The London Lounge

Electing Elegance?

FLASH

“The latest AP poll shoes Republicans favor the classic 3 button front while Democrats overwhelmingly choose the 2 button. The exception concerns so called “red dog” Democrats who prefer the 3 button rolled to 2.5!”

Politicians use polling as a tool to understand public opinion, but can polling be used to improve one’s dress? I see a lot of polling on the net. And while it might be a diverting exercise that delights moderators, is it anyway to learn anything about dressing?

“Hi I am a 300 pound Greek Cypriot weightlifter, should I choose a three button or two button. Thanks for your replies.”

The two hundred replies will offer all sorts of advice, sophomoric humor, recommendations of tailors, addresses of tailors, telephone numbers of tailors, 24 hour chatlines with tailors, recitations of the rules pertaining to Greek Cypriot weightlifters day dress codes etc. Then the thread will enflame with bitter arguments between the advocates of the 3 button and those of the 2 with the concomitant vindictive angry exchanges. At the end of the day the exercise confuses readers and sounds a bit like Swift’s tale of the war over boiled eggs.

Ok so maybe the internet isn’t the best place to learn. So how does one do it? Asking questions is a good idea, right?

Asking questions is an excellent idea. Would you ask this question on the net?

“I have a real problem. I am getting up four times a night to urinate and every time I do it burns like hell. The PSA in my system has been increasing over the last year and is now 250. What should I do?”

Jackie: Dude, sounds like you’ve been doing too much “Herbal Power” to enlarge yourself. You should be using Double Down, my new FDA approved treatment..see it on my site..

MDman: The rule says that you should go peepee no more than once a night, though in the 1930s it was commonly accepted not to do so at all.

Shyster from Chichester: Totally cool dude, how did you get your PSA that high? Mine is only 200. I told my specialist and he said I was in deep doo doo, but what does he know?

I know this sounds like a bad “Saturday Night Live” sketch but the point is that if you had these symptoms you would be in an office to see a competent physician or maybe even two. Health is a serious subject. Dress is not a matter of life or death, but if you are serious about your appearance you may want to know who you are taking advice from.

On the net, you really haven’t a clue. There are two major problems: distinguishing real posters on forums and blogs from paid advertisers; and evaluating the style of those “experts” who are not advertisers.

In the last few years we have seen large sites devolve from geek forums status to full blown commercial enterprises. These sites are financed via overt and covert advertising. The overt ads are the banners and flashing lights. The covert ads are the posts written by moderators akin to “what do you think of XYZ tweed?” Two posts later another “sock puppet” will respond “oh, they are the greatest. I had ten trousers made last week and they are so turbo fine dude!” The buzz gets started and you as a reader risk falling with the rest of the squirming fish into the nets!

To swim clear of the advertising nets, take a good look at the banners and flashing lights. Now that you know who is advertising overtly, watch out for posters who laud and goad about the products of these companies. Finding the covert advertisers is a bit more difficult but most of you know how to recognize the “leading questions” designed to kindle the buzz.

Evaluating the style of net “experts” on any subject is very difficult. Sheer loquacity is no guarantor of knowledge or taste. There are writers who have more individual posts than entire sites and moderators reward these motor mouths with honors and “senior” status. But what do they know and what is real or imagined? Are you really ready to roll the dice with your hard earned cash based on vapor advice? Look for the “deeds” and not the “words” of the experts.

But first and foremost, see a competent professional for advice. If your interest is bespoke clothing, a good tailor is your front line defense against the hype, advertising and disinformation you browse for free. If you can find other information resources that are real and supplement the tailor’s advice then take advantage of them. But swim yourself clear of the nets.

Many things can be determined by consensus and elections. Masculine elegance is not one of them.

Cheers

M Alden

Polls are certainly not the best source of reliable sartorial advice, in my opinion. In this matter, one has to develop the metaphysical power of speaking to the dead, and try to understand the grammar of their language. The dead I have in mind are the master of good taste in the Edwardian age, as well as some anonymous & well known paragons of elegance of the thirties and forties, as they are depicted in some drawings, b&w photos, and films from the heyday of sartorial mastership.
I have been concerned in acquiring more items for my ever-growing library on the elegant life – in a very broad sense – than for my wardrobe. There is a great variety of interesting titles in this regard. Some of my latest acquisitions feature e.g. the lavishly illustrated Panama: A Legendary Hat, by Martine Buchet; the out-of-print Stottish Estate Tweeds, byJohnstons of Elgin; and Men in Black, by John Harvey.

