Camps de Luca article in The Rake (Issue 10)

[pur_sang]

The author (Wei Koh) made the claim that Camps de Luca trumps them all. He made references to the English and Italian tailors and unambiguously state that they do not compare to Camps de Luca. The interesting thing about this article is that the author have obviously had experiences with lots of bespoke tailors, and he made such a statement. He also made an interesting point about how he's been purchasing mostly Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren Purple Label in recent years, being unrewarded with his bespoke commissions. This has confirmed my own conclusion that if you are not terribly hard to fit, and if the aim of clothes is to make you look the best possible, RTW can sometimes give you a better result than bespoke. I personally am a big fan of both Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren Purple Label as well, although I do think quite unbelievably Purple Label is even more overpriced than Tom Ford.

At the end of the day, I think it comes down to taste. I like certain aspects of what they show of the Camps de Luca suits. Maybe due to the fact that they are based in Paris, they seem to have a more forward philosophy in their work.

What do you think?

[ay329]

Our very own Sleevehead/Erasmus is about the only one I know who has written articles about the quality of their work. They cost a bit less than the Parisian bespoke heavyweight...Cifonelli

http://sleevehead.blogspot.com/2008/03/ ... -luca.html

[Merc]

The author (Wei Koh) made the claim that Camps de Luca trumps them all. He made references to the English and Italian tailors and unambiguously state that they do not compare to Camps de Luca. The interesting thing about this article is that the author have obviously had experiences with lots of bespoke tailors, and he made such a statement. He also made an interesting point about how he's been purchasing mostly Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren Purple Label in recent years, being unrewarded with his bespoke commissions. This has confirmed my own conclusion that if you are not terribly hard to fit, and if the aim of clothes is to make you look the best possible, RTW can sometimes give you a better result than bespoke. I personally am a big fan of both Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren Purple Label as well, although I do think quite unbelievably Purple Label is even more overpriced than Tom Ford.

At the end of the day, I think it comes down to taste. I like certain aspects of what they show of the Camps de Luca suits. Maybe due to the fact that they are based in Paris, they seem to have a more forward philosophy in their work.

What do you think?

i like ralph lauren purple quite a bit....and at this time of year you can find leftovers at steep sale, which is probably the price they shoulda have been in the first place

but i cant even begin to wear it..its a very narrow cut....for example, im a 42s and i have to go to a 44R to get it to cover my chest but then the back and shoulders are out of wack not to mention the length and the waist on the pants which would need to come in a few inches. You cant really alter anything that much and get good results. so i never bother even though i try on stuff in the store. even the salesmen are nervous recommending i buy it!
But if youre 5'10" to 5'11" and are not only trim in the waist but have a modest sized chest as well, you should look great in RLPL.

[andreyb]

The author (Wei Koh) made the claim that Camps de Luca trumps them all. He made references to the English and Italian tailors and unambiguously state that they do not compare to Camps de Luca.

It is not a critical article. Author seems to be far too inexperienced to make such a bold claim. I bet he started to patronize bespoke tailors only when The Rake began publication -- and not placed more than a single order in any atelier. Indeed, he looked for "adventures" (his word), not lasting relationships.

Also, the article follows with a photo session with a male model wearing exclusively CdL clothing (provided by de Luca); one of these photos is on the magazine cover itself. If this is not an advertorial, I don't know what is.

So, read it, enjoy the stories and pictures, but don't take it seriously.

Andrey

P.S.: A funny thing. There is a quotation from a "tailoring historian" (sic!) Marc Guyot, verbatimely lifted from his AAAC post. Of course, without any mention of the source...

[alden]

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... uca#p12853

[andreyb]

http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... uca#p12853

The discussion linked above is so much better than the article from The Rake... a different league.

Andrey

[Gruto]

I read the article. I like it. It's well-written. He is critical to the "house style" of established tailoring houses. The house style approach tend to forget that proportion - creating a garment that elevate the customer's proportions - is more important than leaving a trademark. That said, maybe de Luca's house style is just the right for the author?

Speaking of proportions, what do you think of the suit that the young de Luca wears?



To me this cut isn't perfect for him. Would he be offer off in drape? That could give him some chest and shoulder balancing bottom and top better. Also the jacket could be a tad shorter, I think.

[Simon A]

The photo doesn't do this fellow any favours. The strip of white shirt between jacket buttoning point and the top of his somewhat low-rise trousers looks like a muffin top spilling over. He is probably quite a slim person but the photo makes him look otherwise.

