An interview with Bernhard Roetzel

[hectorm]

Crompton is a great example of how useless clothes are if there is no style in the man to bring them to life. ...clothes have done nothing to make him look like anything more than an oversized, middle aged, balding chipmunk whose mother has told him he cannot go out an play with the squirrels.

And the cat calls from women in the brute’s favor prove the point!

Bravo! Someone had to say these things, and I'm glad that our host did it loud and clear.

[Concordia]

Let's all calm down a bit on poor Simon. Many of us escape similar sorts of internet abuse only because we have the sense-- or discretionary income-- not to be tempted to write a blog about our daily affairs.

[Frans]

I am at a loss to understand how jeans and T-shirts made it into this conversation though James Dean, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and BB Bardot looked pretty well in them

At a certain point in the 90ies jeans and a T-shirt became the norm. That's how my generation dressed. That's normcore. Think of Zuckerberg.

That's where Roetzel came in the picture at a time before the internet and fora like this one. No, he's no style guru. He has written a very basic book about a classic way of dressing. It explains how a jacket is built up, it explains fit. It shows different kind of cloths like mohair etc. that I had never heard about. I thought wool is for winter, cotton for summer. I had never seen a tailor.

I came from the desert. I had not heard of Savile Row. Thought that suits were made in a factory.
Roetzel has provided that basic understanding to me. And to some other members as they state above.

As regards your style icons, Flusser, Will and Crompton, I would prefer young men study rather Cooper, Gable, Agnelli and Prince Michael. But there is no accounting for taste or lack of it.

Cooper, Gable, Agnelli were old men from another era by then. They were showmen, businessmen, aristocrats. Many jazz musicians (e.g. Duke Ellington) had style too. I saw that. But no jazz musician today will appear on stage like Ellington or Satchmo did.

Flusser, Will and Crompton are not my style icons. However, I read their books and blogs. Just like I read books about wine. In the end you have to do the tasting yourself.

The gripe with Cromps, in my view, stems from the fact that he is a self-appointed style guru, and despite his apparent lack of qualification he seems to have amassed an audience of readers who do ask some daft questions which normally elicit a daft reply.

Crompton does publish critical remarks from readers' about their experience with tailors. In that respect the comments section can get fairly informative.

Therefore, I cannot see that the existence of these books or fora could do any harm. There's freedom of speech like there's freedom of press. Every grown up can filter the information himself. True, with the internet there's no redaction any longer, so one has to be more critical esp. as to blogs and fora.

to make him look like anything more than an oversized, middle aged, balding chipmunk whose mother has told him he cannot go out an play with the squirrels.

That's hardly an objective description, though
If you think Crompton is like that, fine with me. I just think calling names distracts from the content.

I know there are some cultures where scrutiny and the open exchange of ideas is either not permitted at all or frowned upon. Not here my friend!

Good to know, thank you. Quite some fora have become sectarian in that respect, where only 1 Truth is true.

I stick to what I said and defend Roetzel and Flusser, but also Will, Crompton, Gentleman Gazette and the very affected (if not snobbish) Parisian Gentleman, yip even the Pitti Peacocks etc.

They are not THE TRUTH. They're part of a renewed interest in a certain esthetics of clothing that went lost in the 70ies-80ies-90ies so that my generation grew up in a sartorial desert. I enjoy reading and watching it. It wasn't around 25 years ago.

And who knows, more prescriptive, 'entry-level' blogs may prove a gateway drug to the higher plane.

I consider this forum as part of that big revival too. A plant can have many flowers. Old cloths that have disappeared come to new life. There's also a bit of nostalgia about it, no?

Perhaps I am a Roetzelian, Cromptonian, I don't care. I admit, it's not that much about style. It's about dressing appropriate to the occasion in not too loud a manner. It's about doing an effort when appearing in front of other people. Helped by my tailor, I admit. But I have fun with it. Because finally, it's not just jeans, t-shirt and jumper everyday.

Let's all calm down a bit on poor Simon. Many of us escape similar sorts of internet abuse only because we have the sense-- or discretionary income-- not to be tempted to write a blog about our daily affairs.

