W.W. Chan's New Website

George · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Uggh, no. That's not what I said at all. I said there is a difference between a willingness to do something and the ability to (a) do it well, or (b) do it just like someone else does it. Rubinacci has nothing to do with anything. In my opinion, the examples of Chan soft tailoring posted on the forum are, at the best, mixed. Given the nature of the bespoke process, being able to do something right or well only some of the time does not mean anything to me. After all, as a client, it only matters whether you can reasonably expect results of a certain quality and execution, not whether they are remotely possible.
Foo, any tailor worth his salt can cut a lightly padded, soft shoulder.

TheFoo · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by sellahi22

i dont think the reactions to Chan soft shoulders have been mixed on this board, they've been uniformly good. if anything, it's their "house style" suits that have left something to be desired. of course you can't extrapolate much from this limited data. we're not talking past one another. you say that you should always stick to house style. i say that i'm going to get a soft shoulder despite it not being their house style, since: - i want a soft shoulder, not their house style - they are willing to do a soft shoulder, and in fact claim that it's a frequent request which they fulfill on a regular basis - the examples of their soft shoulder that i've seen have been uniformly excellent
Look, you seem to believe that Chan does uniformly excellent work. Believing that, as is your choice to have them make you a certain kind of jacket, is your prerogative. All I can say is that I disagree and have critiqued Chan jackets before, with and without soft shoulders, so I'm not just making empty statements. Personally, I find the belief that Chan's work is uniformly excellent to be suspect and incredibly wishful. There seems to be a powerful desire amongst Chan clients to believe whoever pays more for a tailor other than Chan must be an idiot, a snob, or a combination of both. I'm sure you can imagine why that desire might be as powerful as it is.

TheFoo · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by George

Foo, any tailor worth his salt can cut a lightly padded, soft shoulder.

You say this, yet the soft shoulders we've seen executed by tailors who don't normally do them are often not quite right looking. The hard technique (or lack thereof) required may be a non-issue, but clearly something is going wrong.

George · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by mafoofan

You say this, yet the soft shoulders we've seen executed by tailors who don't normally do them are often not quite right looking. The hard technique (or lack thereof) required may be a non-issue, but clearly something is going wrong.
You may have to post some pics or a link for me to look at.

radicaldog · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Personally, I find the belief that Chan's work is uniformly excellent to be suspect and incredibly wishful. There seems to be a powerful desire amongst Chan clients to believe whoever pays more for a tailor other than Chan must be an idiot, a snob, or a combination of both. I'm sure you can imagine why that desire might be as powerful as it is.

There also seems to be a desire to objectively validate higher expenditure on clothing, watches, etc. I wonder whether it may be tied to a deeper desire to validate one's life choices: "If I weren't a ruthless lawyer/bankster/businessman I wouldn't be able to live up to my aesthetic ideals, therefore (!) it's OK to be a harsh sergeant in the SS of capitalism."

Hmm... was that my first dig at Foo? Sorry, it just came out like that. Rough day, research budget slashing, and all that jazz.

gdl203 · Jul 2, 2010

Another bullshit thread.

nice new chan website

english no good
come on... I'm trying chan soon, with a soft shoulder

chan can't make soft
come on... seen some good ones

of course... your prerogative... spalla... by no means... bespoke... house style remotely possible your prerogative

George · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by radicaldog

There also seems to be a desire to objectively validate higher expenditure on clothing, watches, etc. I wonder whether it may be tied to a deeper desire to validate one's life choices: "If I weren't a ruthless lawyer/bankster/businessman I wouldn't be able to live up to my aesthetic ideals, therefore (!) it's OK to be a harsh sergeant in the SS of capitalism." Hmm... was that my first dig at Foo? Sorry, it just came out like that. Rough day, research budget slashing, and all that jazz.
Or just an acknowledgement of the law of diminishing returns.

Bounder · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by taxgenius69

Nice! Love the house style pics.
Heh. It's kind of funny that those pictures show no discernable "house style" at all. They do show how flexible Chan is, though. I've always understood that you can get some great results with Chan but you have to really know what you want -- and in great detail -- to get them.

TheFoo · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by George

You may have to post some pics or a link for me to look at.
I'm looking desperately through WARYN, but a search for 'Chan' seems to only turn up PG and Parker posts. PG's images are all gone, and Parker's jackets don't exactly help my case.

Originally Posted by radicaldog

There also seems to be a desire to objectively validate higher expenditure on clothing, watches, etc. I wonder whether it may be tied to a deeper desire to validate one's life choices: "If I weren't a ruthless lawyer/bankster/businessman I wouldn't be able to live up to my aesthetic ideals, therefore (!) it's OK to be a harsh sergeant in the SS of capitalism." Hmm... was that my first dig at Foo? Sorry, it just came out like that. Rough day, research budget slashing, and all that jazz.
Of course, people do that. And there is, of course, a psychological impetus to believe one's money was well-spent. However, money still speaks more than it doesn't. As a general matter, nicer things cost more--regardless of whatever StylefForumnomics says to the contrary.

Originally Posted by gdl203

Another bullshit thread. nice new chan website

english no good come on... I'm trying chan soon, with a soft shoulder

chan can't make soft come on... seen some good ones

of course... your prerogative... spalla... by no means... bespoke... house style remotely possible your prerogative

Another bullshit post.

Originally Posted by George

Or just an acknowledgement of the law of diminishing returns.
Well, who could ever deny that? If I had to buy a vast number of suits very quickly, I'd drop Rubinacci for Chan immediately.

gdl203 · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Another bullshit post.
Did I miss anything of substance?

Baron · Jul 2, 2010

No tailor's work is uniformly excellent. They all have misfires and mistakes (at least as evidenced from internet posts) and a lot of the fault probably lies with the clients in many cases. That said, I like most of the Chan I've seen posted here but I'm a little hesitant to try because of the difficulty with extra fittings. My biggest pet peeve with most Chans is too high button stance. That's an easy thing to address at a fitting, but a hard thing to live wtih if it slips through the process despite your instructions.

Bull · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I'm looking desperately through WARYN, but a search for 'Chan' seems to only turn up PG and Parker posts. PG's images are all gone, and Parker's jackets don't exactly help my case.

Will's quarter-lined linen number, from Chan - no spalla, but plenty soft:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_...han+jacket.jpg

TheFoo · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by Bounder

Heh. It's kind of funny that those pictures show no discernable "house style" at all. They do show how flexible Chan is, though. I've always understood that you can get some great results with Chan but you have to really know what you want -- and in great detail -- to get them.

I disagree. There is certainly commonality: very lean overall (never any drape), medium-to-high buttoning points, a preference for closed quarters (unless you count 'really ugly open quarters' as a preference), moderate lapel width, medium-high-to-high gorge, moderately structured shoulders with very straight shoulder lines, moderate waist suppression. Overall, it's very nice. It's only bad when the quarters open up or the buttoning point climbs upward.

TheFoo · Jul 2, 2010

Originally Posted by Bull

Will's quarter-lined linen number, from Chan - no spalla, but plenty soft: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_...han+jacket.jpg
Looks pretty good, but I think those are spalla camicia, aren't they? Also, Will is not exactly representative of the average client.

Bull · Jul 2, 2010

Foof, what's your view on Sciamat?

Point for point (spalla, pocket placement, lapel width, button placement), they seem to match your style perfectly. Perhaps the rope is a bit exaggerated, but my understanding is that this "settles" and becomes less pronounced as the jacket shoulder conforms to the wearer's shoulder...thoughts?

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