The London Lounge

LL members

I am relaunching this call for donations to support the "Men of the cloth" film made by Vicki Vasilopoulos.

http://www.menoftheclothfilm.com/index.htm

If you are able to help out, it is greatly appreciated. By supporting this initiative you are surely supporting the LL and its objectives as well. So please do be generous.

To make a contribution, see the following:

http://www.menoftheclothfilm.com/contribute.htm

Cheers

Michael Alden

I just wanted to express my appreciation for Michael Alden's interest in my film, and to say that I am really impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge about clothing that's displayed on this forum. I first entered this world as a men's fashion editor for the men's wear trade magazine DNR (The Daily News Record), which recently folded and is now renamed WWDMens.

I always considered myself a very visual person -- when I worked for DNR, I styled photo layouts and reviewed designer collections in the U.S. and abroad. But I have to say -- although I loved fashion and admired certain designers, I never really considered myself a fashion person per se. Maybe it was my journalism background, but I always felt a little bit out of place in the fashion realm. However, men's wear was a different story. There, I felt at home, from my very first market appointment covering tailored clothing and furnishings. I always loved putting together a beautiful ensemble, casting the right model and finding the perfect location to shoot the photo spread.

My interest in film developed slowly, and aligned with my longstanding interest in sociology and anthropology. After I had the chance to meet some master tailors on my trips to Italy, it dawned on me that this was a world and a mindset that I wanted to explore further. Even though I am making a film about Italian master tailors, I am by no means an expert on this topic. My focus is on my characters, and their passion for what they do. As I say, these are humble men who make exalted clothing.

We all know that master tailors are a dying breed...My mission as a filmmaker is to exalt the values and traditions of craftsmanship and artisanship (in whatever form it takes) -- especially as our society moves increasingly to a globalized economy and mass industrialization that is devoid of a personal or intimate connection between the creator and the consumer. This is what makes us human -- and ultimately why I think my film has a universal appeal and resonates for individuals from disparate backgrounds.

Making "Men of the Cloth" has been an exciting journey. Indeed, any independently made film is a labor of love. Connecting with my film's core audience is paramount for me, and I strive to answer every query that is emailed to me from individuals interested in the film, because I really love hearing from them. We've spent many months transcribing the footage and preparing for the post-production phase, and I'm currently fundraising so that we can edit the film, do the score, the graphics, titles and sound mix -- and start the film festival submission process.

I look forward to the day when I can do screening events, release the (much-anticipated) DVD, and hopefully, have a television broadcast. I look forward to continuing the conversation...

Ciao everyone,

Vicki Vasilopoulos
Vicki@MenoftheClothFilm.com
http://www.facebook.com/MenOfTheClothFilm

Dear Vicki:
Welcome to the London Lounge, and thank you for all your hard work along with your crew that you've put into this work of art. I share your passion of visually sharing the world of tailoring and haberdashery with others.

God speed, and many best wishes to you, and once more welcome to the London Lounge.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

Dear Vicki,

It’s great to have you with us in the London Lounge.

This paragraph makes a point that has a good deal of resonance with our members:

We all know that master tailors are a dying breed...My mission as a filmmaker is to exalt the values and traditions of craftsmanship and artisanship (in whatever form it takes) -- especially as our society moves increasingly to a globalized economy and mass industrialization that is devoid of a personal or intimate connection between the creator and the consumer. This is what makes us human -- and ultimately why I think my film has a universal appeal and resonates for individuals from disparate backgrounds.

How did you happen to find and choose the tailors, your characters, for the film? There are some great immigrant Italian tailors in New York, and at least one young American who studied with them to learn his craft. More stories to be told…in Men of the Cloth II?

I certainly hope our members are generous so we can help get your film off the ground!

Welcome once again.

Cheers

Michael Alden

Hi, Michael -- it's great to be with you on the London Lounge.

Choosing the tailors for my film was an organic process. Early on, I talked to some knowledgeable people -- my friend Bruce Boyer among them. I also talked to the CTDA, and did a lot of research and pre-production, and went to meet any potential characters in the flesh, with a cameraman by my side.

Of course, I wanted individuals who were among the very best at what they do. But they also had to be accessible and amenable to being filmed, naturally. But even if they were all arguably the "best" in the world and entirely at my disposal, they would not have served the film very well unless they were also compelling characters on screen and articulate about their craft. As we know, there are some very good tailors out there but they're not particularly good at verbalizing what they do -- they don't have the ability or inclination to reflect on their craft. To add to those criteria, I was also interested in characters who had intriguing aspects to their personal background or life trajectory -- all the better to enhance the dramatic effect of the film. And while there are superb tailors from many nations, after a lot of consideration, I chose to narrow the field to Italian master tailors because "the Italian tailor" has traditionally been such an iconic image in the U.S., and there have been so many of them who have emigrated here.