Marcelo

I actually think this is a fascinating aspect of social history. How politicians dress. If we take Americans where this started there's surely no question the two most stylish presidents of the past hundred years were FDR and Kennedy. Kennedy allegedly made the two button suit fashionable although he actually wore what you could call a two and half button meaning a two button with a third button hole in the role of his lapel. He was an incredibly stylish guy though as is evidenced by the fact that his look has not reallhy dated fifty years later. FDR still looks very good in his standard mid weight grey suits with nice accoutrements notably his hats. As someone once said he always looked as if he was Churchill's boss. Which brings us to British politicoes who are in the main a shabby bunch. The one's that stand out are Anthony Eden and if you want to go back a bit further Joe Chamberlain. In modern times the only really stylish dresser that comes to mind is Heseltine but the standard is so low anyone with half a fashion sense would shine. The amazing thing is that for people who are in a career that is essentially about communication have so little idea of how to present themselves. It's probably to do with the desire to look like one of the blokes and not having the self confidence to do your own thing. In the broadest sense I suspect Obama is going to become a bit of style icon. Like a lot of black guys he seems to have a natural fashion sense. His formal where is fairly vanilla but he wears it with a lot of grace and style and he also looks very good in his casual and sports gear which is a much more treacherous area for politicians. Some of the Brit ones look like real dorks in their casual get ups. Oh for the days of Harold Macmillan in his grouse moor tweeds.

The standout dresser in the archival footage in THE FOG OF WAR is not Kennedy but Wilson.

Admittedly Kennedy dressed better than most of his contemporaries!

marcelo wrote: I have been concerned in acquiring more items for my ever-growing library on the elegant life – in a very broad sense – than for my wardrobe. There is a great variety of interesting titles in this regard.

My grandmother's younger brother (I guess that makes him a grand-uncle?) was a boarding school teacher (American) who loved to collect American minature paintings on ivory (very small things: 1 1/2"-3" oval objects d'art)...He was a life long bachelor, had his housing provided, etc., so he had moderate resources to devote to his obsession...I was fascinated by the whole process and went with him to auctions or estate jewelers (where he often got good good deals on the stuff)....But the thing I really learned from him is that learning about his hobby was as important, maybe even more important, than actually buying an object and he rigorously devoted a certain per centage of his budget to buying books, magazines, auction catalogues, etc....Every time we went to Boston or New York on a buying trip, we had to go to antiquarian and art book sellers as well as museums, auctions houses and jewelers. We (his family) got plenty of dough from the auction sale of his collection when he died, but even I was shocked at what his library gleaned (4 hour auction for his books alone yielded over $30,000 in 1983.) I think Marcello is onto something here.
jack
(edited for spelling)

ProfMoriarty wrote:

marcelo wrote: I have been concerned in acquiring more items for my ever-growing library on the elegant life – in a very broad sense – than for my wardrobe. There is a great variety of interesting titles in this regard.

My grandmother's younger brother (I guess that makes him a grand-uncle?) was a boarding school teacher (American) who loved to collect American minature paintings on ivory (very small things: 1 1/2"-3" oval objects d'art)...He was a life long bachelor, had his housing provided, etc., so he had moderate resources to devote to his obsession...I was fascinated by the whole process and went with him to auctions or estate jewelers (where he often got good good deals on the stuff)....But the thing I really learned from him is that learning about his hobby was as important, maybe even more important, than actually buying an object and he rigorously devoted a certain per centage of his budget to buying books, magazines, auction catalogues, etc....Every time we went to Boston or New York on a buying trip, we had to go to antiquarian and art book sellers as well as museums, auctions houses and jewelers. We (his family) got plenty of dough from the auction sale of his collection when he died, but even I was shocked at what his library gleaned (4 hour auction for his books alone yielded over $30,000 in 1983.) I think Marcello is onto something here.
jack
(edited for spelling)

Dear Prof. Moriarty

It is a very interesting story, indeed. A life-long pursuit of little beautiful things is, imho, one of those great things a man is worth being remembered, as the example of your grand-uncle testifies.
All the best

Marcelo