The Rubinacci Thread.

[Texasmade]

I think Manton was the first to really post JLP bespoke. If you google JLP bespoke shoes, his black captoe oxfords always pop up.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think Manton was the first to really post JLP bespoke. If you google JLP bespoke shoes, his black captoe oxfords always pop up.

I don't think those were his, were they? I thought he just liked them.

 

[dauster]

Well the pandemic is new.

But take bespoke shoes. I think ten years ago, very few people on here had bespoke shoes. Bespoke shoes still aren't common, but there are more people who order them. And there's a greater range of makers.

I can't even remember who ordered bespoke shoes back in the day. Maybe Bengal Stripe? Foo was one of the first to post about his experience with Clev.

Now you can find info about every one of the major West End firms, along with indie makers. There are more than a few Japanese makers. JLP used to be discussed here just as a matter of interest, but now Texasmade has ordered shoes. And you went to Berluti.

For bespoke, RSS used Huntsman and RA. Vox obviously used Steed. Whnay, Iammatt, Foo, Gaz, Mamao, Canta, and some others used Rubinacci.

You still have people on here who use Paone (the original Rubi cutter). And there are many, many more Steed customers. There are also more people using and introducing small Italian makers, including lesser-known ones in Naples. Some guys post Corocos stuff. Pete started a thread about Sicilian tailors and has even introduced a Sicilian tailor to the US.

I just don't think the romanticism is there anymore. I think people used to get really excited about this stuff, especially when people posted about trips and "sartorial excursions." There was a bit of romance behind the assumptions we made about some members, like the supposed rich lifestyles of Will at ASW, RSS, Vox, and Iammatt (that context is mostly gone). People who order bespoke clothes feel more like "normal" people.

But I think when people post a bespoke suit now, it's just a "nice suit." The social dynamic doesn't feel the same. I don't think people romanticize the stuff as much anymore -- either about the wearers, small things like topstitching, photos of workshops, etc. I also think the social dynamic has changed. I wasn't part of the original cohort posting this stuff, but looking through old posts, there seemed to be more camaraderie. There was a bit more playful back and forth. I think that kind of banter is somewhat gone.

Many of the guys I admired most from that original group -- Maomao, Yfyfy, Vox, etc -- are still around, but on other parts of the internet. I mostly miss Foo threads, which were like clothing versions of Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes. They perfectly mixed aspirational shopping with schadenfreude. Every thread followed the same arc and ended in a mishap.

One more thing: I think the availability of reasonably good, affordable tailoring has changed people's perceptions of bespoke. Ten years ago, I was totally wow'd by Iammat's Rubi suits.If you wanted a silhouette like that, you had to go to Naples. Now, you can get 90% of that look in ready to wear.

That's a good point about the romanticism that is gone. The internet has made tailoring more accessible. Permanentstyle and to a lesser degree hugo jacomet have basically tried all savile row tailors, most high end french and then some italian ones and even japanese. yes, there are a few they have not covered but it's not exactly something people don't know anything about. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations about how often people "should" post their high end tailoring but I guess I would like to read more of it

 

[Texasmade]

I don't think those were his, were they? I thought he just liked them.

I thought they were his. I know he did commission a pair at one point.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I don't think those were his, were they? I thought he just liked them.

Yes, he has a pair. They charged him an extra $350 Euros for metal toe plates.

 

[dieworkwear]

They charged him an extra $350 Euros for metal toe plates.

Hilarious and delightful.

 

[Texasmade]

Yes, he has a pair. They charged him an extra $350 Euros for metal toe plates.

That was the price like 10 years ago. I wonder how much it cost me today if I were to request that.

 

[comrade]

I think there are more people here using bespoke tailors than there was 10 years ago. But the enthusiasm has kind of pittered out, and the social dynamic has changed. I think the bar to get people excited is much higher nowadays. I remember back when Foo posted photos from his field trip to Naples and people getting excited when he posted pics of nubby topsttiches on shirts. It would be hard to get people excited by topstitches nowadays because the information is so well known, the romanticism mostly gone, and the effect kind of common.

But there are more people here using bespoke tailors, and I'd wager that the spread across tailors here is wider and more interesting than it was ten years ago.

 

[comrade]

"It would be hard to get people excited by topstitches nowadays because the information is so well known, the romanticism mostly gone, and the effect kind of common."

If my memory serves me, Foo's Matuozzo shirts started coming apart within months
of taking delivery. Your comments that Foo's misadventures in bespoke parallel
Larry David episodes are spot on.

 

[dauster]

It would be hard to get people excited by topstitches nowadays because the information is so well known, the romanticism mostly gone, and the effect kind of common.

If my memory serves me Foo's Matuozzo shirts started coming apart within months
of taking delivery. Your comments that Foo's misadventures in bespoke parallel
Larry David episodes are spot on.

What happened to his 12k tortoise shell glasses - recently read old posts in the french tailoring thread... did they end up being a disappointment as well?

 

[dieworkwear]

What happened to his 12k tortoise shell glasses - recently read old posts in the french tailoring thread... did they end up being a disappointment as well?

IIRC, some guys were total buzzkills and told him to stop posting about it in that thread.

 

[dauster]

IIRC, some guys were total buzzkills and told him to stop posting about it in that thread.

why ? it was french and bespoke

 

[dieworkwear]

why ? it was french and bespoke

Some guys want THE DISCOURSE to be super serious so we can home-in on truth and become ELEGANTE GENTLEMEN. And Foo posts naturally devolve into long strings of argumentation and **** posting.

 

[dauster]

Some guys want THE DISCOURSE to be super serious so we can home-in on truth and become ELEGANTE GENTLEMEN. And Foo posts naturally devolve into long strings of argumentation and **** posting.

ahahhaha of course - the modern I-Gent that loves proper etiquette that would even annoy Louis IV

 

[A Y]

I mostly miss Foo threads, which were like clothing versions of Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes.

is curb, a tv show?