And finally, the character arcs of the individual stories I chose to focus on had to complement each other. In other words, I like to think that each individual tailor in the film represents a piece of the puzzle that is the whole of the tailoring craft. Their lives and personal philosophies bring up specific issues and themes that are relevant to one's understanding of what's at stake for the survival of this craft.

But having said all that, ultimately you have to go with your gut feeling, and there are undoubtedly many other tailors I could have focused on. Would I have preferred to do more shooting and get more characters on tape? Yes, naturally. But this is an independent film with a limited budget, and unfortunately, that becomes cost-prohibitive. I think many other tailors (and their clients) can easily identify with my characters because they fill metaphoric roles, so to speak.

Would I like to do a Part II of "Men of the Cloth"? Absolutely -- if someone would like to finance it... but it's been an incredible challenge to raise the funds and to get as far as I have. And I still have another hill to climb on that front, as I'm continually raising money so that I can pay our editor and arrive at a fine cut.

Wish me luck,

Vicki

Vicki

Having spent many years in Sicily, I understand very well the import of the themes you describe so well. Living the immigration from a Sicilian point of view is fascinating. Almost every family in my town has a relative who went to the US. Some came back home and others never did, their possessions and homes abandoned for generations, still waiting a return that will never come. The stories are often moving.

The Sicilians once they arrived in NY organized themselves into clans according to their city of origin. There is a superb picture hanging on the wall of our town’s boot maker that shows the young men from the town in NY together for an evening event: they are all dressed in white tie and look immaculate. These were essentially very poor people, but they knew the importance of style. And from this we can deduce the importance of the tailors to those communities.

Have you tried seeking funding from the Italian government? There may be resources there.

Cheers

Michael

Yes, well-put, Michael. One of my characters is Sicilian and I've always been impressed with his proud and dignified bearing despite coming from a humble background.

As for approaching the Italian government, I'm working on it...

Ciao,

Vicki

Since I am a customer of Nino Corvato's I've made my nominal contribution towards the film production, with pleasure. Hopefully some of Nino's Forbes list customers have been approached as well. I look forward to the completion of the project.

Great project,

with a lovely trailer.

LL members

There is some news about Vicki's film that should be of interest to you. I am inviting her to post an update presently.

Cheers

Michael Alden

I'm happy to report that MEN OF THE CLOTH is finally at the rough cut stage. I have a donor who has pledged completion funds, but in order to access those funds, I have to raise $20,000 to finish editing in time to submit to some important film festivals this fall.

To that end, I've launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo and I'm partnering with some high-end men’s wear brands, custom tailors and fabric merchants. They’re sponsoring my campaign by donating goods and services as “perks” to those individuals who make a secure tax-deductible donation. There are silk ties from Carrot & Gibbs; shirts from Ike Behar and Gambert Shirts; custom-made clothing from master tailor Nino Corvato and the firm Adrian Jules; and fine English suiting fabric from Holland & Sherry, H. Lesser and J & J Minnis -- not to mention, MEN OF THE CLOTH DVD’s and posters. I have 36 days to meet my crowdfunding goal.

This is a great opportunity for the members of the London Lounge to get some beautiful merchandise directly from my sponsors while supporting a film that exalts Italian master tailors.

Here's my IndieGoGo page: http://www.indiegogo.com/MEN-OF-THE-CLO ... 522&i=addr
And here's my film trailer: http://menoftheclothfilm.com/trailer/

Thanks very much! I look forward to your feedback.

Dear Members, I wanted to comment on this project, not because Ms. Vasilopoulos is a friend, but because her dedicated work on this documentary is so worthwhile. This project is indeed the stuff of History, and beautifully presented at that. And since it's a subject is so close to our hearts, may I urge you to tug the fashionable sleeve of your acquaintances to contribute to this meaningful endeavor. The craftsmen and artisans of the profession deserve it, Ms. Vasilopolous deserves it, and of course we deserve it. Sincerely, G. Bruce Boyer

Bruce, thanks so much for your support. It means a lot to me!

If you are able to support Vicki by donating some money or support her on another way by finishing and promoting her film, please do. On this way she can soon show a lot of people in the world about this wonderful craft and that will be a part of supporting this wonderful craft and keep it alive. She made this with a lot of passion and I think people who don't have a passion for tailoring already, but who will see this, will become passionate as well about this wonderful craft.

In case members are not aware, Men of the Cloth is finished and has been an official selection at DOC NYC — the NY Documentary film festival. Perhaps more relevant, it is available for pre-order either for individuals or for universities and organizations (for group screenings to nonpaying audiences). Details here.

Wonderful to know this project has come to fruition. Can't wait to see it.