[tteplitzmd]

The magazine is one large advertorial/infomercial. Note the fine print of preferred providers at the end. Ambrosi has been dropped from the list. I regret having opted for the two year subscription rather than simply taking a test drive of a few issues.

[Merc]

I

To me this cut isn't perfect for him. Would he be offer off in drape? That could give him some chest and shoulder balancing bottom and top better. Also the jacket could be a tad shorter, I think.

i agree with you re: the cut for him

[pur_sang]

Obviously, everything is down to personal taste. I think everything on the suit looks fine, except it is too long, which makes him look shorter.

I believe a common problem for the young thin/average build customer is that the suit can often be too loose for their liking? The Camps de Luca suit shown here is obviously very fitted, and if you are after that look, the author seemed to be, they might do a better job than the Savile Row firms?

I really enjoyed this magazine at the beginning, and somewhat less so now. I believe it is very dangerous with injecting so much subjectivity in their articles, because few issues ago, Rubinacci was Mr. Amazing, Ambrosi was the best in the world, A&S is the one and only blah blah blah... and now the article seems to dismiss them.

I was not aware that they had a recommended list!? I got to check it again when I get home. Thank you.

[J.S. Groot]

In my view, which is not based on the actual magazine but the archival articles available on-line, the magazine is quite entertaining if you take it with a grain of salt. It is obvious that the authors do not critically review the brands/houses covered, but rather celebrate them. Equally, the authors are not especially educated on the subjects they write on; this is for example very apparent with the Charvet article in which it is plain that the author knows very little of bespoke shirting other than the knowledge gained from having a lot of RTW shirts and then shifting to bespoke (or MTO in this case). This lack of knowledge does not have to be a bad thing exclusively, but when viewed in relation to the image The Rake is projecting of itself, it is.

When read for what it is (a celebration of some of the world's most legendary brands/houses), however, it is quite good, I think.

[tteplitzmd]

"I was not aware that they had a recommended list!? I got to check it again when I get home."


...the product endorsement page is located on the inside of the back cover of each issue. Judging from the advertising pages, there must be an enormous demand for luxe Swiss watches in Singapore. But if I was interested in timepieces, there are better periodicals already on the market. The Rake reminds me of the local flashy magazines I come across in the 5 star hotels. Those magazines celebrate the local merchants of luxe goods, as well as containing a few informative (commissioned) pieces. For example, the Hotel Bel Air magazine had, a few years ago, a very nice article on bespoke leather luggage. However, these hotel magazines are actually put together by contract operations that specialize in these periodicals. Nothing wrong with that, but The Rake doesn't seem to offer anything different.

[andreyb]

When read for what it is (a celebration of some of the world's most legendary brands/houses), however, it is quite good, I think.

Used to be good, I'm afraid.

Andrey

[crooky13]

"I was not aware that they had a recommended list!? I got to check it again when I get home."


...the product endorsement page is located on the inside of the back cover of each issue. Judging from the advertising pages, there must be an enormous demand for luxe Swiss watches in Singapore. But if I was interested in timepieces, there are better periodicals already on the market. The Rake reminds me of the local flashy magazines I come across in the 5 star hotels. Those magazines celebrate the local merchants of luxe goods, as well as containing a few informative (commissioned) pieces. For example, the Hotel Bel Air magazine had, a few years ago, a very nice article on bespoke leather luggage. However, these hotel magazines are actually put together by contract operations that specialize in these periodicals. Nothing wrong with that, but The Rake doesn't seem to offer anything different.

If you did look into the man, Wei Koh, himself you would see that he is one of the fortunate men of the East to have enough money to pursue his passions fulltime. There is a big emphasis on fine watches, as he has another magazine simply for fine timepieces (also on reading many of the captions in the Rake, you will see many of those worn by the models are actually from his personal collection).

Also, I do not see why some have frowned upon him having more than one favourite tailor. He has continued to seek out and sample a number of tailors for the experience (which, is why many of wish to go to the row rather than anywhere else) and for the clothes themselves. There is nothing wrong to swear by Ambrosi for Italian style pleated trousers, Rubinacci for their Italian style and soft tailoring and A&S for comfy tweeds.

Wei has actively gone out and had the full bespoke experience with many of the 'name' tailors and again, on reading many of the captions, you will see that he personally commissioned many of the items featured (a fact which many a London and Row tailor would happily back-up). He is perhaps, and I say this without wanting to tread on any esteemed members toes, better positioned to provide advice on what he thinks of X tailor, or how flexible he thought Y to be compared to Z.

The last time I checked, Singapore was not in the general vicinity of London, Napoli and Paris.