as I’m claiming that Simon lacks the requisite style and therefore should not be positioning himself as an authority on the subject.

Here’s a list of 50 individuals who have more style in their left foot than Simon could attain in a dozen lifetimes:

• Bruce Boyer
• Alan Flusser
• Luca Rubinacci
• Mark Cho
• Yasuto Kamoshita
• Ethan Newton
• Michael Hill
• Alexander Kraft
• Will Boehlke
• Jeremy Hackett
• Tony Sylvester
• Dan Trepanier
• Nick Wooster
• David Coggins
• Bernhard Roetzel
• Fabio Attanasio
• Michael Alden
• Andreas Weinas
• Matt Hranek
• Jason Jules
• Lino Ieluzzi
• Brian Sacawa
• Kenji Cheung
• Patrick Grant
• Angelo Flaccavento
• Alexander Freeling
• Robert Spangle
• George Cortina
• Greg Lellouche
• Jeff Hilliard
• David Evans
• Eidos Napoli
• Michael Anton
• Andy Poupart
• Aleks Cvetkovic
• Gianluca Migliarotti
• Paul Lux
• Simone Righi
• Wei Koh
• Jason Yeats
• Jake Grantham
• Mats Klingberg
• Thom Whiddett
• Luke Sweeney
• Sam Lambert
• Andreas Larsson
• Timo Huber
• Kirby Allison
• Danilo Carnivale
• Hugo Jacomet

... and the list goes on and on and on.

Omitted Voxsartoria. I try to dress like Bruce Boyer, but eschew the padding I detect
in his jackets. Luca looks too much like a fashionista poser to me. His Dad represents
a better version of the style. Will Boehlke, who I've met numerous times at Style
Forum meet-ups, exemplifies understated impeccable taste, although I always thought
that his trousers were a too wide. Even his PJs are bespoke, IIRC.

 

[DorianGreen]

You won't think of Germany in considering sartorial hot spots and schools, yet there are some good tailors there (here, I'm in Berlin).

An article by Bernhard Roetzel on Permanent Style.

https://www.permanentstyle.com/2024...oday.html?mc_cid=d3379352b8&mc_eid=277eb01ada

 

[kashmir]

I'd omit Dan Trepanier from the list.

My personal no.1 style idol though, is George Wang of Beijing.

 

[kashmir]

I still enjoy reading his blog from time to time, but I feel that his content has perhaps lost a little of its appeal in recent years. The only real critic that I have is the (possible) lack of objectivity of some of his writings. I find the fact that he receives free garments from brands and tailors or is paid to create content for them without telling his audience quite problematic.

The last example that comes to mind is the video he did for Saman Amel. In the article, he says that "when the brand opened their new London showroom, they asked to help make a video for them that explained some of the services.". A reader asked him in the comments what this actually means, and he responded that "as is mentioned in the article, the video was made for them – to use in their communications and their marketing etc. So yes they paid for it."

I think I mentioned it here before. He used to work corporate job 9-5 in which he had to wear tailoring. The blog was a side job, and it was clear (at least to him) that he was reviewing "traditional, tailored" clothes with direct contrast to "fashion clothes". The blog got successful and he suddenly does not need to wear tailored clothing anymore. Now he is free to wear whatever! Which industry does he belong now? Yes... the "fashion" industry which he seemed to dread. The irony and the tension, I think, have undoubtedly colored the blog's direction (and authenticity?) ever since he went full time.

FWIW I am still a loyal reader.

 

[ha er]

in my poinion this nerdy hater 02054 changes two different things:
do one like to look at nice guys or has one interest in smart clothing?

S. Crompton with his sloppy shoulders and his bald head is not an adonis, like most of us. I like the more to see how he handles that.