Comps gets a hard press here .. but lets cut him some slack guys .. if youre new to classic mens clothing you could do a lot worse than read some of his posts, he talks about classic mens clothing, different styles of tailoring, shoe construction etc .. for a young guy its accessible without being fusty (as F Bown was *10).
Ok he might not get everything right in terms of choices .. but its intersting to see what the tailors make up for him as a guinea pig .. hes helped me in that ive been able to avoid some of the places he's been to so in a way he's saved me tons of money!
fruity
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-09 13:17:53)
^ Go back to the original post on this thread. Crompton failed to disclose that he was getting cheap or free suits from the tailors in his blog articles. It was only when he was challenged on his blog by readers/posters (who presumably saw this thread) that he owned up. Even now, Crompton does not disclose whether he is being paid, in cash or goods, by the firms that he blogs about. He deserves his hard press here.
BTW, go to bing.com, search for "simon crompton " (space after the name) and look at the second option...
Last edited by Bishop of Briggs (2012-12-09 14:13:09)
ok so he's not declaring interests .. but our MPs in the UK do exactly the same & we keep electing them back into office! and they are affecting the lives of everyone in the country .. the only mischeif comps can do is recommend you go see A&S to get authentic 'drape'
even if he does misrepresent you only have to look at how the stuff made for him turns out .. and bad work is obvious to those with an interest in this area, so it acts not only as a positive but also as a negative indicator for poor tailors. therefore he is bringing transparancy even though he may well be conflicted with his other interests, its better than having close to 0 transparancy which is what most people have usually (London Lounge has some pictures but the houses featured come from the same 2/3 tailors which they all rave about on there, SF bloggers have little experience for all their BS talk of the major houses) and this can only be a good thing.
He has shown pictures of stuff coming out of the major SR houses in London for him and you cant see this unless a) you are a customer and go through the process b) you know people who use the tailor. Most people would therefore have to risk it and go through several tailors before finding one that suits them. Talking to a tailor is helpful on the relationship front but doesnt help understand style, they usually keep one trial jacket / show you other customers jackets (usually a size 48 .. saville row customers always seem to be on the portly side as they are they seem to usually be the only ones who can afford it ) which again is of limited usefulness as its no better than a RTW jacket as its made using a standard pattern.
i think its common knowledge he writes the blog on A&S website for them. i do respect the fact that on PS i have made critical comments about some of the places he writes on, including A&S, to his credit he has left the comments there (unlike other bloggers) and usually responds with a considered opinion.
oldfruit.
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-09 15:50:47)
^ i understand what you are saying BoB .. its very far from being ideal .. but at the end of the day at least there is some visibility in terms of what we can see the tailoring houses do. How else could there be transparancy unless one of us goes around the various tailoring houses, commissions various clothing at our own expense (perhaps the same 3 piece suit for purposes of a fair test) and spends time writing up an analysis to help our fellow forum members. I dont know about you .. but i dont have the time or money to do such a thing so people like comps are all weve got im afraid!
id add that since we know the game .. take what is said with a pinch of salt .. and look at the pictures, to be honest that A&S 2 piece in POW check was so bad that as the comments testify the readers would have been likely been put off going there rather than beating a path to old burlington street!
oldfruit.
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-09 16:10:40)
Here's the Manton link - http://forums.filmnoirbuff.com/viewtopic.php?id=6224&p=4 It starts at post 97 with links to the SF thread.
I am equally cynical about recommendations from journalists and bloggers in all fields - especially food, wines, restaurants, hotels and holidays.
Last edited by Bishop of Briggs (2012-12-10 03:48:22)
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 04:44:50)
No this was a real stinker of a suit. The bloke should not have been let out wearing it.
http://www.styleforum.net/t/250290/graham-browne-bespoke-tailor-my-first-suit
Looked worse when the photos were on the thread.
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 07:33:40)
Last edited by Reckless Reggie (2012-12-10 08:38:49)
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 09:00:01)
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 09:02:37)
Last edited by Reckless Reggie (2012-12-10 10:17:56)
^ you make a convincing argument, if you are learning about bespoke clothing and trust comps for impartial advice on where to shop you may end up wasting your hard earned money and this cant be right.
what he needs to do is each time he writes up a review is to say how much he paid for it himself or alternatively say that such and such tailor, shoemaker etc asked if he would like something made, if he did this I think there would be clarity for readers and they could guard against false praise.
fruity
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 11:32:41)
Excellent posts from Reggie. Apart from his original purchases from Graham Browne, I cannot recall Crompton using the same tailor twice. He's even tried it on with the Naples crowd. He obviously has no style of his own and it is impossible to see him as a serious writer on tailoring or luxury goods. It's obvious that he just shills for freebies or discounts.
Last edited by Bishop of Briggs (2012-12-10 12:35:12)
hmm he had one post on what he wore at the weekend and if i remember correctly it was jeans, polos tops & driving loafers, i suspect that is his true style & all the tailoring he picks up is for when he plays dress up at tailoring conventions and the like ..
i on the other hand wear tailoring all the time! even on the weekend .. i wear a jacket & tie when i leave the house! no jeans or drivers for me .. ever! i only wish i had thought up the same scheme a few years ago .. although i would want to stick to the same 2 tailors, 2 shoe makers & 3 accessories shops so it would quite likely be a dull blog!
fruity
Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-12-10 13:19:05)