Tribalism generally. Does anyone want to be truly exclusive. I mean have things made that they have only? Some might, some might very well indeed. However, it occurs to me that if you have something too exclusive then you may not have an audience who can appreciate it or envy it.

True they might know that it was made especially for you but how would they really know this? It might be that they just haven’t seen it on someone else yet. More to the point, even a self styled master of the universe needs minions to admire and envy him.

Someone has got have lusted for what you have to be impressed with the fact that you have it. Likewise, others even a small exclusive set of others mind you, has to be aware and have even chosen the same or like items to appreciate that you are part of the inner circle. Being an original might not be as rewarding as being part of an exclusive circle. This might not only reinforce the old adage that it’s lonely at the top; it’s sometimes a waste of effort.


Younger men want something completely different, more mature men are more interested in fit and quality and do not mind as much seeing a similar pattern on the right sort of person because it validates the set or the inner club or circle. So generally, although the English like to be different it has to be within a certain set of parameters and the more mature you are, the less important absolute individualism is and the more comfort derived from seeing the right sort of people wearing your shirt or a recognized one from a given source.

If you don’t care at all and just want the fit and the feeling of custom, then plain white and blue shirts are for you. No one will know the source of the material and only you will know it was custom made but for many well dressed Englishmen, that is titillation enough.


I know that I messed around with tribalism with my tailor. I unwittingly moved around or changed details that signaled that I was a customer to the other men who visited them. I won’t do that anymore. It announces that I am part of the club, of the same circle and set. I did so because I thought that this was the correct way to do it from old books or rules of thumb. But I was wrong because these things are not record-able with any consistency and are often reported by outsiders who do not understand the gist of tribalism. It isn’t important that people outside the group (presuming the group to be an influential and much traveled one by me) to think you got it right but it is essential for persons within it to recognize that you have.