Bespoke Overload?

OP, can we get a larger pic of the avatar? looks like a good time.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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I think the issue people are having is not that he has too much clothes (as you mention, a sin of many here on SF) but rather that he is making it about bespoke clothes ("from the best artisans"). Whether the clothing is bespoke or Wal Mart, refinement and focus is more important than accumulation, as you mention. I just think that the OP came off as a bit of a braggard, willfully or not, by dismissing the same situation of the items are not bespoke.

Bragging or not, I'm reluctant to judge since there is real meat to this discussion. It's of little importance what the OP's intentions were.

Also, I think over-collecting bespoke is distinguishable phenomenon.

Having lived in NYC and moved pretty much every year, I am forced to annually slim down my wardrobe.

This meant tossing a small NWT McQueen suit, my dad's 1970's bespoke suits, a loud plaid etro blazer and a lot of unworn shirts a couple months ago. If I lived in the 'burbs, they still would all be in a box down in the basement. Honestly it feels better when they're gone.

I'm happy to say that each suit and blazer in my closet gets worn.

Originally Posted by Ianiceman

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TC I hereby demand that before you send a single item more to goodwill that you PM me first. I can collect in person!

p.s. Which goodwill do you use? I'm always on the lookout for a bargain plus I have some stuff I'd like to sell too!

Haha, well unfortunately all the undesirables are gone. I think my wife donated everything to the collection center on the corner of San Felipe and Shepherd, just a few weeks ago right before we moved. I have no idea where it ends up from there.

Originally Posted by james_timothy

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There was a good thread a while back about whether one is better dressed with a minimalist wardrobe than with a collectionist wardrobe.

What I took from that was the idea of a critical mass wardrobe, above which one can improve by culling.
Radicaldog started such a thread ... it was a good one.

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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Bragging or not, I'm reluctant to judge since there is real meat to this discussion. It's of little importance what the OP's intentions were.

Also, I think over-collecting bespoke is distinguishable phenomenon.

I'm not really sure what you mean

I think what people are "upset" about is that this was not meant to be a discussion, but a "hey everyone, look at me" threak. I honestly don't really care either way, just getting more confused as the thread goes on.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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I'm not really sure what you mean

I think what people are "upset" about is that this was not meant to be a discussion, but a "hey everyone, look at me" threak. I honestly don't really care either way, just getting more confused as the thread goes on.

I'm just saying that regardless of the OP's intentions ("look at me!" or not), he raises a salient issue for discussion.

I always thought Butler was really a butler and while his owner was away he played dress-up with his clothing.

Originally Posted by RSS

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Radicaldog startes such a thread ... it was a good one.

That was it.

In the context of this thread, the Voxian advice would be to look at Biddle's Minimal Wardrobe and start editing down the bespoke collection to the pieces that he truly loves and wears.

Very much like TC did.

It's my guess that the OP is actually a butler and is asking how he can get his employer to select more than just his favorite suits.

I assume he lays out multiple outfits per day to allow the employer to choose what he likes best. Why not just make the seldom worn suit outfits look better than the favorites?

Gentlemen please,

I'm sorry to say that you do not read what I post!

After the first couple of posts and PMs, I got the picture and elaborated on my initial post and explained a few things:

First of all this is not about me, consequently I'm not bragging intentionally or not - I clearly writes that I do not have 100+ items!

But I do indicate "that I'm conversant with the situation" (spoken as a true Butler

Secondly there is a point about the question being about bespoke wardrobes, and not a question of simply management of large amounts of clothes! The amount of time, money and thoughts makes the huge difference.

I emphasized that only a hand full of members are in a position to answer my question, comment on and discuss this topic.

It is off course interesting that so many of other members still want to contribute, although by definition, they really are incapable of knowing the answer.

Originally Posted by aj_del

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So, you have the lifestyle where you have 100 suits but are wearing 8 of them because you like those the best ? I guess you are in that point where you have care for 50000 USD as much as I care for 50 USD. Like I would buy a trouser from Zara and not really beat myself up if I only wore it one time, you would apply to a 6000 USD suit.


Whole thing reminds of when someone was selling 20-25 Attolini MTM/MTO suits which according to the seller were made for a billionaire who didnt bother to pick them up.

See above!

Originally Posted by S. Magnozzi

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It depends, if you keep all garments at one place, then it might seem excessive; but many who are bespoke clients spend their time in more than one house. Hence, 100 suits over let's say 3 different locations does seem rather reasonable.

This is a valid point!

Originally Posted by alphaO888

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Besides the fact that it sounds like you're starting this thread to just blow yourself - your dilemma has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you have too many bespoke items.

If I goto Walmart and buy 100+ different colored Hanes T-shirts along with 50+ matching pairs of $10 jeans I would have the exact same problem as what you have. In fact, I'd say every single member on this board has the same issue where they favor certain pieces of clothing over others.

The whole point of having a lot of suits, slacks, ties, shoes in a rotation is so that they all last longer. If you truly favor some suits over others then you should just "commission" the same 3 suits you like to wear and have them copied into 100.

See above!