[hectorm]

That's where Roetzel came in the picture ... No, he's no style guru.

It seems that he has appointed himself as one. Have you seen the cover of his latest book Gentleman: The Ultimate Companion to the Elegant Man?. Not Cooper, not Gable, not Grant, not Windsord, but Benhard himself posing hands in pocket (what he even says that is bad manners in his homeland).
Well, at least he didn't put Crompton on the cover
And no, I´m not to say that what Mr. Roetzel wrote has no value. It has, and he has even educated me in some topics of my interest. It´s just that -while I appreciate the information- despite all the nice clothes and accessories that surround him, what I perceive as his shortcomings in personal magnetism and authenticity, IMO makes him an unconvincing proponent of the gentleman´s way.
Still I value his contribution several notches above Mr. Crompton´s.

[couch]

A very sane approach, Frans, it seems to me. I especially like:

Just like I read books about wine. In the end you have to do the tasting yourself.

And of course, in every aspect of the world of wine there are equally strong and often contrary opinions as in the sartorial fray.

[Luca]

...authenticity...

I don't sup[pose many will agree but I think 'authenticity' a dreadful impostor of a word.
The only authentic garment, or action, is whatever one wore (did) before one gave it ANY thought at all.
The moment, be it at 8 years of age or 88, one chose one tie over an other, the moment one discerned, one engaged in a construction, a re-framing (however small) of the self, a pretence, if you will.

[couch]

In the context of self, I agree with you, Luca. We learn, we grow, we change, our bodies and ideas develop and decline and some of that is the result of our own will. I suppose "authentic" could be applied to someone who isn't deliberately trying to be taken for something he is not (an imposter?), but the trouble comes in judging whether that is the case. As with the semiotics of clothing in the other thread, people often impute motives that may not have been intended—so a message is received that was not sent (thus constructed by the "recipient"). So the judgment of "authentic" or not often says more about the norms of the judge than the character of the judged.

[alden]

Just like I read books about wine. In the end you have to do the tasting yourself.

If you are shopping for wine, clothes or lawnmowers it also seems to me to be a very practical and reasonable method. Read the reviews on amazon, buy the latest book from the lawnmower guru du jour, take a car for a spin, sample a nice glass of wine. It all works. But now we are talking about shopping to buy clothes, or wine or lawnmowers. And I know this is the seven trillionth time I say it but you can’t buy style or the charisma that comes from having style. If only it were that easy.

You can shop for a look. Say you want too play the role of an authentic English Gentleman. Like a good character actor you study how an English Gentleman dresses, how he walks, you learn about the life of an English gentleman. You read a few books on English Gentlemen and you play the role. If you are good you can trick the audience into really believing you are an "authentic" English Gentleman for the two hours you are on stage. If you are a great actor you create presence, something that excites the audience and makes them not only believe you but want to watch you. The audience can’t take their eyes off you. You have magnetism. Bravo!

The bad news in all of this is that there are few great character actors in any given generation who can achieve this kind of transformation. And as every actor knows, when you get up in front of an audience and you are not armed with the “truth” of the character’s essence, you STINK. The hook comes out and you are offstage right.

A great acting teacher (my own) likes to say that acting is “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” And though few of you will concur with this statement, I believe Style is “living truthfully in real circumstances.”
It seems like a pretty easy thing to do, even mundane, but it isn’t. If you will simply be happy with who you are and beam they joy of it to the world truthfully in all you do, you will have the same magnetism and presence of the great actor strutting and fretting on the stage. People will not be able to take their eyes off you and a new world of possibilities will be opened to you.

If on the other hand you continue to believe, and this thread is just another sad reminder, that all of the above can be shopped for and bought. That you can really become the English Gent, the Italian rake, the Tennessee corn cob salesman by faking it, you will remain in the abysmal lack of presence and style that many of you know as your day to day reality. And that no matter how many closet's full of thousands of dollars of clothes you have shopped for and bought. By living falsely in real circumstances, you fool no one but yourself. And the great hook of life is pulling you offstage, and you don’t even know it or aren’t willing to admit it.

