OFFICIAL Simon Crompton thread (PermanentStyle.com)

[diodati]

To my untrained eyes Hitchcock's work looks better than A&S, at least by browsing images they're tagged in on instagram. I've seen some work from A&S and Steed that look less than ideal. If anything I'd be willing to pay a premium for Steven's work over A&S.

Since we happen to be in the PS thread, I think the jackets Steven made for Simon are some of the best that I've seen on the PS site.

Steven has more control of his work and products that come out. Anderson, of course is a big name. But that does not mean Steven is any less capable. Also Steven may do things differently. Each cutter does things a little bit differently.

Steven has his select few jacket makers that he uses - sometimes they’re exclusive to him. But he has more of a say. And I suppose the same applies to Anderson.

For example, if you hire a defense attorney, not every attorney is going to do the same thing just because they learned from the same mentoring attorney, even if they went to the same school & learned from the same attorney. Everyone has a different approach to their business too. Back to tailoring, Every person is different. Each tailor has a different approach to their lapel shape they think looks best. Some have more / less drape. Etc. Just because someone was trained at Anderson does not mean they are creating a carbon copy of their maestro. I think terry haste was trained at Anderson and sexton, which are 2 totally different styles. He took what he likes from each and created his own.

None is better than the other per se.

 

[Markus123456789]

Look at the state of Crompton in the latest piece featuring a bespoke Assisi blazer paired with denim

Problem is no matter the look, Crompton always looks like an office worker who's just taken off his tie & changed trousers for jeans, to go to a party

None of it looks bespoke or even expensive. The blazer looks OTR & like a peacoat variation.

I think a lot of it is due to Cromptons figure. Narrow shoulders & slender frame.
Shoulder width doesn't seem to be much wider than waist width so seen from the front his sihouette is straight up & down.
So bespoke on him doesn't look like bespoke.

As for the shoes, don't wear tassel loafers as it's just too prim (what's the point of tassels?) for the intended casual look Crompton is going for

Contrast with Ethan Allen's blazer with denim look.
Not only does it look like one & fits better but he's made the look his own (even with the slippers) & carried it off.
Notice also that his jeans have manual turnups which is congruent with his look whereas Crompton's jeans don't so it looks incongruent. Details.
Also Ethan looks rugged with style whereas Crompton looks like an office worker who's copied the latest piece on PS about wearing blazer with jeans & got it horribly wrong...

Your personal dislike of Simon Crompton is bordering on the obsessive. Do you know him personally and, if so, has he done something bad to you?

In any case, it makes your criticism difficult to take seriously. Simon Crompton's intention, as stated on Permanent Style, is to pursue a style that a normal office worker - and most of us are such - can wear. Understated, not flashy and perhaps a bit bland. Of the two photos, I could wear Simon's outfit, Ethan's - although I personally like it - I could and would not wear.

 

[K. Nights]

Has anyone tried any of the August Special loafers? I like the look of the August Type-S but the price is quite high for what it is. Still, they are more accessible than Belgian Loafers

Products

American shoes, benchmade in Italy. Vintage, military and workwear inspired, with modern comfort and durability.

augustspecial.com

 

[JibranK]

Isn’t the whole point of those 3 you’re getting A&S cut at a “discount”?

No disrespect at all intended - I think Tom at Redmayne is very engaging, and his content very helpful, and would love to be able to afford something cut by him

You are mistaken. Steed/Redmayne is more A&S than A&S. When they left the firm, they were the only people there who were trained to draft a pattern in the traditional A&S way. That is to say not only rock of eye, but a very specific way of doing rock of eye that is specific to Anderson (and perhaps Scholte).

Here’s Edwin of Steed explaining a bit of the technical details, in a fairly diplomatic way.

I would put Hunstman with the rest of the Row as regard pattern cutting but A & S has a totally unique way of cutting a jacket pattern that as far as I know is only used by me and Thomas Mahon and not even by A & S themselves these days.

Only Tom and I cut in the original A&S method, which is by drafting from scratch, using a free hand and rock of eye, if you want.

It would be very easy for a cutter from one Savile row house to move to another as the drafting procedure is basically the same and they would be using the house blocks, which weren’t so at A&S, whereby the patterns and drafting method would be quite foreign to another cutter not trained at A&S. Sadly this original method is now lost at Andersons.

If you go to their web site & click on house style, then style, where the first line tells you that the A&S look is defined by a lightly padded shoulder, then click on the cutting tab under the same heading you will see a pattern, that to me bears no resemblance to any pattern I've seen cut at Andersons and where they have written, 4 ply's of wadding on the Right shoulder. Is that a soft lightly padded natural shoulder?

When asked how he can make the claim that A&S uses a different cutting method to other houses, Edwin pointed out that before A&S he had trained with a range of tailors of different house styles, and that there was a marked difference in cutting style between the standard SR cutting and old A&S (having been trained in both).

I completely stand by what I say. The system used is basically the same in construction from house to house and basically the same as any good cutting book. House block as in house style. I'm sure Pooles or Kilgour wouldn’t be pleased with a cutter who produced a Nutters (pagoda type shoulder with 5” lapels to represent their house).