Originally Posted by TTO

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Butler, you are a man of style and taste, If you are having trouble coming up with excuses to commission yet more beautiful garments, please feel free to have them made for me! Failing this wonderful plan, I would quite happily accept the donation of anything you feel goes unworn to often, therefore clearing space in your creaking wardrobe(s)!
-TTO
(In envy your problem0

Thanks very much but it is not m y problem - see above!

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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You guys laugh, but the OP's situation is not unlike the norm on SF: too much collecting, not enough refinement and focus. That his clothes are bespoke is really neither here nor there.

Originally Posted by RSS

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Some have surely reached that point. In my wardrobe there are indeed suits and odd coats that have never been -- and perhaps never will be -- worn. Bespoke or off-the-rack it matters not.


The fun -- for me at least -- is commissioning the garment and seeing it progress though the various fittings. At that point, wearing it can be rather anticlimactic.

Thats what I'm talking about

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

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+1

Originally Posted by edmorel

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I think the issue people are having is not that he has too much clothes (as you mention, a sin of many here on SF) but rather that he is making it about bespoke clothes ("from the best artisans"). Whether the clothing is bespoke or Wal Mart, refinement and focus is more important than accumulation, as you mention. I just think that the OP came off as a bit of a braggard, willfully or not, by dismissing the same situation of the items are not bespoke.

See above!

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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I was going to post pretty much the same thing. Clothing should look worn, and lived in no matter the price... something that you actually wore and moved in, and pulled your pants down while deucing, and accidentally sprayed champagne on, and had cleaned because of some lipstick friendly fire on the collar.

Good point!

Originally Posted by desert_fox

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OP, can we get a larger pic of the avatar? looks like a good time.

Avatar is compliment of Mr Sam

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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Bragging or not, I'm reluctant to judge since there is real meat to this discussion. It's of little importance what the OP's intentions were.


Also, I think over-collecting bespoke is distinguishable phenomenon.

Indeed, but see them above

Originally Posted by edmorel

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I'm not really sure what you mean

I think what people are "upset" about is that this was not meant to be a discussion, but a "hey everyone, look at me" threak. I honestly don't really care either way, just getting more confused as the thread goes on.

Absolutely not, see above!

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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I'm just saying that regardless of the OP's intentions ("look at me!" or not), he raises a salient issue for discussion.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Mr. Moo

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I always thought Butler was really a butler and while his owner was away he played dress-up with his clothing.

Wouldn't that be convenient - He could do all his masters fittings!

Butler,

Time to be Jeffersonian about this. Collect data about what you have and how you use it.

Chart out all of your good clothes, separate suits from odd jackets and then group by color (gray, blue, tan, etc) within seasonal sets (summer,3 season, winter). No hard rules, just allcoate them out.

Round 1 of analysis is to see what is duplicative and where holes may be.

Round 2 is to take the vertically arrayed list and add a couple of columns for seasons. Print it out, put it on, in or by your dresser.

Everytime you wear a garment, mark a stroke in the column/box.

After a year or two you'll know how what you wear and what you dont and can make reasoned decisions about what to keep, what to dispose and what to add.

Lets talk in a year's time,
Braised

Originally Posted by braised

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Butler,

Time to be Jeffersonian about this. Collect data about what you have and how you use it.

Chart out all of your good clothes, separate suits from odd jackets and then group by color (gray, blue, tan, etc) within seasonal sets (summer,3 season, winter). No hard rules, just allcoate them out.

Round 1 of analysis is to see what is duplicative and where holes may be.

Round 2 is to take the vertically arrayed list and add a couple of columns for seasons. Print it out, put it on, in or by your dresser.

Everytime you wear a garment, mark a stroke in the column/box.

After a year or two you'll know how what you wear and what you dont and can make reasoned decisions about what to keep, what to dispose and what to add.

Lets talk in a year's time,
Braised

Originally Posted by Butler

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Gentlemen please,

I'm sorry to say that you do not read what I post!

After the first couple of posts and PMs, I got the picture and elaborated on my initial post and explained a few things:

First of all this is not about me, consequently I'm not bragging intentionally or not - I clearly writes that I do not have 100+ items!

This is being approached from the wrong end of the equation. There's nothing intrinsically better about either a large high-quality wardrobe with few wears each, or a small high-quality wardrobe with many wears each. The important factor is whether the owner enjoys their wardrobe. If they're the kind of person that enjoys the large collection, they should carry on buying. If they only love wearing the same few items regularly, and hate having the extra items then they should reduce it. If money is not an issue, and one simply enjoys the process of buying bespoke, continue and keep the items for rare use or just give them away after a wearing or two, if preferred. Dressing well is a complete irrelevance to the concept of a bespoke wardrobe anyway, once one moves past a certain - and very low - threshold, anyway. Bespoke clothes after this point are simply another discretionary luxury purchase. The act of wearing them or dressing well has much less to do with it. Buy them if you enjoy the process of buying and owning them. It's not rocket science. For some people it's stamps, others coins, others watches, others clothes. If people enjoy the process and the ownership, good for them and more power to them. PS. full and yet blindingly obvious disclaimer: I do not own 100+ bespoke suits... I'd like to, though.

If you have more clothes than you can wear then you have ceased to buy clothes for the purpose of wearing them and you have simply begun to buy things for the sake of just buying something.