Voila, another unsponsored jolting shock treatment of truth to start your day.

Cheers

[Luca]

In the context of self, I agree with you, Luca. We learn, we grow, we change, our bodies and ideas develop and decline and some of that is the result of our own will. I suppose "authentic" could be applied to someone who isn't deliberately trying to be taken for something he is not (an imposter?), but the trouble comes in judging whether that is the case. As with the semiotics of clothing in the other thread, people often impute motives that may not have been intended—so a message is received that was not sent (thus constructed by the "recipient"). So the judgment of "authentic" or not often says more about the norms of the judge than the character of the judged.

Well put (better than I could).
I, personally, struggle with the idea of an innate or at least not consciously determined concept of self but I accept that if a lawyer and life-long Bucharest resident on a trip to London attempts to pass himself form a French fighter pilot he is an impostor and pretending.

[Scot]

Mr Roetzel might occasionally come in handy -

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... ing-polish

(Warning - this is The Guardian!)

[uppercase]

Excellent article.
Appalling in so many ways.
But true.

[couch]

I didn't see this until after I posted in the stroller thread about Peter Thiel's VC fund screening out cleantech startups whose executives dressed up for pitch meetings. An almost perfect mirror image of this set of norms, and just as rigid. As Gordon Gekko said, "Bud, get yourself a decent suit."

[hectorm]

Voila, another unsponsored jolting shock treatment of truth to start your day.

Thank you, master. Can I have more?
No, really, no irony. I do take your words as a well received encouragement.

[C.Lee]

Like it or loathe it, we possess an innate, even stubborn, sense of our own destiny. One has what one has to work with, and it starts from within.

From the architect Louis Kahn,

Even a brick wants to be something. If you think of Brick, you say to Brick, 'What do you want, Brick?' And Brick says to you, 'I like an Arch.' And if you say to Brick, 'Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over you. What do you think of that, Brick?' Brick says, 'I like an Arch.' And it's important, you see, that you honor the material that you use. You can only do it if you honor the brick and glorify the brick instead of shortchanging it.

Celebrate your inner Brick.

[uppercase]

Very true, Alden, and well put. And very interesting.

But I think that thinking back to our youth, when we are trying on various personas, indeed, learning who we are, some guidance and inspiration is useful. And this applies to dressing.

I think that a lot of young guys are really trying to learn the ropes of dressing; they're looking for ideas, tips and guidance. They are looking for information. Places to buy clothes, tailors to consider, reviews of tailors, cloth, etc. etc. This is where books and blogs can be useful.

They are also looking for style advice. They may not know a lot of things. A young lawyer might want clothing tips on how to look like a young lawyer. He might not have a clue. Legitimate pursuit.

Many and most, are not visiting these blogs to present a false image to the world or to attempt to disguise themselves, but just to get into the game and educate themselves.

I give these guys a big benefit of the doubt regarding their intentions and chalk it up to them wanting to learn things about clothes rather than wanting to learn to be impostors.

Hence, you find a lot of rookie questions like what color socks go with what color trousers, etc. Really, I take it at face value: they just don't know. Here I am starting out, with a limited budget, and no experience, help me out. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Now if I come to you and ask you, Alden, teach me how to dress like an English lord. Well,you might take exception to that. I am sure that you could teach me that, but that would not make me an English Lord. But you could teach me the dress code. Not the manner and all, but the dress code. Let me do with it what I want. Would that be wrong?

Anyway, I must tell you with thanks, that I learned a lot on LL over the years since I first joined I think in …2007?…. Your blog got me back into bespoke and the pleasures of bespoke and all that goes with it …something which I had abandoned many years earlier. I never would have learned about Naples and its tailors if not for LL, etc. etc.
And now our little discussions on LL, about a lot of things, are a nice source of pleasure and enjoyment for me.

All the great information on LL, and a few other blogs, is very useful and let people's intentions be what they may be. Now, I just want to hear from you about that hidden tailor in Naples who does a spalla camicia, in the classic Neapolitan manner, like no other.

You can PM me.