I also worked for Edward Sexton, who I regard as one the best cutters I've known. I worked with Malcolm Plews, Chittleborough & Morgan. Spent 3 years at the London college of Fashion. My father was a cutter and my brother still is and I can say what I’ve said with hand on my heart. I was merely making the point that the A&S system is totally unique and couldn’t be cut by someone not trained there.

As a courtesy upon leaving, Mahon made block patterns for A&S, which they continue to use to this day. @dieworkwear has sketched out the events elsewhere on SF, in more detail.


As for Steven Hitchcock, his stuff looks much nicer to me than current A&S, even though he trained after the last classical A&S cutters left; I suppose it is tied more to the construction process in his case, as well as QC. (I cannot imagine him sending out a disaster A&S jacket like we’ve often seen here, or have seen on celebrities like Daniel Craig.) HM The King chooses to patronize Steven Hitchcock these days, which says something.

 

[corpseposeur]

Isn’t the whole point of those 3 you’re getting A&S cut at a “discount”?

No disrespect at all intended - I think Tom at Redmayne is very engaging, and his content very helpful, and would love to be able to afford something cut by him

I don't get my clothes from Redmayne and Steed because they are budget A&S, I get them because their cuts are my preferred option of that style. The fact that they don't charge as much because they're not trying to be a fashion brand is a bonus.

They've both raised their prices and while as a customer I'm not thrilled about that, I would still pay that cost.

 

[Aggro]

Lodens featured in an article on PS today

Lodens are typically associated with old-man-wear, upper middle class signaling

Who wants to dress up like a caricature from 1900...
Ugly design, baggy

DO wear one if you want to look like a New York doorman, though. LOL

Two bug bears.
Hate coats that have vertical side pockets & no outside breast pocket.
Prefer horizontal opening side pockets & breast pocket.

As usual, the PS fancy man, aging/middle-aged PS acolytes will be out in full force, credit/debit card in hand, ready to purchase it just because it was written about in a PS piece

LOL

 

[Aggro]

.

 

[JibranK]

TBH Huntsman & their offshoots all look like the cut you find in jackets at the likes of M & S

How do you mean? I don’t really see it at all.

And what are you counting as outshoots? I wouldn’t go to A&S or Huntsman because I’ve seen noticeably bad coats coming out of both* but there are several alumni of better days at those houses who are fantastic.

*Crompton’s Huntsman suit was excellent though, despite the “issues” he noted with it (despite being given the whole three piece for free). The cutter David Ward posted an article length response explaining why shooting suits are cut the way they are that I copied here some weeks ago.

 

[SailingIvy]

Lodens featured in an article on PS today

Lodens are typically associated with old-man-wear, upper middle class signaling

Who wants to dress up like a caricature from 1900...
Ugly design, baggy

DO wear one if you want to look like a New York doorman, though. LOL

Two bug bears.
Hate coats that have slanted side pockets & no outside breast pocket.
Prefer horizontal opening side pockets & breast pocket.

As usual, the PS fancy man, aging/middle-aged PS acolytes will be out in full force, credit/debit card in hand, ready to purchase it just because Crompton wrote about it

LOL

The article is actually not by Crompton

 

[JibranK]

I came across this 2008 article on how to dart shirts that's a great example of how great and useful Permanent Style was in its early years.

Genuinely useful information on at-home alterations, especially useful for those of us who got sale shirts from good makers, for instance. I remember he used to also have suggestions for how to wear an overlong sports jacket sleeve in a way that blended in.

 

[Aggro]

Correct

I must have mistaken it for the Camel coat piece by Crompton - also on sale at the PS shop which the Loden isn't (yet...)

The article is actually not by Crompton

 

[JibranK]

I saw Simon’s post about a vendor in which he mistakes a traditional SR technique (using the fabric selvedge as the inside tape at the hem) for a cheap HK tailor gimmick lol.

 

[TomTom]

Lodens featured in an article on PS today

Lodens are typically associated with old-man-wear, upper middle class signaling

Who wants to dress up like a caricature from 1900...
Ugly design, baggy

DO wear one if you want to look like a New York doorman, though. LOL

Two bug bears.
Hate coats that have vertical side pockets & no outside breast pocket.
Prefer horizontal opening side pockets & breast pocket.

As usual, the PS fancy man, aging/middle-aged PS acolytes will be out in full force, credit/debit card in hand, ready to purchase it just because it was written about in a PS piece

LOL

I like Loden and in Germany and parts of Austria there are still popular even amongst younger people. Btw Loden is not a type of coat, its a type of dense fabric. For instance my grandfather had a hunting jacket made out of loden fabric in typical Bavarian style( my family comes from there) The cut of the Loden does not need to be this weird oversized one. I have seen coats made in loden fabric adopted to the 21st century and they look great. They also last forever and can be got for very little money on ebay.

 

[DorianGreen]

Yes, loden is a kind of cloth: a heavy, water-repellent, felted, teaselled and brushed wool fabric, traditionally produced in Tyrol (Austria and Italy). The term usually refers also to the typical coat made of it though.

As I was young and attended the high school it was pretty popular in Italy among the students and not only.

 

[classicalthunde]

are there any well known loden fabric merchants? sounds like it would make a good pea coat or chore coat or something similar...